 |
| Although
it's been 30 years since Sherman Williams,
'72 EE, has lived in Montana, Montana State
University has never been far from his thoughts.
|
| Williams,
a native of Sidney, valued his undergraduate
education at MSU and now works to recruit
MSU engineering students for his employer,
the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Keyport,
Wash. |
| "We
look at a lot of big schools to recruit from,
but I like the fact that MSU is a small enough
school where students still get the individual
attention they need," he said. |
|
|
| "That's
what I liked when I was a student here. There are quality
instructors and the facilities are good. It's a well-rounded
school." |
| Williams,
advisor to the executive director of the center, has been
so impressed with the caliber of engineering students
that he was instrumental in getting an educational agreement
signed between MSU and Keyport that supports senior projects
in the College of Engineering. |
| Keyport
is responsible for testing, training and evaluation, maintenance
and repair, and fleet support for all Undersea Warfare
Systems, most notably, torpedoes. Although Keyport is
a naval facility, only 35 of its 1,485 employees are in
the military. |
| Last
year the four-member MSU mechanical engineering design
team successfully designed a tool changer for Keyport's
laser robot. This year, another MSU design team will develop
fixtures to perform robotic laser stripping. |
| "We
wanted to hire all the engineering students we worked
with on the project," he said. |
| When
Williams came to campus to study engineering, electrical
engineering had just taken off in a new direction. |
| "John
Hanton was the first professor that started teaching electronics,"
he said. "I remember him the most. He would give oral
finals." |
| Although
he also earned degrees from the University of Southern
California and Indian University, when asked where he
went to school, he still says MSU. |
| "I
have a sentimental attachment, a good connection to MSU,
and I come back whenever I can," he said. "I want people
to know that I'm from MSU." |
| He's
also a regular on campus at the recruitment fairs and
was just recently on campus in early October. |
| Williams'
wife Sherrie (Horacek), EX '72, is also a Montana
native and an MSU alum. She grew up in Lewistown and is
currently a management analyst at the Navy Region North
West in Bangor, Wash. |
