Jack M. Wilson: An Autobiography
-Jack M. Wilson
Table of Contents
1
Ode to Judi
13
Mother: Ruth Josephine
Leiseder Stauffer. 14
Father Jack Maurer Wilson:
20
Grandfather Martin “Pop-pop”
“Hubby” Leiseder: 25
Grandmother Sarah Sutter
Leiseder 29
Grandmother Olive Viola
Maurer Wilson Cappe
29
Born in 1945 in Indiana-The
First Baby in the Baby Boom 31
The Early Years on the
Northside of Pittsburgh
31
Moving to the House We Built
in Glenshaw 32
Early School Days
34
Trying to be a Rocket
Scientist at an Early Age
35
Butler County Fair Tornado
37
The First Congregational
Church of Etna Pennsylvania
38
From a Small Town to
University President 39
John F. Kennedy is Shot
42
H.J. Heinz
42
Temple University Hospital
44
Learning about Life at Thiel
45
The Wedding Years
50
Kent State
53
The Kent State shootings and
my time at Kent State Columbiana county branch.
55
The Kent State Killings
59
Leaving Kent
60
Chapter 6- Making a New Life
and Career in Texas: Sam Houston State
1972-1982
63
Chuck Manka Becomes a Mentor
63
Department Chair –My First
Administrative Position
65
On Making Decisions in
Whitewater 66
Creating a Family
70
A Car Crash in the Mountains
70
Broken Bones
72
My Sailing Era
74
Building the Home on the
Lake
77
Chapter 7- Return to the
Northeast and My Time at AAPT: 1972-90
81
Who is Susan Lucci?
85
First visit to Asia in 1983
to Taiwan. 86
Summer workshop in La Lond
Les Maures France. 87
Creating the Physics
Olympiad
88
1986+- Trip to East Germany
90
Visiting Russia
96
Teaching Modern Physics
98
My Early Visits to Japan
100
Hosting Tae Ryu in
Washington, DC 102
Meeting Several Presidents.
103
The University of
Maryland-M.U.P.P.E.T. and CUPLE
106
A Time of Family Transition
112
Meeting Judi Chang
112
A New Chapter in my Personal
and Professional Life
117
Marrying Judi Chang on
August 18, 1990 118
Sailing in Hawaii
119
Creating a Family in Troy
120
John Becomes Quite Ill
121
Making our nest in a new
home in Troy.
122
Family Vacations
124
Taking the Red Eye with Kato
Kaelin Shortly After the O.J. Simpson Trial in 1995 124
Leading a Mutiny on a Delta
Airlines Flight 126
Building the Anderson Center
for Innovation in Undergraduate Education
128
The 3C’s and the 5C’s
129
Learning to raise money
131
Gretchen and Erika Ski
Tuckerman’s Ravine 134
John and I are attacked by a
rabid fox.
135
From Roland Schmitt to Byron
Pipes to Shirley Ann Jackson
137
On Sabbatical in 2000- Anna
Maria Island to Amsterdam
143
Erika and Gretchen get
married.
146
Interactive Learning on
Networks-An Opportunity Recognized
150
AT&T releases WorldWorx, but
declines to invest in my follow-on idea
151
Degerhan Usluel and Mark
Bernstein convince me to start a company
151
Turning an Opportunity into
a Company Requires Resource Raising-The Wimpy Method 152
ILinc Enters the Market with
a Category Defining Software Product.
153
The Intel Investment and
Working with Andy Grove
155
Becoming a Public Company
156
Acquisition by Gilat in
Israel 157
Coming to UMass
159
September 11, 2001
161
David and I Ride Harleys
Over the Rockies 162
Gretchen Moves From
Sandpoint Idaho to Wisconsin
163
The UMass Presidency and
President’s Office in Crisis
165
Road to the Presidency: The
trip to Wisconsin and return on crutches.
168
Arriving home to a surprise
169
Selection of the Interim
President 170
September 2, 2003
170
Welcome to the Presidency:
Budget Cuts and Difficult Relations with Government 171
Getting to Know Senator
Kennedy 173
The Search
176
The Search Concludes
181
Restructuring the UMass
Building Authority –the First Tough Job
183
Stabilizing the University
184
The University as the Path
to Economic and Social Development
188
Jessica and I have breakfast
with Governor Romney.
190
The July 2004 Democratic
National Convention in Boston Nominates John Kerry 190
The University of
Massachusetts Law School
192
The Inauguration
202
The First Woman Senate
President and our Nantucket Field Center.
204
Picking the UMass Boston
Chancellor
206
The UMass Lowell transition
213
Getting to distinction by
overcoming challenge.
214
Marketing UMass
214
Microsoft Visit
216
Nelson Mandela
217
Surgery to rebuild my neck.
225
Romney looks to Washington
231
Lombardi is evaluated
232
Romney Upends the UMass
Board 236
The Nobel Prize
238
Deval Patrick Becomes
Governor
240
The “Perfect Storm” of 2007
242
The story of the Medical
School search that brings Terry Flotte – friction between clinical and basic
sciences. 248
The Lowell Search Concludes
252
Lombardi’s Departure
255
Governor announces $ 1
Billion Capital Initiative.
260
The Charles Hof Donation
262
Starting the Next Academic
Year on a High. 265
The Governor asks for a
change in the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
267
Search for the next
Chancellor at UMass Amherst
267
Governor’s Delegation to
China- December 2007. 269
Traveling to Japan in 2008:
Renewing relationships with Hokkaido University, Waseda University, and
Kyushu University.
271
A University on Fire
275
Meeting President Obama
276
There is no victory lap
276
The paradox of fees and
financial aid.
279
Stabilizing the University
Once Again
284
UMass and MIT Partnership -
a Green High Performance Computing Center
286
The Sad Loss of Senator
Edward M. Kennedy
289
The National Security Higher
Education Advisory board.
294
Ink in Barrels
296
The Return of the Law School
301
Creation of The Edward M.
Kennedy Institute
320
The Evaluation Process for
the UMass Amherst Chancellor 332
The BCS Football Issue
334
The Evaluation Continues-The
Tufts Controversy
336
Passing of My Mother Ruth
Josephine Leiseder Wilson Stauffer
338
Salary Brouhaha on my
departure 338
The Jack M. Wilson
Presidential Scholarship 340
Becoming the President of
The Edward M Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate 341
Kara Kennedy, a vital Board
voice, died unexpectedly
346
Donation of the Kennedy
Compound
347
Leaving the Edward M Kennedy
Institute to get back to teaching, research, and service.
350
Becoming the Interim Dean of
Engineering 352
Appendices
354
Appendix 1:
Bulleted Dates 354
Memories
354
Appendix 2: Two Dozen
Somewhat Surprising Facts
361
Appendix 3:
Su-Chen Chang Obituary 363
Su-Chen “Susanna” Chang
-Born 8 December 1933; Died 30 October 2006
363
Appendix 4:
Poplar Grove by Martin Leiseder
364
Appendix 5:
Raymond Wilson Dec 13, 1920 -
July 31, 2010
366
Appendix 6 Salary
Controversy
367
Appendix 7:
Khalil Gibran Poem 376
Appendix 8
-Wilson Letter to Trustees Announcing Future Plans to Leave the
Presidency.
377
Appendix 9:
Wilson response to the report of the evaluation committee
379
AAPT, 11, 12, 24, 43, 83, 84, 85, 87, 115
Aaron Lazare, 172
Ahmed Kathrada,
225, 226
AIP, 86
Allan Bromley, 106
American Association of Physics Teachers, 11,
43, 119
American Bar
Association, 319, 322, 325
American Institute of Physics, 86, 119
American Physical Society, 86
AmeriCorps, 85, 86, 123
Amy Biehl, 227
Andrew Tarsy, 352
Andy, 27, 33
Anzio, 9, 21
APS, 84
Art Gaudio,
318, 322
Arthur Eisenkraft, 87, 105
AT&T, 152, 153, 155, 159
Attorney
General, 169, 245, 315, 321, 323, 344,
345, 373
Bay State Medical Center, 280, 342
Bea, 27
Bell Laboratories, 153
BHE, 167, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205,
246, 306, 309, 310, 323
Bill Russell, 233, 297
Board of Higher Education, 196, 199, 200
Board of Trustees, 4, 119, 170, 173, 180,
181, 182, 195, 196, 198, 212, 224, 231, 235, 238, 240, 241, 246, 248, 264,
271, 272, 287, 306, 307, 308, 309, 316, 317, 321, 326, 332, 336, 341, 342,
343, 365, 374, 375, 383, 385, 386
Bob Connolly, 169, 182, 194, 218, 242, 243,
248, 295, 308, 345, 373
Bob McCarthy, 182, 183
Boeing, 120, 159
Boston Pops, 205
broken bones, 74
Bulger, 65, 66, 170, 171, 172, 179
Bush, 105, 106, 107, 108, 178
Camp Adderbury, 22, 33
Cappe, 21, 30, 31, 33
Caret, 343, 351, 358, 386
Carnegie Mellon, 43, 55
Carol Twigg, 164
Caroline Kennedy, 294, 327, 349, 356
Cellucci,
315
Center for Technological Entrepreneurship,
155
Chancellor
MacCormack, 196, 282, 307, 309, 310,
316, 324
China, 5, 6, 35, 87, 89, 273, 274, 275, 277,
279, 300, 334, 348, 363
Chuck Carletta, 179
Chuck Manka, 65, 66
CIA,
298, 300
Clinton, 107, 108
College Park, 11, 24, 84, 86
Committee on Academic and Student Affairs,
339
Congregational, 15, 26
Craig Mello, 220, 235, 243, 253, 254, 256,
257, 265, 266, 273, 274, 287, 334
Dave, 25, 30, 31, 164
David, 9, 31, 33, 164
David Gray, 173, 289, 333
DeBenedetti, 55
Degerhan Usluel, 154, 159
DeHaven, 36
Delores Mason, 87
Deval
Patrick, 4, 235, 244, 245, 246, 258,
273, 278, 280, 307, 310, 316, 322, 336, 365, 366, 385
Diane Moes, 172
Dianne Wilkerson, 214, 282
Dodge, 85
Dr. J, 191, 297
dyslexia, 36, 37
Ed Parrish, 180
Ed Schlossberg, 327, 349
Edward M. Kennedy, 5, 44, 293, 295, 326, 330,
331, 332, 334, 347, 353, 356, 357
Edward M. Kennedy Institute, 331, 354, 359
Elizabeth Leonard, 89
emergency room, 139, 230
Erika, 3, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 28, 37, 72, 73,
74, 75, 85, 86, 90, 91, 92, 119, 123, 126, 136, 137, 148, 149, 150, 152,
207, 294, 361, 364, 365, 366, 367
Ethel Kennedy, 355
FBI,
167, 248, 298, 299, 300
Football, 5, 339
fox, 137, 138, 139
Frank Phillips, 180, 355, 357
Gene Sutter, 33
General Electric, 119, 226
Gilat, 152, 160
Gillette Stadium, 340
Globe, 137, 167, 171, 179, 180, 182, 183,
203, 214, 215, 225, 258, 285, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 309, 311, 313, 315,
330, 333, 339, 344, 346, 355, 357, 365, 368, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 380,
381, 382, 387, 388
Governor, 4, 5, 61, 86, 167, 168, 169, 173,
174, 176, 179, 184, 187, 188, 190, 192, 193, 194, 197, 198, 199, 200, 204,
205, 206, 210, 211, 216, 220, 235, 240, 241, 242, 244, 246, 255, 258, 265,
266, 267, 270, 271, 273, 274, 275, 278, 280, 281, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287,
288, 289, 290, 292, 294, 301, 306, 307, 310, 311, 313, 315, 316, 317, 336,
337, 338, 342, 345, 365, 366, 384, 385
Governor Romney, 179, 192, 193
Graca Machel, 221, 222, 223, 225
Grace Fey, 181, 182
Graham Spanier, 145, 236, 239, 335
Gretchen, 3, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 28, 36, 72,
74, 75, 76, 83, 90, 91, 92, 119, 122, 123, 126, 136, 137, 149, 150, 151,
152, 165, 166, 170, 171, 207, 229, 290, 294, 361, 364, 365, 366, 367
Gwen, 27
Hafemeister, 55
Heinz, 23, 43, 44
Henry Thomas, 339, 341, 387
HIV, 223, 228
Holub,
272, 273, 291, 320, 321, 337, 338, 339, 341, 342, 343, 344, 383
Hwei Tien Huang, 89
IBM, 120, 152, 155, 159
ILINC, 152, 155, 156, 157
Inauguration, 205
InterAmerican Council, 87
Jack Connors, 326, 350, 358
Jack Welch, 182, 226
Jackie
Brennan, 311
Jane Fonda, 62
Jean F. MacCormack, 307
Jean MacCormack, 196, 204, 271, 324, 337, 382
Jena, 42
Jennifer
Braceras, 271, 306, 309, 311
Jessica, 12, 13, 122, 126, 137, 139, 170,
171, 192, 193, 221, 225, 228, 229, 230
Jim Karam,
195, 204, 206, 235, 236, 239, 240, 241, 242, 261, 307, 317, 341, 373
Jim O’Keefe, 157
Joe Kennedy, 191, 219, 296, 348
John, 12, 13, 21, 24, 28, 30, 31, 42, 44, 75,
84, 122, 126, 137, 139, 170, 171, 183, 221, 225, 228, 229
John Connolly, 65
John Lombardi, 235, 236, 237, 239, 241, 242,
245, 247, 248, 250, 252, 257, 259, 263, 340, 366
John Silber,
196, 313
John Toll, 85
John Wayne, 63
Judi, 12, 13, 76, 115, 137, 139, 170, 171,
180, 192, 221, 230
Julius Erving, 191, 199, 233, 297
Kara Kennedy, 5, 351, 353
Keith Lockhart, 207
Keith Motley, 162, 195, 209, 212, 215, 216,
235, 247, 260, 261, 263, 264, 268, 271, 282, 295, 326, 338, 351, 366
Kennedy, 44, 205, 226
Kennedy Compound, 5, 354
Kennedy Library, 177, 193, 194, 295, 326,
327, 349, 350, 388
Kent State, 55, 57, 63
Kiki Kennedy, 353
Kipras, 12, 13, 207
Kolossvary, 43
La Lond Les Maures, 90
Lake Tomahawk, 170
Lance Billingsley, 86
Larry Bacow, 342
Larry Boyle,
170, 183, 240, 241, 263, 306, 309, 311, 315, 365
law school, 195, 198, 201, 205, 218, 236,
237, 240, 241, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 314, 315, 316, 317, 319,
320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 332, 333, 334, 346
Law School,
4, 5, 195, 199, 200, 202, 203, 204, 236, 240, 306, 315, 316, 317, 319, 323,
325, 382
LearnLinc, 152, 155, 156, 157, 159, 160
Lee Fentress, 326, 328, 347, 350, 352
Lena, 12, 13
Lenz, 27, 90
Leslie Granese, 169
Linda Biehl, 227
looks can be deceiving, 170
Marcellette Williams, 89, 279, 334
Marcie Williams, 211, 333
Mardee Xifaras, 307
Mark Bernstein, 154
Mark Rice, 155
Martin Leiseder, 12, 26, 90
Marty Baron,
303, 311
Maryland, 11, 24, 83, 84, 85, 86, 119, 123,
179
Mayor Thomas Menino, 221
Medical School, 4, 162, 167, 168, 172, 191,
218, 220, 223, 230, 235, 241, 243, 247, 250, 253, 256, 257, 260, 261, 263,
264, 265, 266, 270, 271, 279, 287, 334, 337, 342, 344, 345, 347, 365, 366,
373
Melba Phillips, 85
Mentergy, 152, 160
Michael Collins, 18, 162, 213, 214, 216, 233,
235, 247, 260, 263, 264, 271, 287, 337, 366
Michael Dukakis, 301, 303, 313
Michael Kane, 159
Mike Marvin, 155, 159
Minocqua, 12, 150, 170
Moessbauer,
55, 56, 83
Monty Sharma, 171
Murray, 208
Murray King, 27
Myra Kraft,
310
Myrt, 31
National Merit, 37, 43
National
Security Higher Education Advisory Board,
298, 335
Ned, 28, 42, 90
Nelson Mandela, 108, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225,
227, 228
Nessen, 167, 168, 169
Nevirapine, 228
New England
Law School, 311
New England Patriots, 310, 340
New England
School of Law, 197, 201, 204, 236,
242, 306, 307, 309, 311, 312, 313, 315, 317, 318, 322, 324
Nick Littlefield, 326, 351
One Beacon, 172
One Physics Ellipse, 86, 87
Padraig O’Malley, 228
Park Service, 348, 350
Parris N. Glendening, 86
Patrick Kennedy, 351, 357
Paul Reville, 287, 289, 316, 336
Paul Severino, 155
Peaches, 87
Peter
Canellos, 313, 355, 356
Peter Meade, 326, 328, 347
Pew, 164
Physics Department Chair’s Conference, 87
Physics Olympiad, 87, 105, 106, 119
politics is a blood sport, 168
Pop-pop, 27
rabies, 138, 139
Radley, 12, 13, 150, 170, 171, 229
Ranny Cooper, 326, 351
Raquel Welch, 63
Ray Howell, 179
Raymond, 21, 30
Reagan, 107
Rensselaer, 108, 149, 152, 153, 155, 157
Richard Riley, 107
Rob Manning, 241, 242, 269, 271, 332, 333,
336, 341, 366, 384
Robben Island,
225, 226
Robert Caret, 342
Robert DeLeo,
311
Robert J.
Manning, 316
Robert Kraft, 340
Roland Schmitt, 119, 182
Romney, 4, 167, 169, 170, 173, 174, 192, 193,
200, 203, 206, 235, 240, 241, 242, 244, 246, 266, 271, 278, 294, 306, 308,
315, 316, 317, 365, 384
Rosalyn Carter, 108
Rosenberg,
241, 242, 262, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321
RPI, 12, 36, 119, 123, 161, 179, 180
Russian tanks, 42
Ruth, 9, 13, 15, 26
Sam, 33
Sam Houston, 65, 68, 83
Samuel, 33
Sandy, 27, 33
Santayana, 6
Sarah, 11, 26, 30, 33
Satchel Paige, 6
Scott Lehigh, 180
Secretary of Education, 107
Senator
Kennedy, 3, 176, 177, 206, 207, 293,
295, 326, 328
Sigmund Haffner Gasse, 27, 90
SNESL, 195, 196
Solomont, 178, 179, 182, 183
South Africa, 6, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225,
226, 227, 228
Southern New England School of Law, 195
Spinnhirn, 90
Stan
Rosenberg, 200, 240, 242, 262, 316,
317, 366
Stauffer, 9, 13, 15
Steve Lenhardt, 172
Steve Tello, 351, 358
Steve Tocco, 167, 200, 203, 204, 235, 240,
241, 242, 246, 248, 259, 261, 262, 271, 306, 316, 340, 341, 365, 366
Suffolk Law,
311
TAC, 228
Tarogo Gorge, 89
Teddy Kennedy,
176, 206, 294, 295, 356
Terry Flotte, 4, 253, 256, 257
Thiel, 11, 43, 44, 47
Todd Wallach, 344, 373, 376
Tom Reilly,
169, 216, 245, 258, 321, 322, 323
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 227
Tsinghua, 274, 348
Tufts, 5, 192, 290, 305, 342, 346
Uhrich,
55, 56
UMass Memorial Healthcare, 358
UMassOnline, 65, 161, 169
US-Japan-China Physics Education Councils, 87
Vicki
Kennedy, 327, 329, 347, 348, 352
Viñoly, 327, 349
Virginia O’Sullivan, 88, 333
Washington College, 85, 86, 123
White House, 62, 105, 106
wildest dreams,
206
William Mow, 155
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 180
WPI, 180, 181, 182
You look important, 170