Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Colorado

THE FLATIRON L ike many students in the late 1950s, Leslie "Les, aka Rat" Garlinghouse '62 had planned to be an engineer. However, Sputnik radically changed the engineering program at the University of Colorado, and Les was "woefully unprepared" and had to sign a statement that he would not hold the engineering school responsible when he failed. When it became clear he wasn't going to pass his engineering classes, he switched gears and eventually ended up with a degree in Spanish and a minor in journalism which led him down a unique professional path. Les' experience with SigEp afforded him educational opportunities outside of the classroom that ultimately set him up for success beyond college. Once he graduated, Les decided that he ought to make something worthwhile out of his fluency in two languages. He ended up in a Southern California machine shop as a trainee running a drill press and interpreting for the Argentine machinists. "The beginning of developing an industrial vocabulary in two languages has served me well," he said. In 1978, he wrote an eight-page article in Spanish that was published in the Construcción Pan-Americana magazine. The article discussed the large low-slump, heavy duty concrete buckets his company had provided for the Guri Dam project. "This and my involvement in the pre-sales negotiations, the design, writing the tech manuals, and fabrication of the actual buckets were definitely career highlights," he shared. "Subsequent sales trips to South America were also proud moments in my career." Additionally, Les was one of the first five industrial coordinators chosen by Bill Clinton when he was the governor of Arkansas as part of a statewide program supporting the industry. "I was one of the original members of the statewide Quality Improvement Project that was influential beyond Arkansas," he stated. "This led me to become a Certified Quality Engineer per the American Society for Quality, which in turn opened up a whole new career path for me." He also held the position of the statistical process control/TQM trainer for SKIL Corporation and trained all salaried and supervisory personnel at the two Arkansas plants over a two-year period. In this role, he also set up an equivalent training program for the SKIL plant in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The skills Les used every day in his career are undoubtedly rooted in his Colorado Alpha experience. He was surrounded by diverse brothers who helped him become a Balanced Man and with whom he had lively political discussions. "I learned an awful lot about politics and crowd dynamics, which stood me in good stead when I would encounter the same patterns in the industry," he said. "I also developed social and communication skills that have served me well." Les resides in Heber Springs, Arkansas, where he enjoys doing metalwork, including machining (lathe and milling machines) and blacksmithing on his DIY forge. "My shoulder complains a lot, so I'm designing a power hammer," he said. "There is something about playing with fire and beating things with a hammer that makes perfect sense." He's been a motorcyclist since 1956, and in 2016, he "finally" did the Route 66 tour, riding from Chicago to Santa Monica, California as part of an organized tour. It covered 2,800 miles in two weeks. "At 75 years old, I was the oldest in the group and had no trouble holding my own with a much younger crowd that made up the remainder," he shared. You can connect with Les at lhghouse@suddenlink.net. SigEp Experience Provided Leslie Garlinghouse '62 with Tools to Succeed in Life After College Bob Erwin '56 retired from the practice of law after 60 years and is still living in Anchorage, Alaska. Lee Van Deren '57 and his wife, Janey, spend November through April in Sun City, Ariz., and the remainder of the year in Highlands Ranch, Colo. He sings in the Colorado Chorus Company in Denver and Desert Aires Barbershop Chorus in Arizona. Email: leevanderen@comcast.net Don McDonald '60 is retired and investing in real estate. He lives in Claremont, Calif. Tom Trimble '60 and his wife, Carolyn, moved from California to Incline Village, Nev., in June of 2019. They downsized and got rid of a ton of stuff. They love their new home, but Tom's health is still poor following a skiing accident from five years ago. Email: thtjr@me.com Jim Harrison '61 and his wife, Mary Jo, spend their time between Phoenix, Ariz., and Aspen, Colo., and do a lot of traveling. In 2018, Jim hiked the Continental Divide from Mexico to Canada (3,200 miles). It was a 35-year endeavor. Email: jimphx38aspen@gmail.com Rawley Smith '62 lives in Florida for four months of the year and has his primary residence in Waupaca, Wis. He's 84 and still going strong. Don Snow '65 published editions of two of his political science texts in 2019: National Security 7th Ed. and Cases in International Relations 8th Ed. He splits his time between the mountains (Black Mountain) and the beach (Hilton Head Island). Don has written nearly 60 books in his career and enjoys painting. Email: dsnow622@aol.com If you could relive one Colorado Alpha memory, what would it be and why? "The Great Water Balloon Fight with the neighboring Chi Omegas. The perfect way to acknowledge the coming of spring and the joy that only comes with youthful excessive silliness and exuberance." ALUMNI NEWS

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