Gordon Hellman’s life represented the American dream. He was the son of Finnish and Swedish immigrants who came to this country to seek employment and a better life. Gordon was the youngest of 12 children, born in 1920 in Dollar Bay, Michigan. After graduating from Michigan Tech in 1942, Gordon enlisted in the US Navy. He was sent to Officer Candidate School in Plattsburg, New York where he received his commission as an Ensign. Returning to civilian life, he worked at Buick in Flint where he did engineering on military components for the war. After his stint in the automotive industry, he returned to Michigan Tech in 1948, starting as an instructor in Mechanical Engineering and eventually rising to the position of Professor of Mechanical Engineering. During his time as professor, he taught thermodynamics, heat transfer, and power plant operations. He established the first courses in industrial engineering, helping to start the first production engineering and power generation labs. When Hellman became Michigan Tech’s Physical Plant Director in 1965, he held the responsibility for the university power generation and distribution, security, campus planning, development and maintenance. This included his responsibility for overall construction management for new university buildings such as the Library, Fisher Hall, Civil Engineering, Chem Bio, Mechanical Engineering, Married Student Housing, Student Activities Center and the Hockey Arena for a total of nearly $300M. Well known for his dedication and accomplishments as an educator, administrator and planner, Gordon was also a visionary in the community, participating and promoting growth not only through his contributions at Michigan Tech University, but also the Physical Plant Administrators Association, Hancock Planning and Development Commission, Kiwanis, Newman Foundation, Boy Scouts, the Sisters of Crandolet and the Portage View Hospital Board. Gordon Hellman retired from Michigan Tech in April of 1984 being recognized as Professor Emeritus in Mechanical Engineering. He passed away in May of 2005 (excerpted from http://www.me.mtu.edu/legacy/hellman/index.html; accessed Nov. 2009).