Charley Rhodes:
CLASS OF 1976
Harrisburg High SchoolClass of 1976
Harrisburg, OR
New Mexico Institute Mining & TechnologyClass of 1989
Socorro, NM
Oregon State University - PhysicsClass of 1984
Corvallis, OR
New Mexico Institute Mining & TechnologyClass of 1981
Socorro, NM
Charley's Story
College
I had two mentors that helped shape my life, one in high school and one in college.
In high school the person that had the most impact on my future was Mr. Dick Peterson. He was the business teacher; teaching typing, dictation, filing, all the classes that most guys tend to avoid like the plague. Some how he managed to talk me into taking typing. Well, 30+ years later, I would have to say that far and away that was the best class and must useful class I ever took in high school. To this day Mr. Peterson is the one person I look forward most to seeing when I visit home to Oregon. I consider my honorary membership to the Peterson family to be one of my most cherished possessions.
In college, the single most influential person was Dr. Marx Brook. He took me in as a work study student my freshman year and became a life long mentor. He saw me through my undergraduate years and was there at commencement when I received my PhD in physics. Even after I left NM Tech to work at Los Alamos he and kept in contact right up until he passed away suddenly in 2002. He passing was a great loss but his inspiration still pushes me forward in my career.
Workplace
I would have to say that for most of my professional career I have been very lucky. After finishing my PhD I went to work at Los Alamos Nationa...Expand for more
l Laboratory. I spent the first 18 months as a post doctoral research associate, essentially doing research related to my graduate studies, which were in lightning physics. But, the lure of interesting National Security programs led me to apply for a full time staff position. For the next 15 years I worked on a number of Nuclear Nonproliferation programs. By 2005 the work climate at the national lab was changing for the worse. The management contract for the lab was up for bid and the laboratory management was obsessed with ensuring that the University of California maintained a foothold at the lab, to such a degree that they were openly treating lab employees like children. It was time to move on. So, I left the lab in the fall of 2005, without another job in hand. I did not have to wait long, a small engineering company picked me up as their Chief Scientist. The next almost 2 years were rather interesting. We went from a vibrant busy company to barely alive - the management must have gone to the LANL school of management!! Anyway, I left their in July of 2007 and went to work as a senior scientist at a small (10 people) company. Finally, I think I may have found my ideal place to work. I work 3 or more days a week out of my house, only being in the office when I need to meet with other company members.
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