Lawrence Effler:  

After graduating from GMI with my bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, I worked about a year for GM before going to graduate school at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. There I got my M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering. It was a great experience. I was fortunate that UT is close to Oak Ridge National Labs. So, I got to do part of my research at a world class facility. I also took advantage of an exchange program to spend a summer working in Germany for Bayer Chemical. That was an eye opening experience and I still enjoy international travel. I loved living in Knoxville. The mountains were beautiful, the people were terrific and the climate was perfect. You got a taste of all four seasons without too much of the extremes. Knoxville in the Spring is gorgeous with the dogwoods and azaleas all a bloom and of course the Smokies in the Fall is a truly colorful sight. But I traded that all in when I took a job with Dow Chemical first in Baton Rouge and now in Houston. Here along the Gulf Coast we only have two seasons, Hot & Humid and Cool & Humid. I enjoyed living in Baton Rouge more so than Houston. It's a bit more colorful with all the different musical styles (jazz, Cajun/Zydeco, the Blues etc.), the food (Oh, I miss the food), all the...Expand for more