Dale Harshman:
CLASS OF 1974
Franklin Pierce High SchoolClass of 1974
Tacoma, WA
University of British Columbia - Graduate SchoolClass of 1986
Vancouver, BC
Pacific Lutheran UniversityClass of 1978
Tacoma, WA
Morris Ford Middle SchoolClass of 1971
Tacoma, WA
Midland Elementary SchoolClass of 1968
Tacoma, WA
Dale's Story
Life
The two pictures shown ("Then" and "Now") are me when I was 4 years old in Santee, California and when I was in Hawaii (Maui) in 2003. I really like Hawaii (but who doesn't). I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, where my father was stationed (he was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy). Shortly after my birth, we moved to southern California (what a bummer). When I was 7 years old, we moved up to Pierce County near Tacoma, Washington to be nearer to my mother's parents and family. I've been dreaming of warmer climes ever since.
I attended Brookdale Elementary School for second grade and then moved to Midland Elementary for 3rd-6th. Then off to Morris E. Ford Jurnior High, and then Franklin Pierce High School. I think I had the most fun playing drums at games and concerts.
Higher Education
After Leaving Franklin Pierce High School, I went to college at Washington State University. I stayed there two years until I could no longer stand the winter weather or the (in my opinion) low quality education. I finished my last two years of undergraduate education at Pacific Lutheran University (a very good school) and graduated with a B.Sc. with a physics major. I had a lot of fun at PLU. There were a lot of dances and concerts and I made many friends.
I decided to continue my education and perhaps teach, so I went to Western Washington University and recieved a M.Sc. degree in physics. I had a lot of great teachers and made good friends. My natural nerd ...Expand for more
tendencies started to kick in, making physics fun and easy.
While attending WWU, I met someone who convinced me to get a Ph.D. So I applied and got accepted into the University of British Columbia graduate school and eventually received a Ph.D. in Physics. In Canada there was very little to do besides attend class and drink a lot.
Marriage/Children/Divorce
I was married in 1985. I have one child, Joshua, born 8 May 1992 (a man couldn't ask for a better son). My wife and I divorced in 2010...my son chose to live with me. Joshua graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2016 and now works in Denver, CO.
Workplace
After receiving my Ph.D., I was hired by AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ, as a postdoctoral fellow. Two years later, I (unfortunately) turned down a position at the University of Maryland (in Greenbelt, MD) and chose to stay at Bell as a staff Physicist. I stayed there for a total of 11 years. A year before I left, AT&T split up and Bell Labs was all but destroyed. My Bell Labs colleagues are spread out all over the world now, but we keep in contact through the internet. I left Bell in 1997 and am now semi-retired. I was fortunate to be a visiting/adjunct Professor of Physics at Arizona state University and the University of Notre Dame for many years (and remain a consultant with ND), and I recently completed a 7-year Visiting Professorhip at the College of William and Mary in 2021. My professional website is: physikon.net.
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