New Recreation Center Challenges Students to Greater Heights ...

AlumniFast ForwardProfileWhen Dreams Take FlightPenny J. Pettigrew ’92knew she wanted to do spacerelatedwork long beforecoming to Colorado School ofMines. Back in high school inSan Diego, she was captivatedby the idea, but it wasn’tuntil her sophomore year atMines when she attendedSpace Camp in Huntsville,AL, that she realized it wasa possibility. Pettigrew wasinspired by the many differentroles engineers play in thespace program and the level of teamwork required. Leading a team of astronautsthrough a simulated Shuttle mission left a lasting impression: “Everyonedepended on everyone else to do their job effectively—it was exhilarating.” Herexperience in Huntsville took her back there for graduate studies at theUniversity of Alabama, where her dreams started to become a reality. WithNASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center at her doorstep, Penny was able to involveherself directly in NASA research. When she graduated, she quickly landed a jobthere: “I’d been working with NASA engineers onsite for years. They knew mywork and knew I was committed.” Since then she’s ascended the ranks rapidlyand is now the Ares I First Stage requirements and verification team lead for thenext generation space vehicle scheduled to replace the Space Shuttle in 2012. Incharge of the team that defines the design specifications for thousands of FirstStage components, Pettigrew shoulders a considerable amount of responsiblyfor the ultimate safety and reliability of the space vehicle. In recognition of hercareer accomplishments, Penny was recently inducted to the US Space CampHall of Fame as part of the inaugural class during a ceremony hosted by WilliamShatner—famous for his role as Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series.In her comments at the ceremony, Penny recognized the support of the manywho helped her realize her aspirations, her mother being chief among them: “Itwas she who first encouraged me to pursue my dreams by sending me to SpaceCamp, and she has continued to support me throughout my life.” Penny livesin Huntsville with her husband, Kyle Hoover, and their one-and-a-half-year-olddaughter, Aspen.1985John W. Anthony is principal scientist forNoblis in Greenwood Village, CO.J. Scott Jolly is a test plant manager forMetso Minerals in York, PA.Carl E. Lakey is senior vice president ofoperations for Delta Petroleum in Denver, CO.Mark A. Montoya is president and principalfor Visus Consulting Group, Inc. in Littleton,CO.Mark O. Reid is vice president ofengineering for Denali Oil and Gas inHouston, TX.Michael J. Rosenberg is director for thematerials handling market segment forBallard Power Systems Inc. in Burnaby, BC,Canada.1986James C. Hickey received his PhD in earthscience from Dartmouth College in 2007.Currently, he is an assistant professor ofgeosciences at Northwest Missouri StateUniversity in Maryville, MO.Russell C. Schucker is petroleum engineerfor Ellora Energy in Boulder, CO.1987Roger A. Jaramillo is senior productimprovement engineer for Special MetalsCorporation in Huntington, WV.Bill Mallett writes that he and his familyare “moving to Rumbai, Indonesia, a smallcamp about 20 minutes from the ‘metropolis’of Pekanbaru on the Island of Sumatra. Iwill be managing a couple of oil fields forChevron, the kids will be going to a schoolwith less than 40 students, and Robbin willbe learning how to quilt, speak Bahasa andgolf, among other goals.”Melanie Marquardt Westergaard is CentralNorth Sea field development manager for BPin Dyce, UK.1988Gary J. Lundberg is director of marketingfor H&R Block’s Digital Tax Solutions groupin Kansas City, MO.Patricia A. Stewart is senior corrosionengineer for Occidental Oil and GasCorporation in Tupman, CA.36 Fall 2007