John Meier HILPERT John M. Hilpert, the son of Meier G. and Emma E. Hilpert, was born on July 25, 1917. He grew up on West Church Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, surrounded by the Moravian settlement's colonial stone communal structures, built in the 1700's. This background initiated a lifelong interest in American history. He was educated in the Bethlehem public schools and realized later that its rigorous and dedicated teachers gave him a superior start in life. He completed his education earning the Bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering and Management at Oregon State, George Washington, and Iowa State universities. John was employed in industry and government in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Augusta, Idaho Falls, and Los Angeles. From California, in 1959, the year Alaska became a State, he drove a Jeep to Fairbanks, Alaska, where he established a graduate program in Engineering Management at the University of Alaska. After several years, engineers in Anchorage and Juneau, where the University then had no campuses, asked that his program be offered to them, and for 25 years he commuted by air each week to offer his classes. After a dozen years, he moved to Anchorage, but commuted back to Fairbanks, and assumed an additional duty of initiating a Department of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering in what developed into the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Except for two years on leave when he taught at the University of Missouri, which had the largest program in his field, John remained at the University of Alaska until he retired at age 70, when he was honored by being awarded the title of Professor Emeritus. John's civilian career was interrupted twice for military service. Immediately after Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the Air Corps, and, having a degree in Engineering he was sent to a six-month cadet program and was assigned as Engineering Officer for the 374th Squadron of the 308th Bomb Group, and traveled in one of its bombers through South America, Africa, and India into China where he remained until after the war was over. Upon return to America he resumed civilian life, but was recalled to active duty in 1950, and traveled with the 116th Engineer Combat Battalion to Korea, landing when only the Pusan perimeter remained under Allied control. As most of his military service was overseas in combat, he had a collection of campaign ribbons and battle stars, and a Bronze Star. He has been a lifetime member of his university alumni associations, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the 14th Air Force (Flying Tigers) Association, and professional societies including the American Society for Engineering Education and the American Society for Engineering Management, of which he was a charter member. After he retired, he lived in Ketchikan, a favorite Alaskan city, for several years and in 1996 moved into the Wesley Homes Retirement Community in Des Moines, Washington, where he enjoyed its 45 acres of gardens and the view from his window of traffic on Puget Sound between Seattle and Tacoma. Over the years, he had a variety of hobbies and recreational activities, two of which he continued throughout his life. He was interested in classic automobiles, owning an MG TD, and recently a 1948 Cadillac limousine, which he drove from New Hampshire to Alaska. He enjoyed long walks, starting in childhood on the towpath between the Lehigh River and its canal, which was then still in use. In New York, for example, he walked the length of Manhattan, from Times Square over the Queensborough Bridge to La Guardia; in Washington, from DuPont Circle past National Airport to Alexandria, Virginia, or in the other direction to Bethesda, Maryland. Wherever he was living, on the September Equinox Marathon Day he often walked twenty-six miles, if only along railroad tracks. He enjoyed walking in Anchorage along Cook Inlet. His survivors include his sister, Myra Hilpert; his brother, Dr. Conrad Hilpert; and nieces and nephews and their families Fredrich Hilpert with wife Connie Hilpert and children Kirston and Lori; Lynne (Hilpert) Duncan with husband Lance Duncan and children Aleta and Gale; and Quentin Hilpert with wife Connie Waddell and children Gilbert and Lee. John died on Monday, April 6, 2009, in Burien, Washington. In accordance with his wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial service except a private family graveside service at Tahoma National Cemetery, a veterans cemetery near Seattle. Sign John's online Guest Book at www.Legacy.com Published in the NWsource on 4/19/2009