TCNJ

46 The College of New Jersey Magazine Remembrances Allen Katz Professor of engineering "I saw Dr. Katz on campus today," my daughter, Anna '23, once reported to me as she described catching the flash of Al's signature beret as he dashed across campus, late to class. Just 15 minutes prior, he had been in a conference room at his business in Hamilton, educating an eager audience on the benefits of linearization. There are countless stories like this about Al, and each one of us who knew him has one that brings a smile to our face. He is the reason we got our first job, stuck with a difficult class, or became engineers. Over the years, first as his student and then later as his business partner, I was fortunate to have spent hours talking to Al about business, family, life, and technology. He had a deep curiosity and could chime in on just about any topic of conversation. A self-described kibitzer, he would often stir up prob- lems just so he could try to solve them. I never stopped being Al's student. Even after his death, as I reflected on the way he lived his life, it made so much more sense. He was a kohen and served a very active life in his religious community. In his vernacular he was regarded as a mensch, a man of inte- grity and honor. He's still teaching me. — Roger Dorval '91, executive vice president at Linearizer Technology Gerald Miller Professor of accountancy emeritus Professor Miller had one rule in class: Do not say anything bad about the Buffalo Bills. On tests, he would use last names of Bills players in his examples of company names, and his office was filled with Bills memorabilia. I'm a New York Jets fan, and since the two teams are in the same division, we had a lot to talk about. I'll never forget how proud and excited he was when I told him that I passed the CPA exam. He said, "I knew that what I taught you in class would pay off." He always loved to hear about his students' successes, even well after they graduated. He had a wonderful heart. He heard I was living and working in Israel, and when war broke out here, he reached out to me to let me know I was in his thoughts. It meant the world to me and tells you the type of professor and person he was. — Nathaniel Bargad '19 Dennis Shevlin Professor of biology emeritus Dr. Shevlin started TCNJ's seven-year medical program with New Jersey Medical School more than 30 years ago. One thing that was special about him, and our program, was that he promoted a holistic approach to academics and careers. He encouraged us to take the classes that we'd enjoy, instead of instilling into us his ideas of what it takes to be successful as a student in college and in medical school. He was always in our corner. In my first year, I was freaking out as a biomedical engineering major because I realized I really wasn't a math or physics guy. I emailed Dr. Shevlin at 10 p.m., asking if I could switch my major to biology. Within minutes, he responded, "Okay, I can do it for you, Dave." Dr. Shevlin's retirement coincided with the 30th anniversary of the program. We held a joint alumni reunion and retirement party. A majority of the attendees spoke about Dr. Shevlin, and all that he did for them. Here, we had all of these very accom- plished physician alumni that credited their success to Dr. Shevlin's work at TCNJ. There are physicians caring for patients, who probably wouldn't be, if it wasn't for him. — David Mothy '22, medical student at New Jersey Medical School

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