Dick Hunter

Dr. Brattain made experimental physics exciting, which did result in my starting my career with Bell Telephone Laboratories. Others — Clem, Hutchings, Pengra, Underwood, Lomanitz1 — all were world-class teachers. They taught me that learning can be fun, and that's important because it decreases your fear of the unknown and adds to your willingness to try new things.

Dr. Ball, however, taught me that life is worth living. When I came to Whitman, he was already a fixture on the campus, and he had a reputation for the B's and C's he gave. He had high expectations for his students, but he always made you think. Most of all, he cared. For me, proof of that is the very significant role — aside from his teaching — that he played in my life: he performed the ceremony when my wife [Janet Green Hunter, '67] and I were married.

Dick Hunter, '65

Hunter Industries

Dick Hunter, '65, graduated from Whitman as a mathematics-physics major, and he has a master's degree in aerospace science and engineering from Columbia University. He is currently president and chief executive officer of Hunter Industries, a leading manufacturer of landscape irrigation equipment. The company is based in San Marcos, California.

Hunter's career began at Bell Telephone, where he worked for Bellcom as a systems engineer on the Apollo moon-landing program and other projects. He later moved to Bell Telephone Laboratories as a supervisor. In 1973 he joined Toro as director of engineering for the company's research and development center, and in 1976 he became president of the Toro subsidiary, Irrigation and Power Equipment, Inc., maker of Raincat Irrigation Systems. In 1983 he joined Hunter Industries, a family business started in 1981. He serves on the dean's advisory board of Columbia University School of Applied Science and Engineering and the dean's advisory board of California State University, San Marcos. He is a member of the Whitman College Board of Trustees.