An
Engineered Life
Standing in the hallway amongst the company’s top
executives and engineers was Dave McMillen. Faded blue jeans, a multicolored
flannel button-up and some Nike sneakers normally were not acceptable attire
when the executives were in town, but everyone made an exception for Dave. Seemingly
so comfortable in his own skin, it was
as though he never even noticed that everyone else was wearing fancy thousand
dollar suits. In all honesty, even if he would have noticed it would not have fazed
him a bit, those were things just things that had no value to him. “I was
thinking”, he said loudly, almost as if he was on the brink of needing hearing
aids. He repeated, “I was thinking”. You see, that is Dave’s line and when he
used it everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. As certain as the
sunrise, they all knew that whatever words followed this line were worth hearing,
was worth their time to take note of.
His now graying hair and beard had once been black
as night, but that is to be expected for a sixty-eight year old. However, don’t
let the aging appearance fool you; Dave is just as witty and funny as he’s
always been, some say now more than ever. “What do you think I do while I’m
watching television”, he said with a sarcastic smirk. One of his many understudies,
Ryan, a twenty-something millennial engineer, stared at Dave wondering if he
was serious. Of course, he was serious, you see Dave thinks that tackling tough
calculations is best done while having ten other things going on at the same
time. He carried on, saying to Ryan, “Seeing
as you have been on vacation for the last couple of weeks I have about a dozen
new words to share with you.” One of his favorite things to do around the
office is to throw out words that no one has ever heard before; some of which
are actually hard to believe that they are real words at all. Oh, but it does
not end there, being the literary genius that he is, you not only get the word,
but he’ll go on to define the word for you. Then he will use it in a few
sentences just so you get it, you know, for good measure.
For some, Dave is more of an acquired taste, but for
others it is “love” at first site. Yet in the end all fall victim to his
brilliance and learn to find beauty in his obscure messages. The younger
engineers all seem to slowly latch on to him as their mentor, whether they know
they are doing it or not. This is seemingly due to the certainty and clarity he
provides on topics that are all too often complex and confusing, especially for
new grads just getting their feet wet. “Hello, my name is Dave. I haven’t
worked with you yet, but I am looking forward to the possibility” he would say
invitingly to all the new hires. Sometimes, he would even say this to people
that had been at the company for a while, just as a reminder that he had not
forgotten them.
Over the years you call tell that it has become
almost effortless for Dave to bring people together. With a quick joke and a
complement or two he can have a group collaborating on some new cutting edge
project he dreamed up. Once word was out that he was starting a new project, he
would have everyone in the office fighting to get in on a piece of the action. His
attention to body language and deep understanding of human behavior strengthen
his ability to persuade people to see his purpose and join his cause. It is
astonishing to watch the reactions he gets with just simple comments like, “I
admire the way you did that”, or “You remind me of one of my Professors when
you talk like that.” Ever so brilliant,
he bends the conversation; twisting it like a winding highway through a
mountain pass. His ability to interpret and anticipate people’s thoughts and
questions allow him to explore the conversation he is trying to have in a deeper
fashion, much deeper than others would dare to go on most occasions.
Even at sixty-eight, with all that he has
accomplished, Dave has never succumbed to the idea that he is entitled and that
it is okay to rest on his laurels. He is not one of those stuffy, self-absorbed
engineers who stopped searching for answers shortly after they received their
degree and licensing. Rather, his thirst for knowledge is unquenchable and his
love for sharing it with others is infectious. His ideas are constantly
stretching the boundaries of what is known, as if bucking the proverbial system
was his favorite pastime. Dave’s closest friends call him a cowboy from
time-to-time; a few are actually are convinced that he is an alien from a
distant galaxy. Any way around it, he is loved by his friends and colleagues
alike for they know that he would drop everything for them should they need his
help.
A now CEO and the Principal at his own firm, Dave
started out from humble roots back on his family’s farm in Indiana. As a small
boy he enjoyed finding solutions to the many daily challenges that would continually
come up when living life on a farm. Dave’s constant need to know why lead him
to the University of Minnesota back in the 1970’s where he would complete a
Mechanical Engineering Degree and shortly thereafter a P.E. license that is still
valid in three states. Dave is as well-read and well-written as they come; his
many published works reinforce this.
His passion and life’s work has been focused on
large scale energy conservation projects for governments, schools and commercial/
industrial buildings throughout the world. He has multiple patents on energy
saving devices, as well as energy analytics software that he uses to further
his passion of creating sustainable buildings for life. His deep rooted belief
that humanity needs to do better as stewards of this planet continue to keep
him motivated each day. This is significant considering that most engineers of
his caliber retire long before the age of sixty-eight to a country club of
their choice. Dave on the other hand has
no interest in retiring, he plans to stay the course as long as his health will
allow. He plans to continue his noble quest for as long as time will allow.
I hear him say, “The current status quo is not
sustainable and the process in which we design and operate our buildings needs
to be overhauled, we are not doing our part.” This is a necessary vantage point
in our ever changing world, I say this because Dave is my friend, my mentor and
an inspiration to me one how to live. I mean, really live. I, like so many
others have taken up his cause and plan on traveling a similar path in life.
You must know that I sit here today, writing to you as part of this path. For I
am currently completing my Mechanical Engineering degree with the intent to
make good on my promise to Dave. I will
continue to keep pushing his dream forward long after he has retired. The dream
of properly designed and sustainable buildings, a positive legacy we can leave
behind for future generations.
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