After graduating in 1972, I went to what was then Lowell Technological Institute in Lowell, MA. By the time I graduated four years later with a degree in Chemical Engineering, it had become the University of Lowell. Now, I guess it is part of the University of Massachusetts system. I got a job with Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY and in June 1976 I moved to Greece, NY. Strange as it seems today, I'm still with Kodak 25 years later, but with a career change somewhere in the middle.
I started off working in the chemical plant at Kodak Park in Rochester. After a couple of years I got the chance to be involved with the startup of a new solvent recovery operation. That was to change my life in two ways. The first was to put me on a path towards a career in computers rather than a career in engineering.
The plant was run by computer and part of my job was to be responsible for the computer and its programming. I was also in charge of the onsite laboratory. Part of that involved working with another lab to get us all set up. That's where the second life changing event took place - I met the woman who would become my wife. Kay was a technician in the other lab. I'll get to that part later.
After that assignment I continued to work with computers in the manufacturing areas along with other non computer engineering assignments. In 1983 I got the chance to work on a software project away from the chemical plant. A few months after that assignment started, I went back to school at night and eventually got a masters degree in computer science. The assignment at Kodak led to a role in systems management and I became heavily involved with the management and administration of UNIX based systems and networks. My next assignment was in the Kodak Research Labs where I was in charge of a large network of systems in the Imaging Science Labs. Talk about cutting edge. This is where a lot of the image processing software used today was first developed. Then in 1996 I got the chance to be part of the team that put Kodak on the web. If my previous assignment was cutting edge, then this is bleeding edge. I am now a member of the technical support team for the Kodak web site at http://www.kodak.com. It's like working at an Internet startup company. The team of somewhere around 150 or so people includes software engineers, technical people like myself, visual designers, artists, and the requisite managers. I couldn't ask for a better, more exciting job. Visit us some day and have a look around.
Enough of that. Back to my personal life. Kay and I were married in 1980. Our older son Patrick was born in 1982. As I write this (spring 2001) he is finishing up his first year at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. He'll be majoring in biology and he wants to go on to medical school and become a pediatrician. Our younger son, Steven, was born in 1985 and is a sophomore in high school. He's thinking about going into teaching. Soon after Patrick was born, Kay quit work to stay home and take care of him, and later, Steven. After the boys started going to school, Kay got a part time job at the local public library in the town where we live. She's always been a voracious reader and decided to pursue a career as a librarian. She went back to school at night and got her bachelor's degree in English Lit and then went on to the University at Buffalo and got her masters in library science. She is now a librarian here in our home town of Greece, NY. We're the typical suburban family. As the boys were growing up we were involved in Little League, Cub and Boy Scouts and various activities at their schools. Both boys have been involved in the music programs and musical theater at school and we've helped out with set building and the like. I also sing in the choir at our church. These days I enjoy working outside taking care of the house and yard in the good weather (yes, we do have some good weather here in the snow belt) and researching my family history when I can. If you're interested, the Dennett Family History can be found at http://home.rochester.rr.com/dennett/genealogy.
Well, that's enough. It's been fun trying to condense the past almost 30 years into a few paragraphs. I've been blessed with a great life, two great sons and a wonderful wife and best friend. I have no regrets although in middle age I do wish I had kept in contact with my old friends from the class of 1972. If you're so inclined, feel free to send an email to dennett@rochester.rr.com. I'd love to hear from you.
God bless you all,
Charlie Dennett
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