Donor's Trine Education Launched His Career Sky High

When John Meredith attended Tri-State College, it was all work and no play.

"I was so busy studying to get through, that's all I did," the 1965 aeronautical engineering alumnus says. "I couldn't find a summer job so I ended up going to school. It was two years straight through, as many of the students did."

The hard work and the quality instruction John received at Tri-State prepared him for a successful career with airplane manufacturers, and later, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

"I got a good education. When I went to graduate school, I ended up taking some of the same courses I had at Tri-State." He says, "I even had the same textbook."

To help current and future Trine University students receive the same quality education and career foundation, John has included the university in his estate plan. He also regularly supports Trine University's annual fund and has made a pledge to the engineering program. He is grateful for the education that launched his career and that is why he has included Trine University in his estate plan.

John had an interest in engineering from a young age, sparked by his father's work at his manufacturing plant. He applied and was accepted to Tri-State after seeing and ad for the college in National Geographic.

As a youngster, John saw a small airplane flying overhead which he thought was very interesting. Later on an older brother built model airplanes and he started to build them, so John decided to major in aeronautical engineering.

"After graduation I went to work for Piper Aircraft Co. which built light aircraft. The job was in the design department which was not what I wanted to do. So I went to Cessna Aircraft Co and started working in the aerodynamics department."

As Cessna started looking into building business jets, John began working on the engineering for the Cessna 500 Citation.

"I saw the project start from an 8½ by 11 three-view drawing, building and first flight of the prototype," he says.

A downturn hit the general aviation business in the early 1970s, so John, who had started and abandoned an aeronautical engineering graduate degree, switched to the mechanical engineering graduate program and received a masters in ME. He moved to California and began working for G.E.'s Nuclear Test Reactor.

He eventually started working at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, where he worked 25 years before retirement. Projects with the Lab included using lasers to enrich uranium and other laser type projects.

With more free time now than while at Tri-State, he has maintained his interest in aircraft, and built a couple of his own. The second one was his own design. He also has been part of a model engine builder group in the San Francisco Bay area for 20 years, "mostly engineering types."

He keeps tabs with his alma mater, and is impressed with the growth the university has experienced since 1965. He is grateful that he is able to make a difference for future students with his estate gift.

"When I see all the new facilities the university has added, it's amazing what they have done," he says.

Like John, you can show your gratitude for receiving a quality education and help future students with a gift in your estate plan. To learn more, contact the Office of Alumni & Development at 269.300.9811 or alumni@trine.edu.