REUNION BOOK 2008: LOU BANGERT

Following graduation from MIT, I joined General Dynamics in Fort Worth. There I met my wife, Maurine. We were married in 1960, and now have four children and six grandchildren.

After two more degrees, and after two job moves, the last twenty-seven years of my career in aerospace were with Lockheed and Lockheed Martin, first in California and then in Georgia. I retired in 2005, and we still live in Marietta.

The highlight of my career was my role in the F-22 fighter program from its beginning in Burbank, through development and testing, into production, and into fielding by the United States Air Force. Through those years I had a series of jobs in engineering management and, later, program management. In 2007 I had the pleasure of joining with other team members in Washington, DC, when the F-22 Team received the Collier Trophy.

My main hobby in retirement is playing golf. Maurine and I also travel, mostly to visit family (all far away) and friends around the country. In May 2007 we took advantage of the MIT Alumni Travel Program, with an excellent trip around Southeast Alaska.

Looking back, the primary long-term impacts of my MIT experience were both professional and social. First, the MIT program and environment gave me discipline and confidence that helped in later tough challenges. Second, living for four years in the SAE fraternity taught me important lessons about friendship and getting along with people.

Phi Alpha,
Lou