Bruce J. Torby
I worked at LBSC (CSULB) from 1961 to my retirement in 2000. I started as an Instructor and ended my teaching career as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
I joined the engineering faculty early. I saw the Engineering School move from the barracks to the buildings we now have, helping the State College become a University, and the Mechanical Engineering Department to get national accreditation. My experiences at CSULB can only be described as wonderful. I loved the student contact and the environment. It kept me young. A lot of our students worked part-time. They even had families to support. They were serious and motivated. I can only give them praise. I helped the students with their extra-curricular projects. They participated against other universities with their designs and construction of an electric vehicle and a human-powered vehicle. We had a lot of fun and built a camaraderie together. It helped counter the commuter college educational environment we shared. The last two years at CSULB, my wife and I lived in the dorms as faculty advisors. You can’t get closer to student life than that. To be accepted and included by students 40 years younger than you cannot be described simply in words. All I can say is thanks to you who shared a moment in your lives.
I was lucky enough to find a job as an Instructor at LBSC almost directly out of CUNY with a Bachelor’s degree. I was working in a defense industry job locally when I met a Professor from USC who mentioned that LBSC was opening an engineering school and that I should go over and teach while I went for my advanced degrees. The Department Chairman, Herluf Nielsen, arranged my teaching schedule so that I could eventually go on to a Masters at UCLA and a PH.D. from USC. This was my original motivation for coming. After just a year here, I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life. I loved the campus environment of learning and research.
Living overseas, it is hard for me to maintain contact with the early faculty members and staff.
Today, I live in Sweden in a little former fishing village on the Baltic. It’s a delightful change from the New York City I grew up in and to the Southern California area I resided in for so many years. I sail and play golf in my free time.
WONDERFUL!
