Alumni Spotlight: Gerhard “Gary” O. Mueller ‘1952

Learn about alumnus Gerhard “Gary” Mueller, Class of 1952, by reading his full story below or view the highlights on Facebook.

Gary is pictured above with is wife, Edith, at a recent Tampa Chapter event.

Class of 1952 History 1948-1952 – Overview// Lessons Learned//Best Times:
A – Time at Maritime Overview:
In September of 1948, three years following the end of World War II, about 180 young men of the Class of 1952 arrived at Fort Schuyler to start a first-ever four-year program as Cadet/Midshipmen (c/m) at the New York State Maritime Academy. We became Cadets in the Merchant Marine, Midshipmen in the Navy, and College Level undergraduates majoring in Marine Engineering or Marine Transportation all at the same time. Most of us were recent high school graduates. A few were recently discharged WW II veterans seeking the same results.

There were no civilian students at the Academy. All of the faculty wore Naval Officer’s uniforms, where the gold star above the stripes was replaced by the seal of NY State. There were no women in the 450 man Battalion or on the Faculty.

As Fourth Classmen we were known as MUGs and divided into 6 academic sections of 30 c/m in each. Our academic year would have a common curriculum consisting of English, Humanities, and basic subjects required of both Engineering and Marine Transportation disciplines. The latter two were designed to give the undecided help in choosing which major to follow for the final three years.

1948 was a presidential election year. NY’s Governor Dewey vs. the incumbent President Truman. Dewey was a big friend of NYSMA and had visited the Academy many times during his term. As President of the U.S. he would have funneled more funds to our Maritime school. Everyone at NYSMA, the Administration to the Battalion, were devastated when Dewey lost the election.

The Academy’s training ship was the recently reconditioned WWII Navy attack transport, the USS Hydrus, renamed the Empire State II. It had arrived at NYSMA two years prior in 1946. Gov. Dewey had attended the commissioning ceremony.

During the second semester of our MUG year, in the Spring of 1949, the Academy was officially renamed the New York State Maritime College.

On our first summer cruise, from early June to the end of August in 1949, we crossed the Atlantic and visited Bermuda, Cobh (Cork), Portsmouth (London), Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Rouen (Paris). The devastation of World War II was widespread throughout Europe, especially in Portsmouth, London, and Rouen. Fortunately, American Express offices provided us with hotel accommodations in Paris and guided tours in all of the other cities visited. We seldom encountered tourists of any nationality in any of these great locations.

The graduation ceremonies for the First Class were held after their third cruise in late September of 1949. Our Academy Superintendent, now our College President, Vice Admiral Herbert Fairfax Leary, was able to coerce his Naval Academy classmate, Fleet Admiral Chester A. Nimitz, to give the keynote address to the Class of 1949, the friends and relatives, and the rest of the Battalion.

The 1949-1950 college year was highlighted by the addition of the first dormitory accommodations for the upper classmen. While on our recent summer cruise the College was able to obtain the Naval Reserve barracks and grounds at the entrance to Throggs Neck, adjacent to our large Drill Field. The newly reconditioned barracks became our dormitories with two-man rooms for accommodations. The new Fourth Classmen were still sequestered at the Fort for their first year.

Our second cruise coincided with Pope Pious XII’s designation of 1950 as being a “Holy Year”, also marking five years after the end of WWII. Consequently, our cruise visited the Mediterranean ports and cities of Lisbon, Naples (Rome), Haifa, Villefranche-sur-Mer (Nice) and Barcelona, and sailed home via Bermuda.

The cruise began ominously when at sea on June 25, 1950, the ship was informed that our country was suddenly and surprisingly at war again, this time in Korea. Captain Olivet, the Commandant of Cadets and Captain of the Empire State II, halted the training ship’s course while at sea in case we were instructed to immediately return to Fort Schuyler. We rightly feared that we might be getting our Naval Commissions much sooner than planned. Within a few hours word came from the Third Naval District headquarters in NYC that we could continue our cruise as scheduled, much to the relief of all aboard.

Surprisingly on this cruise, only the port of Naples showed considerable war damage. In Naples, American Express provided rail passage tickets to Rome and hotel accommodations. Each watch section spent 3 days touring the city, the highlight of which was having well photographed audiences with Pope Pious XII in St. Peter’s Basilica.

In Haifa we were the first official military contingent of the United States to visit Israel since this new country’s creation two years prior in 1948. We were transported to Nazareth, Galilee, and Jerusalem in old Ford flat roofed yellow school buses under heavy guard in sultry July temperatures. In view of this we were allowed to wear our white sailor uniforms ashore, for the first, and only time.
Also while in Haifa we were invited into private homes or community gatherings for dinners and interesting conversations during our visit that entire week.

With the post-cruise graduation of the Class of 1950 in September we witnessed the departure of the last three-year class. As second classmen we were now the top class and would be in that esteemed position for two years in a row.

Our third (1950–1951) school year would be harder financially for all classes because congress reduced the monthly stipend ($86) by half. Most had to borrow money to meet ancillary expenses for our books, fees, dry cleaning and uniform maintenance. Since the Battalion lived at the Fort during the school year and was at sea all summer, we had no means of earning money from part-time jobs.

On the plus side during this Second-Class year, we witnessed an impressive Naval flag-ranked change of leadership ceremony. Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary, who had retired from the Naval service, was replaced as President of the College by Vice Admiral Calvin T. Durgin. Our new Admiral arrived impressively at the Fort via an official naval helicopter. His last flag command being Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air.

Our third and last Cruise (1951) went to northern Europe again. After a short visit to Miami, the Empire State II stopped at Bilbao (in the Basque area of northern Spain), Rotterdam, Edinburgh, and Cherbourg (Paris). One highlight was the appearance of the Maritime College Drill Team during a nightly Tattoo at the Edinburgh Castle. It was the first time ever that a non- British military squad was invited to perform at this sacred event. Our Drill Team performed flawlessly and earned much applause from the large audience.

Docking at the final city, Cherbourg, was memorable in that the port facility was still surrounded by relics of sunken ships and dockside equipment used in the aftermath of the D-Day invasion.

Our First-Class year witnessed the growth of the Battalion from about 450 cadet/midshipmen to 650 since all four classes were now finally on board. More dormitories were added during the previous summer and now everyone lived in “The Barracks”. For the first time no one lived at the Fort. Former Fourth-Class residential compartments were converted to much needed classrooms.

Another first-time event, created at mid-term, was the promotion of the Class of 1952 from Cadet/Midshipmen to Cadet Ensigns. For our final First-Class semester we wore an Ensign’s horizontal stripe on our dress blue uniforms. When off-campus we received many undeserved salutes from naval personnel in the area.

Our graduation was held in early June in 1952, a major break from all the previous graduations that were held in the Septembers following the third cruise.

Out of an incoming group of 180 hopefuls in September of 1948, ninety-eight of us survived the rigors of a four year college academic program, three hands-on cruises to Europe, and a rigid military life in a battalion of cadet midshipmen.

Dressed in our formal naval white dress uniforms, with a real Ensign’s Naval Stripe and gold star on our shoulder boards, we received our college degrees, Naval Commissions, and Coast Guard Licenses as Merchant Marine Officers.

B – Lasting lessons we learned on campus and cruises:

  • On Critical Assignments execute orders immediately – then ask questions.
  • In difficult situations take the time to define the problem before rushing to find solutions.
  • There will always be a chain of command – use it. Do not circumvent it.
  • Successful leaders manage work, then assign people appropriately.
  • There is never a good time to stop learning
  • Make the effort to thoroughly document your project. A well-designed Hi-Fi system sounds bad if played through a tiny speaker.
  • Learn a second language. Most of the world does not speak English.
  • How we overcame fear (1) – We stood 4-hour Crow’s Nest watches at sea after climbing up the Mainmast 60 feet above the Foredeck of the ship.
  • How we overcame fear (2) – We changed the red hot Burners of the ship’s Boilers in the furnace heat of the Firerooms while underway.

C – Best of Times:

  • Our Three Cruises to Europe:
  • Actually learning all phases of large ship operations
  • Experiencing both Deck and Eng. Room watch standing on MUG cruise
  • Having Operational and Maintenance experience on second cruise
  • Doing advanced maintenance and having leadership roles on third cruise
  • Actually seeing WW II ruins in Northern European on1949 and 1951 cruises
  • Having a Papal Audience in Rome and visiting a new Israel on 1950 cruise
  • Witnessing the resilience of Europeans in recovery of WW II hardships
  • Having the luxury of very few tourists in all major cities and historical sites
  • Having no downtown traffic and no large crowds in Museums and cathedrals
  • Taking 35mm slides, later digitized, for our memories

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Major Field, Graduation Year:

  • Only two fields of study, were available in 1948 – 1952, noted as Deck or Engine (Marine Transportation or Marine Engineering).
  • I chose Marine Engineering and graduated in 1952

Career History – Graduation to Present:

  • Merchant Marine 3 months Summer 1952
  • GE Gas Turbines 3 months Fall 1952
  • U.S Naval Underwater Sound Lab, Sub Base, New London CT 1953 – 1955
  • GE Adv Engr. Program (3 years) Schenectady, NY 1955 – 1958
  • MS Degree in Nuclear Physics – Union College, Schenectady NY – 1962
  • GE Knolls Atomic Power Lab (KAPL), Schenectady NY 1958-1967
  • GE Information Services
    • Bethesda, MD 1967 – 1976
    • Amstelveen, The Netherlands 1976-1978
    • Rockville, MD 1979 – 1987)
    • Retired from GE after 35 years
  • Dun & Bradstreet NYC and New Providence, NJ 1978 – 1990
    • Retired D & B after 3 Years
  • GEMTECH, North Potomac, MD 1991
    • Retired for good
  • Boards of Directors; 1992-2000:
    • Montgomery County (MD) Hospice Society – 8 years
    • DC Area Pastoral Counseling Centers – 6 years
    • Condominium Boards – Ocean City MD, Rockville Md.
    • HOA Boards – North Potomac, MD, Venice Fl.

Career Summary*
Following graduation with a Marine Engineering degree and commissions in both the Merchant Marine and the U.S. Navy Gary served first as a Third Assistant Engineer with American Export Lines and following that as a naval officer at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in New London, CT. Both of these were counted as Korean War service.

He started his 35 year career with General Electric in 1955 in Schenectady, NY, on GE’s Advanced Engineering Program. In 1958 he joined the company’s Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in Schenectady working as a Nuclear Engineer and a Reactor Physicist. While there he earned his Master’s Degree in Nuclear Physics at Union College.

In 1967, Gary transferred to GE’s Information Services Division, in Bethesda, MD. holding several management positions in software development and contract programming as the Computer Time Sharing business expanded internationally.
In 1976 he was selected to start up and manage the division’s newly established European Operations, to be headquartered at Amstelveen, in The Netherlands, which involved the building, staffing, and operation of a large computer center near Amsterdam, as well as Telecommunication Server Centers in six other European cities.

In 1978, Gary returned Rockville, Maryland, the Divisions new headquarters, where he ultimately served as Vice President and General Manager of Information Processing, responsible for the operation of all of the division’s computer centers in the United States and Europe.
In 1987 Gary took GE’s 35 year retirement option and accepted an executive position as Senior Vice President of Strategic Technology with Dun and Bradstreet in NYC.

In 1990, the family returned to Maryland and Gary, now finally retired, served 6 years on both the Montgomery (MD) Hospice Society Board and the D.C. Area Pastoral Counselling Centers Board and, on occasion, testified as an Expert Witness on Telecommunications Matters at the FCC and First District Court in Washington, DC.

State of Industries served: (as they stood in the 1990’s)

  • Nuclear Power work continued strong in Naval ship and submarine propulsion systems, where I spent 9 years and is still strong today. Commercial Nuclear Power reactors as an industry died after TMI and Chernobyl.
  • This century – Commercial Nuclear Power systems are mostly being designed and built in Europe, China, and Russia. Not much opportunity for Maritime graduates outside of naval propulsion R&D. GE sold KAPL to the Naval Nuclear Lab in the 1990’s. Degrees in Marine Engineering or Particle Physics required. Having both degrees is highly desired for advancement.
  • Information Services: This started out as the fledgling GE Time Sharing Department in 1966 with a 15 million in annual revenue. Twenty years later, in 1986, when I retired, annual sales were in the 800 million range, as GE added a world-wide private telecommunication network and central database (Cloud) in 1970 to create the GE Information Services Division, provider of the world’s only, and largest private commercial Internet. Sadly, in the early 1990’s, the advent of the public ARPANET combined with the increasing power of the Personal Computers doomed GEIS and the remnants of this business were sold to a venture capital firm for disposal.

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Keys to be successful in your Industry

  • Nuclear Power – Try Nuclear Engineering, a combination of Mechanical Engineering and Particle Physics. This could replace the Marine Engineering curriculum at Maritime as shipbuilding is no longer an industry in this country and huge diesels have replaced steam driven power plants on ships. Nuclear powered reactors will ultimately replace the current fossil fueled plants in time. In the near term I would look elsewhere for a career.
  • Internet – The sky’s the Limit. I am too far removed from the technology of today to know where to start advising engineers on careers in Information Services. If I don my Physics hat I would advise Particle Physics majors to pay increasing attention to Quantum Theory since that is becoming a factor in chip technology development. In my day all we did in our Quantum Mechanics classes is to seek new solutions to Schroedinger’s Wave Equation!

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What my Maritime College Education Meant to Me**
Even though many years have passed since I graduated from the Maritime College, I still think a lot about my education, regimentation, and the summer cruises.; all three important in my adult life.

1 – Combination of the Three:
The combination of the three gave me the technical foundation and the military discipline to actually sample three careers before choosing the one that I pursued to retirement. What other college could offer that opportunity when circumstances required it during first six months from our graduation?

Consider this… on graduation day I had in hand an offer from General Electric to join their prestigious Entry Level Engineering Program. Secondly, with the Korean War on, I could immediately exercise my Ensign’s commission and start a naval career. Thirdly, the expanding Merchant Marine was desperately looking for immediate placement of Licensed Mates or Engineers. I now had in hand three attractive guaranteed job possibilities in three different fields of employment!

At that time, I did not have the money to buy a suitable business wardrobe or a car so I decided to hold off on the GE offer. Credit Cards were not yet generally available. I also needed a bank account. I chose to start with the Merchant Marine, which offered the highest starting salary.

Fortunately, my naval dress blues and dress whites were suitable attire for work with but a few simple changes, plus I wouldn’t need a car. I did not have to pay for room and board either. Consequently, I immediately made use of my newly awarded Coast Guard License as a third Assistant Engineer, and 4 days after graduation signed on to an American Export Lines ship.

General Electric:
After three months of sailing as an Engineering Officer on a brand-new passenger liner I had earned enough cash to buy a car and wardrobe. In September I decided to accept General Electric’s offer to join their Entry Level Engineering Program. My Marine Engineering degree qualified me for that position.

United State Navy:
However, two months later, while working in Schenectady, NY, at GE’s Gas Turbine Department, I received a telegram from my Bronx Draft Board instructing me to exercise my Naval Commission within the next 10 days or be drafted into the Army. GE promptly gave me a leave of absence for the duration of my Navy service and contacted the Third Naval District to jump start my enlistment.
Thus, only six months after graduation I started a third potential career, now with the United States Navy, and even this came with a plus: at Maritime, Marine Engineering graduates were granted an “1108” special designator for Naval Officers (designating having an Engineering Specialty).

With an 1108 designator, the Navy assigned me to the United States Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory at the Submarine Base in New London, CT. where I spent the next two years working on classified engineering projects for the nuclear submarine, Nautilus, being built at the Electric Boat Co. right across the river. Most importantly, this Navy experience generated a strong interest in Nuclear Power which I then pursued successfully as soon as I returned to GE in 1955.

This is a real example of how the educational, operational, and regimental experience gained at Maritime could easily start its graduates choosing solid careers during that normally bewildering period that follows commencement

2 – Education at the Maritime College:
One of my early classmates, Chris Zirps, received a deferred appointment to the Naval Academy at the end of our MUG year. He left us at that time and ultimately graduated from that fine institution. Although active in USNA alumni affairs, he ultimately linked up with our Class of ’52 Alumni and started regularly attending our reunions as well.

He often said that the MUG year at Maritime was such a “bonding” experience he felt more at home with us than with the men of his Annapolis class.

Chris spent part of his long naval career teaching at Annapolis. He told me that the quality of instruction he had during his MUG at Maritime was well above that given at the USNA. He said at Annapolis their primary goal is to teach you to Learn. Fortunately, at Maritime they teach us to Earn!

A case in point: As the Engineering portion of our class progressed through the grueling classwork leading to our degrees, we always had the nagging concern that employers might have some doubts about our real potential since we were graduating from a relatively unknown college with no established history of undergraduate education.

As it turned out N.Y. Maritime’s education was so thorough that our graduating engineers, and those of the three classes following behind us, “hit the ground running” when it came to technical ability and put these fears to bed forever.

As a good example, at GE’s Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, where I spent my first 12 years, Maritime’s Marine Engineering degree was a natural fit for the designers and analysts working on the propulsion systems for the Nuclear Navy. In no time, GE was sending recruiters directly to Fort Schuyler to recruit more marine engineering graduates for engineering positions in that Laboratory!

Cruises on the Empire State II:
The Summer Sea Terms at Maritime developed our hands-on operations and management skills. It also offered a team of young men an opportunity to broaden their meager horizons to the world outside the New York Metropolitan Area. How many students our age, with limited financial means, would have the opportunity to spend three summers visiting foreign ports and cities, encounter strange languages, manipulate foreign currencies, and participate in local festivities abroad, representing the United States, as part of their baccalaureate education?

My comfort level of working and living in Europe was certainly enhanced by my cruise experiences when in 1976 I was selected to start up and manage the European Operations for my GE division in Europe.

Regimentation in the Battalion:
Finally, Battalion Life is not just about experiencing discipline, it develops trust and bonding with classmates that far exceeds what college fraternities try to instill. It also provided me with leadership skills wherever I worked; In the Merchant Marine, the Navy, and in private industry. These skills are of much help when faced with the unstructured life that comes at you after you graduate.
Closing remarks and wisdom:

MY ADVICE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS: Marry the right person. A life partner is invaluable to success. Learn as much as you can absorb, work as hard as you can while you can, and stop in time to reap the benefits (There’s no joy in being the richest person in the cemetery). As a leader remember you are expected to manage work, not people. Maintain your regimental bearing to preserve your posture as you age. In retirement, travel to far destinations early on, and scale back as body parts wear out. Give of yourself on Boards and Associations where you can contribute, preferably in disciplines not related to your work. Don’t underestimate the importance of Faith in your life experience.
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Contact Details
EMAIL – edigar@aol.com
Cell – 301-785-7862
Home – 941-486-5003

* The career overview was originally published in the Class of ’52 — 50th Anniversary Directory.
**Originally written for inclusion in Gary’s Family History Book