|
A fitting tribute for professor, submariner
Spotsylvania woman can't rest until former professor gets his due as a teacher and war hero
Date published: 10/24/2006
WHEN LINDA GREEN Gaskins attended Mary Washington College in the mid-'70s, there wasn't much doubt about what she'd major in.
The Colonial Beach native was a whiz at math, a passion that grew as professors walked her through the discipline that helped make sense of the universe.
One professor was Alexander K. Tyree, a tall, stately man teaching her differential equations.
Gaskins said he was a great teacher, with a keen grasp of his subject and a caring attitude toward students.
When she got her yearbook after graduating in 1977, there was a hint of his military service. He'd never mentioned it, but there was a little notation under his yearbook picture--"United States Navy, retired."
Gaskins didn't dwell on Tyree in the years that followed, as she began a career that would have her working for or with the Navy as a mathematician, sometimes on ships doing calculations for weapons systems.
She worked at Dahlgren, in Washington and in other spots before shifting to work for the USDA and other agencies.
The Spotsylvania County woman recently retired from the government, and joined relatives for a Hawaiian cruise.
She was at Pearl Harbor, on a visit to the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, when she heard a name from the past.
Donning a headset to begin a tour, Gaskins was shocked to hear the name of her former math professor, who was one of the Bowfin's skippers.
"Then suddenly, I heard his voice, talking about his days on the sub," said Gaskins, moved by the moment.
She quickly told her parents about the connection. To make sure it was the same Tyree, Gaskins found Nancy Richards, curator of the museum and park.
Yes, she learned, it was the same Tyree. It surprised Gaskins to learn that Richards and the museum didn't know about Tyree's career as college professor.
Gaskins had to know more.
She did some research and found out that the Bowfin was one of nine submarines, known as "The Hellcats," that regularly operated along the mined Tsushima Strait, eventually destroying much of Japan's remaining merchant fleet.
Date published: 10/24/2006
|
Star Directory
