John Dobrota writes that one week after Lehigh graduation he married his high school sweetheart, Gloria. Together they went to medical school at Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia. During four years of med school, they had two daughters, Susan and Deborah. Their third daughter, Jennifer, was born during his internship at St. Lukes Hospital in Bethlehem. Then back to Philadelphia for three years of Internal Medicine residency and Gastroenterology Fellowship.
John was drafted into the military, as were all doctors during the Vietnam era. He was stationed at Fifth General Hospital, Bad Cannstatt (near Stuttgart), Germany for three years. They then went back to Pennsylvania. where for the next 40 years he practiced gastroenterology in Sellersville, at Grand View Hospital.
John retired in 2010 and now lives in Coopersburg, Pa., where he follows Lehigh wrestling and football (he has not missed the Easterns in 30 years). Still golfing, he had his third hole-in-one last year at Saucon Valley CC!
He enjoyed following his twin grandsons’ basketball careers: David Kachelries (all time leading scorer at Emmaus HS), who played pro basketball with the Dresden Titans in the German ProA League, and Matt Kachelries (Athlete of the Year at DeSales University in 2019).
Joe Bartish
After graduation from Lehigh with a BS Degree in Engineering Physics, Joe spent the next roughly 40 years as an employee of various US aerospace corporations who provided support to the Department of Defense’s military systems, primarily the US Navy.
While residing in Trevose, PA, he went to Penn State (now called Great Valley Campus), and graduated with an MS Degree in Engineering Science.
From 1963 to 1966, in support of the DOD, Joe was a Civilian Ship Rider with the courtesy officer rank of Lieutenant. During this time he visited China, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Japan, Okinawa and other places. He was assigned to numerous US bases to assist with various DOD projects. During this period, he met celebrities such as Casius Clay, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Hope, and Wayne Newton.
In 2001, Joe relocated to Las Vegas, NV, continuing his employment with aerospace corporations involved with assessing foreign military systems for DOD. He spent five years developing processes for the operation and maintenance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. He retired in 2012 but still receives requests to work on those processes.
In Vegas, he has attended the annual watch party for the Lehigh-Lafayette game. He is the BSA’s Eagle Scout Advisor/Coordinator, assisting scouts earning their Eagle Scout rank, continuing a similar role he did in PA. Joe is also on the Board Of Directors of the Service Academies Parents’ Club which provides snack packages for students attending the Service Academies.
He says they live comfortably and only go out or travel as they feel is necessary.
George Trotman entered Naval Officer Candidate School in the fall of ’61, and subsequently served as Engineering Officer on a minesweeper in Charleston. At the end of this tour, the Navy selected him for the Naval Post Graduate School at MIT. In 1967, he married Liz Fincher, who had recently completed an MBA at Harvard Business School. She later gave birth to Tyler and Winifred, now in their late forties.
In 1968 George graduated from MIT with an MS in Mechanical Engineering and a Naval Engineering Degree. His naval engineering career centered on shipbuilding, restoration and repair. Duty assignments included the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Supervisor of Shipbuilding Brooklyn, the Joint Military Assistance Group Greece, and the Ship Systems Engineering Station in Philladelphia.
In the mid 1970’s, George developed a gait abnormality and was diagnosed with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), a genetic defect resulting in a slowly progressive increase in spacity and weakness in the lower body. There is no cure for HSP. Regardless, he continues to stay as fit as he can by using specialized exercise equipment.
In 1985 George retired from the Navy, disabled. Fortunately, the Navy determined that his HSP was service connected and provided him with full financial benefits. Now he is not able to walk at all. With help, he can still do his other interests including art class where he does portraits in oils and pastels.
In 1995, at the age of 54 Liz died of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). For the next eight years George lived alone, getting around using electric scooters and canes. In 2003, Linda Zaimis and he met and they have lived together since then in his Rittenhouse Square townhouse. Linda is a widow and had been a computer programmer at the Philadelphia Electric Company. As his condition continues to worsen, she continues to be vital to his wellbeing.