Mr. Up

This autobiography tells the story of the life of Dick Klokow, who was born almost one hundred years ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At age nine, he sold newspapers and organized a baseball team with his friend Ray Pirelli. Although small, he made the Lincoln High School varsity football and basketball teams.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was seventeen years old and served as a radioman in a fighter squadron during the Battle of Guadalcanal. In a highlight of his life, he was promoted to sergeant!

Thanks to the GI Bill, he earned a bachelor of electrical engineering degree from Marquette University. He designed aircraft generators while working in the Engineering Department at Westinghouse in Lima, Ohio. After earning a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh, he got his dream job as an instructor at MIT.

Shortly after Sputnik, he was employed at Lockheed Missile and Space Company in Sunnyvale, California. Included in this autobiography are stories of the many exciting projects that he worked on during his thirty years as an engineer and program manager.
In the twilight of his life and the highlight of his career, he became a substitute teacher in the Fremont Union High School District. The duration of his assignments ranged from one day to a full school year. He greeted his classes with "Good morning, you wonderful students of ____________ High School," which set the tone for the class session. Included in the book are notes from students who praise his method of teaching, including the use of humor.