2012 Issue

34 look of satisfaction on his face, pierce his fingers into the innocent beach ball and rip it at the seams. It was a sport for him to see how many beach balls he could snatch from the fingers of the beach ball bopper wannabes. While watching this we started cheering for the beach balls. We would boo McLovin when he captured and destroyed the ball. This did not deter him. We saw no mercy in his eyes when it came to the defenseless beach balls. I noticed that McLovin was very good at zeroing in on his target. It was like watching a well-trained setter going after a duck or pheasant. Then a plan developed in my mind. The next home game my sons were in town and we all were able to attend the game. That morning I went to the local novelty shop and picked up all the beach balls they had, 15 of them. I stuffed them in my pockets and went to the game. I asked all who were around, the tenors, the lawyer, the engineers, the family and the drunks, if they wanted to participate in some mischief. I laid out the plan and the conspiracy was in play. The third quarter started. We inflated our beach balls. All of us had a grin and a gleam in our eyes as we concealed our beach balls waiting for the right moment. We were going to do something that would preserve the right of all beach balls to bounce and bring joy to the fans. The time came, a lull in the action! One, two, three; we all stood and yelled “McLovin!!” and sent our beach balls aloft. Fifteen balls all in the air at the same time in close proximity to McLovin. McLovin looked at the target rich environment. His head was whipping back and forth trying to home in on as many balls as he could. He failed. He stood frozen, unable to decide which ball to go after. The conspiracy worked. We were laughing and watching our beach balls travel through the stands. Up and down all around. Some of the balls reached the safety of the student section. Others bopped around teasing the other guest service guys while McLovin stood frozen. We all knew we had made a differ- ence for the freedom of the beach ball to bounce and bring joy where there may be little to be had. After a while McLovin realized he had been outdone and doffed his hat in our direction. In a way, he was conceding that maybe a beach ball has a place in the stands. Since then McLovin has lost some of that aggression towards beach balls. The conspiracy gave us all a sense of unity in cause. We enjoyed the experience and I hope we all will remember what happened. We all joined together in a common cause and as a result built a bond between fellow fans. Summing Up The engineer’s oath is an interesting read. We ought to review it periodically. In it we promise to benefit mankind. The three stories, though they are light, illustrate that engineers can be creative. We can go beyond our personal boundaries and contribute to the community. Using our observations and skills, we can develop designs, plans and projects that will impact humankind. We ought to be involved with our communities and professional societies. In today’s society, engineers are more likely to be silent and watch events evolve. In reality, engineers can help guide society to bet- tering the human condition. We can have fun doing it. We need to serve our clients, employers, and employees well. We can perform our duties and be part of the solution to today’s challenges. Let’s face it: A road is a road ... or is it? Do we appreciate the fact the job was built correctly so that we can travel smoothly? Are we stepping back to see our completed projects and enjoying the contribution we have made? Are we saying thank you to the people who built our projects? Are we trying to improve the hu- man condition? Beach balls included? I hope so.  CREATIVE ENGINEER | continued from page 33