Cookie

At our wedding in 1957, Bobbie was my maid of honor, and Cookie and Claire were my bridesmaids. The four of us were inseparable at Martha Cook Building at the U of M. We lived there from 1955-1957. I met Bobbie my very first day at the U of M - we met at the SRA Building waiting for the bus to take us to Freshman Rendezvous for a weekend of fun before moving into Betsy Barbour. That was September, 1953.

Bobbie was from Mason, and now lives in Arlington, VA. Claire was from Huntington Woods, and now lives in Naples, FL. Cookie was from Flint, and now lives in Houston, TX.

Cookie (Carol Cook) married Tom Boberg, a grad student in chemical engineering (which was shortened in the lingo to "chem engine"). He had done his undergraduate work in the East at William and Mary and MIT. Back in those days, computer print-outs were on the attached printer paper. I remember visiting them once when Tom had the entire house covered with these endless sheets of computer paper covered with his chem engine project. I've only seen Carol and Tom three times in the past 40 years, but we have always kept in touch. They visited Basswood Bend about ten years ago.

I got an email from Bobbie today saying that Tom died suddenly the day after Christmas. He had been in perfect health, no heart problems or anything - we figure that it must have been an aneurysm or something. Carol says she doesn't need to know the cause of death. She's just satisfied that he had a relatively long, healthy, happy life. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.

I found Tom's obituary in the Houston Chronicle on line:

THOMAS COX BOBERG, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 30, 1933 passed away on Monday, December 26, 2005.

He received a bachelor's degree in physics from William & Mary where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. As a Tau Beta Pi scholar, he received BS and MS degrees in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And he earned a Ph.D. in Chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.

During his 33 years with Exxon, he was one of the leaders of the effort to develop practical and economic thermal recovery processes. His research in 1961 led to Exxon's first test of cyclic steam stimulation, and in 1966, he was awarded a patent on this now widely used process. He was considered a leading worldwide authority on thermal recovery technology and is recognized for his book, Thermal Methods of Oil Recovery. He was a member of Sigma Xi, the scientific Research Society. In 1991 he was awarded the Society of Petroleum Engineers Lester C. Uren Award, which honors distinguished achievement in petroleum engineering technology made by a member before the age of 45.

Tom was a faithful member of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church serving on numerous committees and as Elder for several years. A devoted choir member, he sang with the Sanctuary Choir for 37 years. His music ministry extended to The Kings Men barbershop chorus, which he sang with for many years. He was a gifted musician whose singing and piano music was enjoyed by everyone and loved most by his family. He is predeceased by his mother, also a musician, Esther Cox Boberg and his father, Colonel Roy H. Boberg. He is survived by his wife, Carol Jean Boberg, his daughter Leslie Caren Boberg, his daughter Lynne Ann Boberg Sutter and husband Herman J. Sutter, and his three dear granddaughters, Lucia, Isabel, and Sophia. A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 30, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas. In lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church.