The Life of JAM: The Story of My Life

By Dr. James A. (Jim) Mandel

The Life of JAM is the story of the life of Dr. James A. Mandel PE. He was born on Christmas day in 1934 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. His parents Isadore and Jennie Mandel guided his early years. He learned to swim at age 7. Jim earned a BS in Civil Engineering at Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1956. In the summer between his junior and senior years, he worked for the Bureau of Ships in Washington DC. From 1956 to 1961, except for six months in the army, he worked for Richardson, Gordon, and Associates. He designed many highway and railroad bridges. In 1959 he married Rita J Mandel. Rita was the interior designer for the Veterans Hospital. They had two children, Belinda and Bob. In 1962, Jim received a MS in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology. From 1962 to 1964, he worked for Goodyear Aerospace Corporation in Akron, Ohio. He was in charge of the structural design and wind tunnel testing of the Gemini Ballute. In 1967, he received a PhD in Civil Engineering at Syracuse University. From 1967 to 2008, he was a professor at Syracuse University. Rita died from breast cancer 1991. Jim married Carolyn Lisi on June 26, 1998.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Jan 30, 2024
• ISBN: 9781977272683

Dr. James A. (Jim) Mandel

Jim was born on December 25, 1934 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology and doctorate from Syracuse University. He worked and performed research in bridge design. Jim was in charge of the structural design and wind tunnel testing of the Gemini Ballute. He retired from Syracuse University as a full professor in 2008. His book on Finite Element Analysis is accepted for publication.

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CHAPTER 1

Early Years

I WAS BORN in Pittsburgh on Christmas day to Isadore and Jennie Mandel. Although we were no rich, my parents gave me love and guidance. When I was six years old, I walked to Rodgers Elementary School. This was the first I saw African Americans. I said to one of them, You are a darky aren’t you. After school, they chased me home. We became friends after this incident.

At age seven, we moved to the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh. People from Pittsburgh have an accent. They call this area Slibety. Many people know you are from Pittsburgh because of your accent. I attended Dilworth Elementary School. The teachers were excellent. They were strict. We marched in a line from class to class. Our class was approximately one third African American, four Jewish students, and the remainder were of Italian decent. We were friends with each other.

We had gym class every day. The first four days we exercised. On Friday, we played basketball. Most students lived close to school. So after lunch we had time to play games before class began. We learned our social manners at Dilworth Elementary School. I made many friends. Years later if we crossed paths, we recognized each other and were still friends.

Wood shop and mechanical drawing were taught at Dilworth Elementary School. In wood shop each student was given a set of tools, a plane, T-Square, hand saw, and hand drill. Wood was expensive. Our first project was to make a door stop. Using only the hand tools the piece of wood was made square. Then it was sanded with coarse, medium, and fine sandpaper and two coats of wax were applied. The instructor checked your work after each step. I still use the door stop.

The last project was tool box. I proudly gave this toolbox to my grandfather Boris Mandel. When he put his tools in the tool box, the bottom fell out. He wired it shut and used it.

My Grandfather Boris Mandel

Sometimes in mechanical drawing class when the teacher was not in the room, we had eraser fights. The teacher had had wood paddle with holes in it. It whistled when he swung it. If someone misbehaved he would say, Do you want a swat or a note sent to you parents. We always took the swat.

We also made model airplanes in Mechanical Drawing class. They were powered using a rubber band wound between the body of the plane and the propeller. There was a competition among the elementary schools in Pittsburgh as to which school’s model airplanes flew the furthest.

CHAPTER 2

Swimming Lessons

AT AGE SEVEN, my mother enrolled me the YMCA to take swimming lessons. She showed me how to ride the streetcar to the YMCA. I walked six blocks to the streetcar stop and rode the Number 73 streetcar to YMCA. The swimming teacher was mean. The first lesson we sat nude on the edge of the pool and kicked for twenty minutes. Then we got into the pool, held on to the gutter of the pool and kicked for another twenty minutes. If he didn’t like the way we were kicking, he hit us on our buttocks with a plastic lanyard. The second lesson we got into the pool, put our feet into the gutter of the pool, and practiced the crawl stroke. Because the gutter of the pool is higher than the water, it was hard to raise your head above the water. He had his plastic lanyard ready if he was not satisfied with your progress.

More than one half of the swimming class quit after the second swimming lesson. I could not quit because my mother paid $2.50 for the YMCA membership and that was a lot of money then. I finished all of the swimming lessons. I was a good swimmer and had strong arms and legs. I owe this to my mother.

CHAPTER 3

Delivering Newspapers

AT AGE TWELVE, I delivered newspapers, after school, Saturdays and Sundays. I made a lot of money for a child. The strong legs and arms I developed from swimming helped me carry more than fifty newspapers.

We picked up the newspapers in front of a store called McGiff. They had a pinball machine. One of the newspaper boys played it. He lost most of the time. He had a hobby of raising tropical fish. I purchased tropical fish from him and had a small aquarium.

CHAPTER 4

High School

I ATTENDED PEABODY High School. My mother and I went to a parent-teacher conference. The teacher, Mr. S recognized my mother. He knew her maiden name. He was also her home-room teacher. He was a good teacher and a nice man. Mr. S was an amazing person. He played center for his college football team even though he weighed only 120 pounds. When I was in the tenth grade, we moved to Squirrel Hill. I attended Taylor Allderdice High School

CHAPTER 5

Delivering for Saul’s Pharmacy

WHILE IN HIGH school, I delivered prescriptions and other merchandise for a drug store. I rode a bicycle from 6PM to 11PM. I made a lot of money because of the tips. From 11PM to 12AM, I worked inside the store. I saved enough money for two years of college. I graduated from high school with honor and received a partial tuition scholarship to Carnegie Institute of Technology.

CHAPTER 6

Summer Job with Navy in Washington D.C.

IN THE SUMMER between my junior and senior years I worked for the Navy Department of Ships in Washington D.C. I worked on several projects including determining which fighter planes could land on aircraft carriers. They took the time to teach me practical engineering.

That summer I rented a room in a fraternity house. They were very nice to me and taught me a lot about life. I visited many of the historical sites in Washington D.C. I attended the fourth of July 4th celebration. It was spectacular. That summer I also attended a concert with Louis Armstrong and his jazz group.

In 1956, I graduated Carnegie Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. In 1967, Carnegie Institute of Technology joined with Mellon Institute to form Carnegie Mellon University.

CHAPTER 7

First Job with Richardson, Gordon and Associates

FROM 1956 TO 1961, except for the short time I was in the U.S. army, I was employed by Richardson,