Alumni News D


onald Struminger (B.S. 1959) grew up in Petersburg, Virginia, where he spent his summers working for his family’s small textile management consulting company. Mohenis Services, which combines the names of Strum-


inger’s father, Irving, and his brothersMoe and Henry, has grown from a single-route operation founded in Virginia in 1934 to one that today is affiliated with successful linen and uniform rental companies across the eastern United States. The accomplishments of the company very much reflect Donald Struminger’s technical contributions to the textile in- dustry as a whole, as well as the business management acu- men that he credits to his training to approach, analyze, and solve problems as a Carnegie Mellon mechanical engineer. While it may have seemed natural for Struminger to


join the family enterprise, that was not his original plan; he wanted to be an engineer. As a young boy, he spent hours constructing model rockets and large elaborate train sets that took over his family home’s attic.


Ironing Out a Career Path When Struminger completed his service in 1961, he looked forward to beginning his civilian career as a working engineer. He scheduled a number of interviews, including a meeting with a fledgling company named Xerox. But Struminger found his professional destiny in what was for him an unexpected place: his family’s linen management consulting company. “During my time in the linen and uniform rental industry, I


noticed that there was an enormous need for improved effi- ciency and automation,” says Struminger. “It occurred to me that this would be the perfect application for my work as an engineer. So I began the process of changing the process- ing facilities from labor-intensive to highly automated and streamlined.” Using his mechanical engineering skills, Struminger


Uniformly Successful


ing things,” Struminger remembers. “There was no question that I was going to pursue a career in engineering one day.” An outstanding and ambitious student, Struminger


finished high school early, in January 1955, and was accepted into Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering for the Fall semester. While many young men might have enjoyed taking an eight-month break, Struminger spent his time taking classes at the University of North Carolina—giving him a significant head start on his engineering degree. “I finished my B.S. at Carnegie Mellon in three and a half years, even though I was also enrolled in the four-year Reserve Officers Training Corps program,” says Struminger. “I had to double up my coursework at times, but I was eager to graduate and get started with my career.” With an active military draft in place when he graduated


from MechE in January 1959, Struminger reported to active duty in the US Army Corps of Engineers, where he served as a combat engineer in Germany. “My time in the military was a great experience, because it dovetailed with my training at Carnegie Tech,” says Struminger, who rose to become a Captain.


Donald Struminger Combines Career Achievements With Philanthropy “From an early age, I was excited about the idea of build-


developed new procedures, equipment, and material han- dling systems that would improve production and overcome the challenges of handling complex materials. “Fabric does not have precise shapes, sizes, and


textures, so it is a difficult material


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CARNEGIE MECH


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