March 01, 2004 Laurel, Maryland

As they swapped tales of their college days - calculus equations that scrolled across multiple blackboards and computing languages that are rarely used - several alumni reunited with two of their favorite professors at the monthly on-campus luncheon Feb. 27.

Retired professors Frank Sheng and Arjun Makajauni greeted alums and shared in the reminiscing. The math professors have since involved themselves in work for separate nonprofits. The luncheon was their first visit to the college since they stopped teaching several years ago.

"I'm honored and pleased that some alumni said they wanted to see me here," Makajauni said.

Michael Wimsatt, a 1983 graduate, clearly remembered Sheng, who was a professor of mathematics. What's more remarkable, he said, is that he also remembers the theorems, the functions and the formulas that Sheng taught.

"Even after 20 years, I still remember all of  it," said Wimsett, a technician at DRS. "Out of all of the mathematics courses I had taken, you were the professor who made the concepts clearest."

The 10 alumni from DRS Technologies, located in Gaithersburg, returned to Capitol College as part of its yearlong celebration marking 20 years on the Laurel campus. Each month the college has invited back groups of alumni who work for various employers in the region.

For some of the alums, many with busy schedules, the luncheon was their first visit to Laurel or their first visit since graduating.

Agreeing with the sentiments of many of former classmates, Song Phommachanh said a foundation of the basics is what best prepares people for careers in the evolving world of technology. He continued to congratulate the college for offering a curriculum that encompasses more business education. Project management, he said, is a good thing.

"You can hide behind technology only for so long," said Phommachanh, a 1984 graduate who is a member of the company's tech staff.

Previous luncheon attendees included alumni from Computer Sciences Corporation, Motorola and MET Labs.