Amber Yust '10
San Francisco, CA
I remember having Joe and his wife come in from time to time when I was working at HMC Computing and Information Services, asking about something or other. He was always fun to talk with while we were figuring something out.
Carol Tanenbaum
Claremont, CA
Updated from a song Sam and I sang on Joe’s 65th in 1980 and updated in 2010 to the tune of “Old Joe Clark”
Chorus:
Round, round, Old Joe Platt
Round and round with Jean
Don’t they make the neatest pair
Claremont’s ever seen.
They came here from New York
Where they left all that crud
They came here from New York
To help start Harvey Mudd. (Chorus)
They recruited such good people
Duane, Roy, Bill, Spiff and Bob
George, Art, Gray and Emery
They all needed a job. (Chorus)
They started building dorms
They built them everywhere
First East and West, then North and South
Which isn’t really there. (Chorus)
They stayed there over twenty years
Mudd fit them to a “T”
Then they packed their bags and crossed the street
To fix up C.U.C. (Chorus)
Now Paul and Peter’s building
Will very soon be done
Then Joe can return to Harvey Mudd
And teach Physics 51. (Chorus)
(new verses added in 2010)
Joe taught Mudd students in a lab
One went out on a limb
Asked if the “Platt” at “Platt Center”
Was related to him. (Chorus)
Joe and Jean had lots of fun
They traveled many a mile
Then Sam asked him to write a book
And he did it with great style. (Chorus)
Barbara Bergmann
Retired HMC staff
Some of my most pleasant memories of HMC center around Joe Platt. He was a great scholar and teacher, but my experiences were with the Joe Platt who was a true gentleman, a man who kept his ego in check but let his curiosity and sense of humor run free. A very good man who will be greatly missed.
Michael McKinney '61
San Francisco, CA
I have fond memories of Joe Platt as a very humane and approachable President. I recall his playing the guitar and doing Tom Leher-like sing-alongs in the dorm. He was a very able leader in the early days of the college.
Bill Leppo '61
Retired CEO, Leppo Instruments, North Plains, OR
Joe was visiting us new students on our first day at East dorm. He spotted my carved top Gibson L7C and asked if he could play it. He immediately sat down on my bed, began strumming and broke into song.
“Along the trail you’ll find me loopin’, where the spaces are wide open. In the land of the old AEC”