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						3689 South Court
						Palo Alto, Ca. 94306
						August 3, 1974

Dear Bob and Mary

	Please excuse  the  delay in  sending you  this  letter.   My
correspondence has built up to such a level that the turn-around time
is about a week now.

	This summer has been a seesaw  time for me.  One week  things
are very hectic, and the next, I'm able to relax enough to go sailing
a  couple of  times. As you  may already  know, I'm  now officially a
graduate student at Stanford- working on my PhD thesis.  Acutually, I
am just starting, and have not yet done much in the way of writing or
even extensive research.   The  transition from staff  to student  is
taking much longer than I  expected.  I have chosen my  own PhD title
and topic.  It will be a PhD in  Automation, with the thesis research
in the  field of  totally automated  manufacturing.   My  goal is  to
investigate  and develop  a totally  automated machine  shop for  the
production  of prototype  quantities  of sheet  metal parts-  such as
chassis, boxes,  and brackets.   Bob, your  Dad may  dig this  field,
since it  could be applied to  the manufacture of  paper or cardboard
boxes.  

	Besides the work at Stanford, there  is Vicarm.  Vicarm is  a
bit over a year old now, and we have  shipped our first few arms out.
We  have a  sizeable backlog  of orders,  and as  usual, we  are also
behind on delivery.  I have a couple of people working for me who are
supposed  to be  responsible for  all  the day  to day  manufacturing
problems, but  it still turns out that I have to make daily visits to
the company to insure that all runs smoothly.  

	About three  weeks ago, I  got out for  a 7  day trip to  the
Kings Canyon  National Park region of  the Sierra's.   We climbed two
13,000 footers, class 3 to 4. I would really like to spend a week  or
so with  you out  in Wyoming  but it  may be difficult  to arrange  a
convenient date.  Here's  the situation.  I have to deliver an arm to
Texas Instruments Corp  in Dallas  around the  end of the  month.   I
don't intend  to go there myself,  but may have  to.  In any  event I
will  have to  stick around here  to make sure  that it  is ready and
completely debugged in time. In  parallel with this, my father  is on
vacation this month, and my  parents have been talking of comming out
for a visit sometime.  That sometime is indefinite at the moment,  as
Dick and  his family are  presentlu in NYC  visiting them.   They say
they are returning in a week or two.  

	What this all means is that the best, and only practical time
for me to come to Wyoming is  September.  We could make it the  first
week- say  Sept. 1-7  or so  ( or later).   Now,  I realize  that you
finish  up in Boulder  around the 20th  of Aug.  so  this conflict of
schedules may scratch any chance of getting together out here. In any
event, you are  invited out here anytime for a  visit should you care
to come.  I am also planning to make at least one trip East this fall
to deliver arms to M.I.T. and the Natl. Bureau of Standards.  So I'll
see you then for certain.

	I hope both of  you are well and have enjoyed  your summer in
Boulder.   I sort of envy you, for being  able to take off the summer
and feel free of other responsibilities.  I keep trying to set  up my
life that way, but it doesnt seem to be working out that easy.

	Please write of  phone with your comments or  thoughts.  Home
its  415-493-3038.    At Stanford  its  415-497-4971  usually  in the
afternoons.  At Vicarm its 415-965-0557 usually from 9 to 11AM.

	My regards to Linda too.