Frank Margetan
Tim Gray could always make me smile - sometimes with his quick wit, often just with a bit of a grin and a raised eyebrow. The other day, before I heard through the grapevine that Tim has passed, my wife and I were out for exercise walking the south side Veenker Golf Course not far from Tim's house. We heard a dog bark with that characteristic deep resonant sound of a German Shepard and I thought wouldn't it be nice if we happened upon Tim and his dog also out for a walk. I first met Tim in the summer of 1986 when a fledgling CNDE was looking to expand and Tim picked my resume out of a stack and offered me a job. He made me feel right at home, insisting that I travel with him to my first QNDE Conference in San Diego even though I had been with his group for only a month. He also was one of the chief boosters of noontime volleyball and got me hooked on that CNDE activity, initially played in the decommissioned reactor building near CNDE, and later via carpooling to the big gym on central campus. At that time we both lived within easy walking distance of downtown Ames and would occasionally meet at the Corner Pocket after work to shoot some 8 or 9-ball and enjoy a beer or two and each other's company. I knew nothing about ultrasonic inspection when I joined CNDE. Having so much to learn, I couldn’t have asked for a better boss. As my direct supervisor and mentor Tim took me under his wing and taught me what I needed to get started in ultrasonics. The tools he equipped me with in those first few years (The Thomson-Gray Measurement Model, beam models of various stripes, experimental dos-and-don'ts, to name a few) held me in good stead over what turned out to be a 31-year career at CNDE. Tim even showed me how to retire gracefully from CNDE - he opted for phased retirement rather than cold turkey, and based on his experience I followed suit.
I last saw Tim in the summer before the Covid outbreak. We were both out walking the Peg Neppel trail near the golf course, me with my wife and he with his German Shepard. Upon our chance meeting we walked together for a few miles catching up a bit on events in our lives. I wish I had made a better effort to keep in touch after retirement, but I have become a bit of a solitary cuss in my old age. I want his family to know that I thought very highly of Tim and spent many productive and enjoyable hours in his company. He truly had a monumental impact on my life.
Frank Margetan