Alumni Spotlight – Jim Altizer ‘67

Statements like “good friends and fond memories” and “left with a solid education, well prepared for what life had to offer” summarize Jim Altizer’s reflections on his experience at Susquehannock High School in the Sixties. And life after “SHS” had much to offer—a professional adventure for this member of the Class of ’67, who has been riding the cutting edge of the fast-paced electronics industry for over forty years.

Jim grew up in Glen Rock, attending Glen Rock Elementary School through sixth grade, and then Susquehannock Junior-Senior High School. At SHS, he played football for six years (serving as CoCaptain in his final year) and wrestled for a season. He was also Freshman Class President, President of the National Honor Society, consistently listed on the honor roll, and graduated as class Salutatorian.

Following graduation in 1967, Jim attended University of Delaware where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1971. From there he joined Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Hunt Valley MD, where he worked in the nuclear power industry at its crest. His other projects included developing wind turbine and sub-sea wellhead control systems, needs created by the nation’s energy crisis of the 1970s. While working at Westinghouse, Jim traveled extensively overseas and also found time to earn an MBA from Johns Hopkins University through night study.

He left Westinghouse in 1984 to become a Senior Program Manager at Rexnord Automation, manufacturing computer monitors for such prestigious clients as IBM. After this assignment came four years with Ferranti Technologies, a defense systems contractor in Lancaster, as Engineering Manager from 1987 to 1991. Then Jim became a Department Manager and eventually a Plant Manager for SCI Systems headquartered in Huntsville Alabama, where he worked on projects ranging from flight instrumentation for the Boeing 777 to designing a revolutionary wheelchair that climbed stairs for J&J.

Jim left the high-tech center of Huntsville in 2001 to begin what he calls his “tour of the southwest,” an odyssey that included assignments as VP/GM of Suntron Corporation in Houston, General Manager of Gibson Guitars in Memphis and General Manager of Peavey Electronics, a world renowned manufacturer of speakers, amplifiers, and mixers supporting all facets of the entertainment industry.

This brings us to 2005 and Jim’s move to Georgia to be closer to his daughter (a professor at UGA) and his son (an engineer with Northrop Grumman in Charlotte) and one of his most exciting professional challenges—designing an electronics research facility for operation on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. This research facility will help pioneer the “green” movement to lead-free electronics in missile defense and other products. And we can only imagine what comes next in this fascinating career.

Congratulations, Jim, on your many contributions to your country, your school, and your community, and for making us all “Warrior Proud!”