Machine Tool Practices

Mr. Kibbe has considerable job machine shop experience as well as community college and industrial teaching experience and is the author and co-author of several publications in the chain tool manufacturing field.

Roland O. Meyer spent the first 20 years of his career in the metal-working industry as a tool and die maker, machinist and worked in machine design and manufacturing. He completed his apprenticeship as a tool and die maker at Siemens in Germany and continued there as a journeyman building progressive punching dies.

He then worked in die shops in Toronto and Windsor, Canada before moving to Chicago employed as a gage maker at Ford Motor Company. Following this stint, he was in charge of the US army machine shops in Korea and Italy for five years. When he returned to the US, he worked in a manufacturing company designing and building experimental machines used in the timber and plywood industry. He next entered academia and became the lead instructor at Lane Community College’s Manufacturing Technology program in Eugene, Oregon, where he taught for 25 years. As CNC became the new method in machining, he developed a CNC curriculum and program. When CAM (Computer Aided Machining) became available he also developed a state of the art CAM program with the assistance of a local software company.

John E. Neely grew up in the Pacific Northwest and entered the Army to serve in World War II. The life John E. Neely is characterized by hard work, a variety of successes, and mentoring many others who became a part of his life.

Over the years Mr. Neely provided himself with a broad education and professional training through reading, a correspondence course in mechanical engineering, and good use of opportunities throughout his career. He became a master machinist, a mechanical engineer, a hydraulic engineer, and eventually an instructor at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.

During his time as instructor he collaborated with others to develop highly successful course materials based on the individualized instruction approach. He and his collaborators wrote and had published several textbooks based on those materials. Those books continue to be in use nationally and internationally. After the death of his wife, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in April 2000 to be with his son and his family. There, for the three years until his death, he enjoyed the company of family and friends.

Warren White apprenticed as an Optical Instrument Maker with Land-Air, Inc. After military service with the Army Air Defense Board he obtained a graduate degree in Psychology at Clark University. His interest in both learning theory and machine tools led to employment at Foothill College in the Engineering Department.

Warren White initiated the Machine Tool Technology program at De Anza College after an extensive survey of Silicon Valley manufacturing firms.  He was the Director of a California State-funded program to develop an Individualized Machinist Curriculum in conjunction with several California Community Colleges and Lane Community College in Oregon. He also initiated the California Community Colleges’ Multimediamobile which operated between several California Community Colleges to develop individualized instructional media in several technical disciplines.

He was the lead author and editor for Machine Tools and Machining Practices Volumes I and II published by John Wiley and Sons. He later taught Industrial Engineering classes at San Jose State University. He is certified by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers as a Manufacturing Engineer. After retiring from teaching he did voluntary Assistive Technology work with the Easter Seal Society in Santa Cruz, California, in a special program sponsored by IBM. He returned to work as a Quality Engineer for Seagate Technology, and obtained certification as a Quality Auditor. He started Seagate Technology on the path to achieving ISO 9001 certification.