People in Materials

When Mr. Huffman received the call People in from Butch Harper, asking for a cost estimate for casting a cannon, he told Materials the cadet there would be no charge. He was a big Hokie fan and a former The Skipper: cadet from Greenbrier. He’d be happy How the Huffmans Helped to offer his services to VPI. So, the can- Forge a Virginia Tech non was cast, using Corps donated Tradition brass. This included bullet casings from the school’s rifle range, which, to LeeAnn Ellis everyone’s surprise, were not all empty. If you’ve ever been to a Virginia Tech After the fireworks died down, Huffman football game in Lane Stadium, you’ve discarded the rest of those bullet cas- heard the resounding boom of the can- ings and added brass from the foundry’s non each time the Hokies score. It might stock. Stamped around the rim of the Paul Huffman Sr. & Paul Huffman Jr. shown surprise you to discover that there is a barrel are the years 1964-65-66-67, rep- with one-half of each Skipper pattern. Paul Jr. connection between that cannon and resenting those classes of the Corps says the second half resides at his dad’s house. the Materials Science and Engineering who contributed to the effort. “I think he was afraid we would make another department. But let’s start at the be- one for home use!” ginning. hearing the Skipper roar! At such an In the fall of 1963, Paul Huffman Sr., pro- early age football was the sideline. The prietor of the Virginia Foundry in cannon was the real show!” Roanoke, received an unusual phone call from a young VPI cadet named Ben The Skipper proudly served Virginia “Butch” Harper. The VPI Corps of Ca- Tech for the next 19 years, until an over- dets, he was told, wanted to build a charge of gunpowder caused a blow- cannon. (Virginia Tech was known as 1964-65-66-67 stamped into cannon rim out in 1982. Skipper now resides in the VPI back then.) Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets museum. On Thanksgiving Day, 1963, VMI was Before every home game, freshman ca- Mr. Huffman was familiar with the rivalry speechless when VPI rolled out their dets polish the cannon to a mirror shine. between VPI and VMI. Every Thanksgiv- cannon and fired the first round. Mr. ing Day since at least 1918, these two Huffman was given a seat of honor with By 1984, Paul Jr. was in the process of football teams met on the field at the Corps. He remembers the tremen- moving home to Roanoke. He had Roanoke’s Victory Stadium in a game dous boom of the cannon that shook graduated from Virginia Tech with a known as the “Military Classic of the the glass in the sportscasters’ booth degree in metallurgical engineering South.” Mr. Huffman, like many of his and blew the hats up on many a head (MSE) in 1978, and he had been work- neighbors, looked forward to this an- in the stands. The cannon was a huge ing in Maryland since then. While he nual event. hit, and a tradition was born. Huffman was scanning the Roanoke Times for real estate, he read that the Virginia On game day, the VPI received a call from VMI Homer “Sonny” Tech Corps was hoping to raise funds and VMI Corps of Ca- soon after the game. Hickam (IE ‘64) “They asked if I would to replace the Skipper. Paul called the dets would march Corps and said, “This is your lucky day!” through the streets of cast a cannon for them. A larger one!” He told the He explained that his father had cast Roanoke from the train the first Skipper and he would be hon- station to the stadium, caller that he “wasn’t in the cannon business.” ored to create the next generation often trading friendly Skipper, and at no charge. barbs. Then, at the start Sadly, the excitement of the game, VMI would over the cannon was He first went to his new boss at Gra- fire their cannon, nick- overshadowed by the as- ham-White and presented the idea. He named “Little John,” sassination of President was hired to make money, he was told, not give it away. Paul was persistent, and the VMI Corps Ben“Butch” John F. Kennedy. Like all and his boss finally said go ahead. So would chant, “Where’s Harper (BUS ‘64) Americans, the cadets Paul took on the project on his own. your cannon?” Three VPI 1964 Bugle were deeply affected by George Fox cadets, Butch Harper, Homer “Sonny” the President’s death. In He traveled to Gettysburg to research (ME ‘64) Hickam, and George Fox, decided it honor of Kennedy’s naval Civil War cannon, and he selected a was time for the VPI Corps of Cadets to career, they christened the cannon three-inch Confederate iron rifle to rep- have their own cannon. “Skipper.” licate. He took careful measurements Back in Blacksburg, Sonny convinced At the age of eight, Paul Huffman Jr. and returned to Roanoke, where a pat- his industrial engineering class to take was well on his way to becoming not tern was created by a local company. on the project of building a wooden only a huge Hokie fan, but also a met- In designing this replica, Paul used up- model of a cannon using blueprints he allurgist like his father. “My earliest rec- dated techniques and a better under- had found. The boys enlisted the help ollection of Skipper,” says Paul Jr., “was standing of metallurgy than would of the entire Corps, who gladly donated the annual VPI/VMI football game. I have been available back in 1862. “We money and old brass to help build the can remember telling all my buddies calculated the metallurgy down to the cannon. And Butch located a foundry. that Dad had cast the Skipper. The most element,” Paul said. exciting part for me was watching and Page 6 Exploring Materials, Fall 2004 He contacted area busi- nesses to solicit materials. “I Silver continued from page 2 called several suppliers and told them about this great New interconnection materials story,” Paul recalls. Not only must have better electrical, ther- did the companies donate mal, and thermomechanical prop- materials, they came over to erties. In addition, a low processing help. temperature is necessary for low- cost and low-entry barrier into the Skipper II debuted October existing manufacturing processes. 1984 at the Homecoming game in Lane Stadium. Octo- Research has shown that nano- ber 2004 marks 20 years of In recent years, the three former cadets have reunited scale materials can be sintered at service for this second gen- on several occasions, and they have also met up with lower temperatures because of eration Skipper. And thanks large surface energy. Nanoscale the two men who helped bring their dreams to life. to careful research and de- silver made into a paste can be sign by Paul Huffman Jr., this Pictured from left to right, holding the original processed at low temperatures, one should be around for a Skipper pattern are Butch Harper, George Fox, Homer so it shows promise as a lead-free, long time. “There are several Hickam, and Paul Huffman Jr. high performance interconnec- safety precautions,” Paul ex- tion material. plained. “It’s made of high-tensile Today, Paul Jr. is the president and Paul strength gray iron, with a reinforced Sr. is the chairman of Dominion Metal- Professor Guo-Quan Lu’s research stainless steel pipe in the center.” He lurgical (Domet) in Roanoke. Estab- team has fabricated a nanoscale also noted that the Corps’ Skipper Crew lished in 1992 by Paul Jr., Domet acts as silver paste for use as a novel in- holds to a high standard of discipline in a general contractor to supply cast terconnecting material. This silver maintaining and firing the cannon. metal components to industrial clients. paste can be sintered at a tem- “This allows us to not only assist our cus- perature as low as 280°C. It offers It turns out that foundry work, and even tomers in their casting design and pro- better thermal removal capabil- cannon making, are Huffman family tra- curement processes, but also assist the ity than material currently used for ditions dating back to the Civil War. manufacturers in their manufacturing interconnection, as well as lower Father and son are metallurgists with techniques.” electrical resistivity than solder al- years of foundry experience. Paul Sr.’s loys. It also exhibits a much lower father was also a foundryman. And the Paul Jr. is on the Board of Directors for apparent elastic modulus than Huffmans discovered some years after the American Foundry Society and bulk silver. As a softer intercon- creating Skipper II that there is a family Foundry Education Foundation. As a necting material, it can serve as a connection to the three-inch field rifle member of the MSE Advisory Board, he better mechanical buffer layer that Paul replicated for the Corps. Back is overseeing an effort to build a with superior thermomechanical in 1862, “the main confederate foundry, foundry teaching lab at Virginia Tech, properties compared to bulk sil- Tredagar Iron Works, was located in named VT FIRE (Foundry Institute of Re- ver. ! Richmond, Virginia,” Paul Jr. explained. search and Education). Contact Paul “The general manager of the foundry to find out how you can play a part was General Joseph Anderson, who in this endeavor: phuffman@dom- was my triple-great uncle.” met.com.

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