David Grimm

I was raised in a rural Ohio town; I was disciplined, goal-oriented, and very successful in the classroom and on the athletic field. I married a beautiful lady, we had 3 wonderful daughters, we lived in a lovely home, and my career was on the upswing. Yet without realizing it, I began searching... I began to question my future as an engineer. My parents were heading for divorce. My younger brother turned to a lifestyle that eventually lead to his dying from AIDS. And now my wife had a renewed interest in religion; she knew my engineer's mentality so she gently challenged me to investigate… I began listening to sermons and reading the Bible; an engineer must understand the fundamentals. I observed a consistency between real life and the Scriptures; I began accepting the facts. An engineer understands the principles, applies what he learns, and trusts his abilities to build things that have never been built. In the fall of 1986 I decided to trust The One; I prayed for forgiveness and asked Jesus Christ to take control of my life. What an adventure it’s been! He has placed incredible Christians in my life. He has physically protected me. He has blessed me with a career that has allowed us to travel around the world. I’m thankful that He has, for purposes still being played out, provided me with such abundance. And He has been with me in very personal ways during some tough times. In 1998 I was assigned to manage the reconstruction of an office building in Balikpapan, Indonesia. Project progress and quality were very poor; and Indonesia was amid a political and economic crisis. The project was high-profile, politically-charged, and corruption was rampant. As the Project Manager I was manipulated, lied to, spied on, and threatened. I was wrongfully accused of workplace abuses in the local papers and had to make appearances at the police station and immigration office. The frustrations and pressures of the job dealt my self-esteem the greatest blow it had ever taken; I had reached a personal low. At 2 a.m. one morning, with tears rolling down my cheeks, I opened my Bible and read about... me. Nearly 2500 years before Nehemiah chose to travel far to rebuild a dilapidated wall; Nehemiah reminded me how he dealt with corruption, deceit, and danger. Our building was eventually completed; I bent but did not break. The experience refocused my personal and professional priorities. God was with me in His Word, in our small church, and even in the non-Christians that He used to pull me through. My life continues to be immensely rewarded. We’ve had good health, lived in places & houses we’ve dreamed of, and have wonderful relationships with our daughters, their husbands, and all our grandchildren. And I am now at a place here at Mines that I’d always dreamed of: an adjunct professorship at a renowned university in a beautiful setting where I’m able to share the unique work and life experiences that I’ve been granted. More and more I'm convinced that this is now my purpose…

My Life

Favorite Quote

"He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliott

Friends describe me

always busy - and always on an adventure somewhere!

My hobbies

hiking & biking, yoga, woodworking, fly-fishing, military history, reading, and coin-collecting

Fantasy dinner guests

My Ancestors

Best advice I ever received

"Life will never be easy; you've got a plan now stick to it." (when learning that we were expecting our 2nd child while entering grad school)

My undergrad alma mater

Georgia Tech

My worst subject in school

physics

In college I drove

'67 Pontiac Firebird

If I weren't a professor, I would

still be practicing engineering & management full-time in industry

Favorite books

The Bible, Hand Me Another Brick, Undaunted Courage, Twelve Ordinary Men, If Not Now - When, The Great Bridge, International Bank of Bob

Favorite movies

Casablanca, Rear Window, Rio Bravo, Ghost & The Darkness, Spy Game, Legend of Bagger Vance, Field of Dreams, Hoosiers, Sandlot

Favorite city

Paris

Favorite coffee

Sumatra (not Kopi Luwak!) and Latin American Blends

Nobody knows I

a couple of years ago I hiked Mt Sherman (my 7th 14'er) with my youngest daughter Tiffany (her 1st)

My latest accomplishment

Last September we camped and fly-fished on many of the great rivers in Grand Teton & Yellowstone NP's and SE Idaho - without catching a single trout! More seriously... l am finishing up my 7th year as an Adjunct at Mines and had my 300th new student in class!