Reader Responses to Barrett Hazeltine and ENGN 9

I read several letters in the recent BAM praising Barrett Hazeltine. One in particular got my attention when Jocelyn Gailliot ’03 referred to Professor Hazeltine “as one of the great ones that cheered us on.” As a sophomore quarterback in a football game against Princeton at Palmer Stadium in 1963, our team was 4 and 1. In the second quarter after a tackle, my leg was badly broken. I was told by our team doctor onsite at the Princeton infirmary that I may never play football (or baseball) again. That was tough news for a 19-year-old. Upon my return to Brown, I was unable to attend classes for several weeks. Here is when my special memory of Barrett Hazeltine took place. He came to my room, introduced himself as an engineering professor who saw me play and said he wanted to encourage me to never give up. He cheered me up as Ms. Gailliot wrote that he cheered her up as a student when she needed it. Fast forward two years later at Palmer Stadium, I broke the Ivy League record for total offense by a quarterback—112 yards rushing and 225 passing yards. At the season’s ending, I broke 11 Brown and five Ivy League records and was the winner of the Bulger Lowe Award, selected as the Outstanding Player in New England. In retrospect, I have often reminded myself that playing for Brown after that injury and subsequent difficult medical evaluations most likely would never have happened without a personal visit some 60 years ago from a professor who cared. Thank you again Ms. Gailliot for your reference to Professor Hazeltine and the very personal memory I recall—a memory that I will always cherish and whose kindness I will always be appreciative of. 

“While other professors would be living in the ivory towers and not come down from Mount Olympus…Barrett was right there on ground zero.”

Great article. As a member of the class of ’74 I remember Martino, Kiernan…and, of course, Prof. Hazeltine, who I always admired as a superb teacher and person. I didn’t know the background on how ENGN 9 was created and found the article fascinating. After earning my Wharton MBA in ’76 I worked for Citibank for 33 years in NYC, Central America, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. After Citibank I was a board member and senior consultant for numerous banks in Mexico, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar. I would love to share my experiences in leadership, management and entrepreneurship with the ENGN 9 classes.

I enjoyed then Professor Hazletine’s electronic circuits class (I think in 1969) and remember him telling us not to be afraid to do a little math in public, telling us that we would get close to the right answer and everyone would think that we were both fearless and amazingly smart (all in the context for selecting the approximate resistance needed to create the right amount of bias for a transistor given a voltage drop of X). We used this in a lab building a radio with a string of amplifying transistors, and I later used it in Harvard Business School discussions and strategic planning meetings, always remembering Barrett’s guidance. I was at Brown too soon to experience Engin 9, but am happy that it took root and flourished after my time at Barry’s & Holley.

As one who took this course—can’t remember the year but I think ’78—and then was a TA for Dean Hazeltine the following year, I must say that the experience remains a highlight of my time at Brown. I even wrote about Dr. Hazeltine in the introduction to a lifestyle manual that I wrote for my patients because I aimed with that manual to do something I saw in the way he led his classes. Much of what I think he communicated, to a bunch of often overly cerebral Ivy Leaguers, was how to use one’s knowledge mixed with a bit of common sense to solve problems. More frequently than one might imagine, in my mind I hear his voice calling from across the Quad, “Hi Geoff!,” and thus it fills my heart with utter joy to know he’s still there. Much love to you, Dean Hazeltine!

I was so excited to see the photo of Dean Hazeltine in BAM. I took the class because of all the buzz from other students despite it not being anything I ever thought would interest me. The assignments were so interesting and challenging. Of course this was outmatched by Dean Hazeltine’s personality, wit and ability to wonderfully orchestrate lectures filled with hundreds of eager students. His mode of teaching truly inspired my own teaching style as a high school biology teacher for about 40 years. Engineering 9 is one of a few courses I still remember from Brown. Blessings Dean Hazeltine!

From the moment I first met Barrett I knew how fortunate I was to have him in my life. He was my first advisor at Brown, and no matter what issues I may have been going through, he guided me with kindness and good will, and he always made me feel smart. I played both soccer and hockey and was an engineering student in my freshman year. Needless to say, I had a very busy schedule. When I decided to leave engineering after my freshman year, he guided me and helped me get to the next place. When I also wanted to take classes at RISD he saw to it that I could and that I would also get credit at Brown for them. In the end, the hardest part of leaving Providence was not leaving Brown, but leaving Barrett behind.

Dean Hazeltine is a gift to this world. He inspired me to find a legal career representing foreign national entrepreneurs and ultimately being an entrepreneurial founder myself. Thank you Dean Hazeltine for hiring me as an ENGN 9 TA and inspiring a passion for creative thinking

Dean Hazeltine is one of a kind! I’m glad to hear he is still going strong. His enthusiasm for his students and their well being was his core strength. He loved the subject matter in Engine 9 but he wanted you to absorb it, understand it, and use it for your own growth and maturity. I’ll always remember seeing him on his bike getting around campus in an expedited fashion. He was one of my favorite professors and is one of the many positive memories I have of Brown.

I took ENGN9 way back in the 1992-1993 academic year. I remember it was during my first year at Brown and remember it fondly. So glad to see that it is still going strong. Although the social issues have changed for us as a society, the value of appreciative inquiry and conscientious analysis, and respectful dialogue are more important now more than ever. Yet another reason to remain #EverTrue!

It has been decades since taking the course, and truthfully I don’t remember much of the content, but what I do remember is Hazeltine. I remember his inexplicable ability to make several hundred students feel like we were sitting with him in his living room. He somehow seemed to know us as individuals and desired to connect with us on our journey of learning. I am deeply grateful for his warmth and enthusiasm.

Barrett Hazeltine is a kind and loving person. He always cared about you and listened to you. While other professors would be living in the ivory towers and not come down from Mount Olympus to talk with you about your future, ideas, who you are as a person, Barrett was right there on ground zero. “Are we still friends?” he would ask. And he would take the time to listen and help form a plan for your future. When I came to him in the early 1990s to formulate entrepreneurship-specific classes for Brown students, he loved the idea. He and I set out a syllabus, readings, a list of guest speakers. He loved it because it was all about what the students wanted—they wanted to hear from our alumni and connect. Our alumni wanted to connect with students. This grew into the entrepreneurship program and then a formal degree from Brown. He trusted you to be the best person and encouraged you to one day be the person on the stage sharing your journey—because he wanted to hear it. He cared about you. Thank you, Barrett, for caring. Thank you for listening. Thank you for evolving with the times. Thank you for always being available. I cannot thank you enough.

Thank you for profiling and celebrating Barrett Hazeltine (“The Students Behind ENG9,” Classes, Nov.-Dec. ’24). His classes were incredibly interesting and inspiring for a budding entrepreneur like myself. He was one of the only professors who supported and celebrated all the hard-working student athletes at Brown (I played on the women’s lacrosse team). We put in long, grueling hours competing for our great school and were often looked down upon by all the professors. Professor Hazeltine was one of the great ones that cheered us on and I can’t tell you how much we needed that. I graduated Brown and joined the investment banking and private equity world. I often reflected on ENG9 and eventually took the risk of starting my own company. I reviewed the old Harvard Business case studies I’d saved from that class which helped me build a successful business. I know I’m not the only one that has Professor Hazeltine to thank for his passion and quiet support of future entrepreneurs and student athletes. Thank you!