A Foundation Built on a First-Class Education
For four decades, Hugh Kendrick (MS '62) has given back to Caltech, supporting graduate fellowships and the Caltech Fund. His most recent gifts over the last six years to the International Student Programs (ISP) office were made out of gratitude for his experiences at the Institute and his desire to support today's international students. Kendrick's loyal support for ISP even inspired the office to offer a student leadership award.
Traveling to the United States in 1961 for the first time as an incoming graduate student from England, Kendrick's journey to Caltech was a memorable one. It began with a five-day Atlantic Ocean crossing aboard the Queen Mary. Once in New York, Kendrick flew to Los Angeles in a Lockheed Constellation (a loud four-engine prop airplane) that needed to refuel in Kansas City.
He arrived on campus a few days early with the goal of getting a head start. An advisor suggested he go explore Hollywood and see what was happening there instead. With no access to transportation, Hollywood may as well have been on the other side of the world, according to Kendrick.
"I didn't know anybody," Kendrick recalls of his arrival to the US. "So, the fact that there was a program for international students that helped us gather, socialize, and acclimate made a big difference." He quickly connected with other international students on campus from Brazil, India, Ireland, South Africa, and Canada. He fondly remembers the group cooking together and going to see car racing in Riverside. Later on, the group expanded and even formed a cricket team.
Today, ISP assists students on immigration-related matters and continues to help foster a sense of community. In 2021, the office created the ISP International Impact Award to recognize individuals who have contributed to a diverse and thriving international community on campus. Kendrick's annual support of the office helped make the award possible.
Ever grateful, Kendrick shares that he wouldn't have been able to come to Caltech without a teaching assistantship. He credits the support he received from ISP and the assistantship, as well as the education he received from inspiring faculty—like Assistant Professor Rudolf Mössbauer, who received the Nobel Prize while Kendrick was a student—as instrumental to the successful start of his life in the US. "Caltech was behind it all. It enabled me to get the tools for my career," he says.
Kendrick studied nuclear engineering and went on to obtain a PhD from the University of Michigan. His career included conducting and managing research programs in pure and applied sciences in academia, the private sector, and in the US Department of Energy. He retired in 2001 after working for more than 25 years for Science Applications International Corporation, where he held various positions including deputy chief operating officer.
Kendrick and his wife, Wendy, are members of the Caltech Associates and, as they have included Caltech in their estate plan, are also members of the Torchbearers Legacy Society. "The truth is, I came to Caltech knowing nothing," Kendrick reflects. "I got a first-class education there. The longest friends I have had in the US, I made at Caltech. It was my foundation."