Kim Melbach piqued and then solidified my interest in a science and engineering career. He was one of the most inspirational teachers I have ever known.  His physics classes told varied stories, and made sometimes dry science into small adventures. He often began a science story by drawing the "hairy old eyeball" on the classdroom board. This certainly captured the attention of all the students in the room. His fictional characters "Joe Scraza" and "Louis L'Amour" turned more than one lecture into a memorable story. I was glad to visit with Kim at our 40th reunion in 2005.  

Mr. Mehlbach was my physics teacher during my junior year back in 1965, and he was my all time favorite teacher. I loved the way he engaged his students with word problems. His favorite character was Louie L'Amour. Here's an example (perhaps not verbatim): If Louie L'Amour is traveling at 10 meters/second when he passes point A and he is accelerating at 5 meters/second/second, how fast will he be traveling when he passes point B that is 100 meters away and how long will it take Louie to get there? Mr. Mehbach made the problems fun which encouraged his students to think. Only later did I discover Louis L'Amour was an author of western novels. Perhaps, Mr. Mehlbach was an avid fan. Mr. Mehlbach loved to teach. He had a big heart for his students. In fact he must have loved kids in general because I often saw him at a public swimming in Arvada where he must have had a summer job. What a great guy! I know he will be greatly missed.