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Many summers when he was growing up, Al Filskov, Jr. ’61 went to Stevens alumni weekends with his father, Al, Sr. ’19. Those campus visits sparked an interest. “Even in grade school, I told my friends I wanted to be an engineer and go to Stevens,” he remembers. “To be fair, my father took me to see other schools, but I was set on Stevens.”
A native of Milburn, New Jersey, Al was a sharp science student. His ninth-grade project taking time-lapse photos of plant growth won the grand prize in the Greater Newark Science Fair, and that year Al also won a finalist gold medal at the National Science Fair. With talent and hard work, he graduated college with a degree in electrical engineering. “Stevens was a tough school. It gave me a great education and laid the groundwork so that I could logically approach and solve future life challenges.”
Outside of class, he took photos with the camera club, acted with the dramatic society and pledged Theta Xi. “The friendship, camaraderie and scholastic encouragement from my brothers kept me positive and motivated. The fraternity spring and winter festivals were always a great party time and a short interlude to relax and enjoy the holiday break before another arduous semester.”
Al’s first job was with the Federal Pacific Electric Company, where he helped design the power control for a four-story vacuum chamber built in NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He then worked for Texas Instruments, managing a patented project that produced the shutter control module for the Polaroid camera. Among other stops during his career, Al ran a consumer manufacturing company in South Africa, and he also earned an MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He qualified for the Young Presidents Organization in 1971 and was an active member for 18 years, serving as a forum leader for eight.
Currently, Al is an investment advisor with Core Investment Management in Venice, Florida, where he has lived for the past 20 years. He has a son, daughter-in-law and grandson who live in Salt Lake City, and a girlfriend he met after moving to Florida. “Milu has added a wonderful joy and love to my life. We have good social times with friends and neighbors, and we have spent many summer holidays at her family home in Portugal overlooking the Atlantic coast.”
He has stayed engaged with his alma mater by attending State of Stevens gatherings in Florida hosted by trustee Frank Semcer ’65, a fellow Theta Xi brother. Al has also visited campus a few times in recent years. “I have had some déjà vu, but mostly I have been impressed with the new buildings and upgrades. The school’s strategic plan has produced some exceptional results.”
In giving back to Stevens, Al has established both a charitable gift annuity and a bequest provision in his estate plan, planned giving that has gained him membership in the Stevens Legacy Society. “I wanted to express my gratitude to Stevens. The university has a wonderful record in training engineers, and it now has a sophisticated future plan with excellent goals. I want to be part of the effort to reach those goals and ensure a quality education for deserving young people.”
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