“Just dunk them in hot tea,” was the sound advice from my freshman roommate, Bruce Ambuel, when I received a box of rock-hard chocolate chip cookies in the mail from my mother. Bruce had a practical approach to life, allowing him to find solutions to everyday issues of dorm life. He wanted to be able to make grilled cheese sandwiches, so he bought a hotplate. Then he needed a place to store the extra cheese, so he found a used refrigerator and somehow got it into our fourth-floor room in Musser. He did not like the refrigerator’s drab white color, so he painted it bright red. He liked animals and the companionship of a pet, so he adopted a cat to share our room. He did these things without flare or bravado, but with a sense of quiet resolve and firm resolution. It took time to get the perfect toasty crunch to the bread and melted cheese with the hotplate. My sandwiches were always burned; Bruce’s were perfect. Along with his kindness, determination, and gentle nature, Bruce had patience. After Carleton, Bruce received a PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology from the University of Illinois, and then served as the Director of Behavioral Science Education at the Waukesha Family Medicine Residency of the Medical College of Wisconsin. He retired in 2012, and became a documentary and fine arts photographer, an occupation which fit well with his sense of curiosity and his keen observation of humanity.
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“Just dunk them in hot tea,” was the sound advice from my freshman roommate, Bruce Ambuel, when I received a box of rock-hard chocolate chip cookies in the mail from my mother. Bruce had a practical approach to life, allowing him to find solutions to everyday issues of dorm life. He wanted to be able to make grilled cheese sandwiches, so he bought a hotplate. Then he needed a place to store the extra cheese, so he found a used refrigerator and somehow got it into our fourth-floor room in Musser. He did not like the refrigerator’s drab white color, so he painted it bright red. He liked animals and the companionship of a pet, so he adopted a cat to share our room. He did these things without flare or bravado, but with a sense of quiet resolve and firm resolution. It took time to get the perfect toasty crunch to the bread and melted cheese with the hotplate. My sandwiches were always burned; Bruce’s were perfect. Along with his kindness, determination, and gentle nature, Bruce had patience. After Carleton, Bruce received a PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology from the University of Illinois, and then served as the Director of Behavioral Science Education at the Waukesha Family Medicine Residency of the Medical College of Wisconsin. He retired in 2012, and became a documentary and fine arts photographer, an occupation which fit well with his sense of curiosity and his keen observation of humanity.