Thursday, July 22, 2021
Hoffmann Family,
I was extremely saddened and heartbroken to hear the news about Paul. I worked with Paul for many years in both gas and steam turbine through many trying times and experiences and in several different groups.
Paul was a great guy. I do not know how he did not go crazy from constantly training hundreds of newbies, internists, overseas resources, coop students, managers, manager's managers, etc. He always stayed patient and positive. Plus he did a ton of thorough technical work as well. He helped me grow and reason through numerous projects, issues, and problems.
He helped me cure my tetanus infection when we were in Korea together. I was on a combustor borescope team. I was looking into a combustor when a broken wrench (from a Korean hammering on it) came around the turbine and cut my left hand open. I immediately got an infection. Since neither of us spoke Korean, Paul was smart enough and quick enough to write the chemical formula for hydrogen peroxide on a piece of paper and hand it to the pharmacist. I would have ended up in really bad shape if the infection was not caught early. The pharmacist then knew exactly what to give me.
I miss him dearly.
John Drazba