Meet Your Neighbor: Rod Archer

Rod Archer smiles modestly when he says, "if I were looking for a job now I would say two words, 'Stanford' and 'Apple.'" Indeed, his story includes his success in combining his mechanical engineering training at a prestigious university with his ability to work with developing technologies at one of the world's most innovative companies.

Archer grew up in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, with his parents, a younger sister and a younger brother. He says he was "a good, quiet kid."

He chose to play the drums in his grade school music program for an unusual reason - he thought they would be easy to learn since, he said, "The music is written horizontally only, with no vertical notes to learn." ania when his father was transferred by his employer. A high school highlight was playing drums in the halftime show for the January 1971 AFL championship game in Baltimore.

While Archer was in high school, the man next door thought he needed to be put to work, so Archer painted the homes of the neighbor and his

The family moved to eastern Pennsylvfriends. He later worked at his neighbor's auto parts store. Archer said he was "lugging auto parts up four flights of stairs, sometimes for 15 hours a day, violating every child labor law, no doubt. The effort made me stronger."

The earnings from that work enabled him to contribute significantly to his college costs at Penn State. However, after only one month he was stunned to learn that his father had been transferred back to Minneapolis. When Archer went "home" for Christmas he saw his family's new residence for the first time. Archer transferred to the University of Minnesota to be able to see his family easily.

After graduation he began his career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near Berkeley, California. A valuable employee benefit was fully-paid tuition for graduate studies, and Archer earned a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. The program was run through live telecast classes, an early version of remote learning. Archer quips, "My alma mater is a television screen." However, he did spend time on campus for tests and meetings with his advisors.

When Archer was in California he learned to scuba dive and enjoyed underwater photography near Catalina Island. His greatest adventure was flying in a small plane to the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park, then hiking and cross country skiing across the park.

He often returned to Minnesota to be with family for holidays. One time, shortly after he had broken up with a girlfriend, one of his friends shared some interesting news about a girl he had been casually acquainted with in college. Jill Foley had recently broken up with her boyfriend and had moved to California. There was some distance between their two locations but apparently not insurmountable. They married in 1983.

Archer then moved to Silicon Valley and worked for Apple Computer, Inc. when the first all-in-one personal computer, Macintosh, was transforming the industry. During his nine years there he headed engineering services including the prototyping shop, machine shop and CAD systems. He bought the first 3-D printing system sold commercially.

For a quick look at Archer in 1989, see this link, beginning at about minute 3:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpRDuJ5YgoQ

Archer's career with Apple ended as the Mac was being phased out. He landed at a movie theater equipment startup. The company had purchased an optical equipment company in Colorado and the Archers relocated. The company successfully transitioned the industry's shift from film to digital projection. They produced 3D movie equipment and viewing glasses. Later, Archer worked for a nearby movie theater sound systems company.

Rod and Jill Archer have five children. They had a son, followed by girl and boy twins. Archer said "We thought that might be it," he said, but later they hosted a child from Kazakhstan in their home and by the end of the summer the Archers were ready to adopt that child and soon after another from Russia. Because the children were older when they joined the family, they fit nicely within the age range of their first three children. The Archers now have four grandchildren.

The Archers decided to move to Niwot for their retirement. Jill Archer knew when they had found their home with its lovely view of a creek shaded by native cottonwoods. The view and frequent visits by deer and foxes appealed to her love of nature and tranquility.

The Archers' two homes on adjacent lots near Grand Lake were lost in the 2020 East Troublesome Fire, but they plan to rebuild.

When Rod Archer scanned the list of activities planned by the Niwot Community Connection (NCC) he zeroed in on the Book Club. Thirty people were interested, but he was the first to offer to lead the group, which started in March 2023. He is also active in several other pursuits, including serving as the long-time president of The Cove Homeowners Association. During tax season he assists residents with tax filings at the Longmont Senior Center. He and his two siblings assist in the care of their mother so that someone is with her almost daily.