Mr. Radu Lungu was reared in Fagaras, Romania.

"In Romania 12 years of education were mandatory," he said. "In one's senior year students took competitive examinations to qualify for college admission, the comprehensive test took about 10 hours to complete."

Radu was admitted to the Trian Vhia Polytechnical Institute and successfully completed a five-year program as a chemical engineer. The teachers in the educational system were excellent. The young engineer's first position was as a junior process engineer at a local chemical complex which, at its peak, employed 8,000 workers.

"After six months, I was drafted into the Army," he said. "Military service was compulsory, ranging from six months to two years."

I asked about their exposure to western culture.

"We had access to films and magazines," he said. "There was a daily and six or more on Sundays."

Some of Radu's relatives came to the United States in the 1920s and settled in Youngstown, Ohio. Romania had a revolution in 1989, so the Lungus decided to leave their homeland for the United States in search of new opportunities.

"It was heart rendering, a difficult decision," Mr. Lungu recalled. "My wife and I came to America with the assistance of our cousins but my parents and two children remained in Romania. Within a year, my children were in Youngstown."

His father, a plant supervisor, and mother, a teacher, remained in Romania.

"I was fortunate to be employed as a chemist in an environmental laboratory analyzing both industrial and medical components," he said.

In 1995 he added to his educational resume by earning a master's degree in civil and environmental engineering at Youngstown State.

In 2006, Essroc hired Radu as the plants environmental engineer at the plant in Bessemer.

In 2009 he brought his expertise to the Nazareth plant.

I asked about his responsibilities.

"I work closely with federal and state regulators making sure we comply with a multitude of regulations which probably require 30 percent of my time," he said. "We continue to have a good relationship with these governmental agencies. I especially enjoy interacting with people. Human aspects are important in any position."

Mr. Lungu said, " We were welcomed with open arms when we arrived in the Lehigh Valley."

I found Radu to be a humble, amiable and dedicated Essroc employee, a fine gentleman who brought a rich cultural heritage to the United States.

He has been married to wife Aliana, a Lehigh University chemical engineer, for 30 years. They are proud of daughter Ana and son Vlad, both University of Pittsburgh graduates. They reside in Lehigh Township and enjoy Northampton's Roxy Theatre.

I wish Radu and all my friends at Essroc a safe and prosperous 2013.