My Berkeley years: Control at Cal, 1955-1961

The author was an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley (Cal for short) during the initial period of the modern control theory revolution. In this paper he recounts some of the events that took place at Cal during that time and reminisce about his teachers and colleagues in the early days of optimal control theory. He attempts to interlace his personal experiences with the educational, research, and social atmosphere at Cal, so as to present a "readable tale".