I figure that the total life you live is not determined by fate but by the daily choices you make. For every moment in your life, there is choice to be made. And that was how it was for me on that cold January day in1955. I had the choice to stay in school or answer the call from Uncle Sam. With my mother's insistence, Uncle Sam won out. So from January, 1955 until 1959 I was nothing but Uncle Sam's 'Whipping Post". And he sure knows how to whip you into shape (it's called make you or brake you). By the way, that was the United States Air force.

Second big choice I had to make was when I was driving down Lakewood Boulevard, ( Long Beach, California) and on my left was a turn going to California State College (it wasn't a University at that time) and on my right was a sign that said" Douglas Aircraft Co needs you". It wasn't a hard choice to make because I was making 24 cents an hour (in the Air force) and Douglas offered me $2.64 an hour in 1962. I accepted the offer, now I was on way to riches (by that days standard) but not on my way to being scholarly. That decision to work as a Douglas engineer tied me down to a straight 40 year hitch. No time off for good behavior. Douglas was bought out twice so I retired as a Boeing Employee on March 1; 2002. Now is the time to live the good life like all of you have been doing.

Third big choice after leaving JBHS was college or no college. College won out. I obtained a MS in Systems Management from USC and a BS in Industrial Technology in Electronics from Cal State Long Beach (no, it still wasn't a University at that time). Now you're going to ask how I did it if I was working 40 hours a week for 40.years. Simple: I did it all at night school.

The Fourth big choice was when I was leaving the Elks club in Fullerton, Calif. ( I lived in Long Beach at that time) I met this nice girl Marylou at the dance and as we drove our 2 cars down the hill to Harbor ,she waved to me and went straight ahead and I stopped at the signal. (Was that wave a high, I'll see you later or a good by?) Now comes the choice: Drive straight ahead and follow her or turn right and go to Long Beach... The choice was a wonderful 30 years of marriage this June. Between us, we have four children (all collage graduates) and 9 grandchildren.

Per photos above (read left to right, top to bottom) on Line 1 is myself, Marylou, and our 2 month old Shih Tzu pup "Tiramisu or Suzie for short. Next photo is Suzie in her caring bag (just like the one Reese Witherspoon had when she took Bruster to Washington in Legally Blonde 2)

Line 2: My son Michael and his Wife Kathleen. Next photo is Kathleen and our flower girl Veronica. (She belongs to my daughter Kathy who's picture is coming up) Next photo is Michael and the wedding party.

Line 3: Marylou's son Kevin and his wife Stacy. Bottom row is their children Daniel and Maryruth. Next photo is Marylou's daughter Anne Marie and her husband Toni. On each side is her children Eden and Aaron.

Line 4: My son Michael's children Ryan and Haley. Next photo is my daughter Kathy and her children William and Veronica.