One month after graduating from Burroughs, I was on my way to the Naval training center in San Diego. Thus began my U.S. Navy tour of duty, which included assignments in San Diego and Guam. At the end of my three years, I elected not to ship over and was discharged in July of ‘58.

I enrolled at Glendale College and got married to Annette Hunter. School was tough. My wife was working at the telephone company to support us--barely. We had moved into a four-plex which had just been vacated by the Grossmans. I applied for work as a clerk at the Post Office and was hired as a sub, working nights.

One of my co-workers happened to mention that his father was an administrator with the Burbank Recreation Department. I, like, many people our age, had participated in many of the programs offered by the Rec Department. Suddenly I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I quit the Post Office and went back to Glendale College to complete the required work to enroll at San Fernando Valley State. While there, I worked part-time with the Burbank Unified School District in their after-school child-care program, a program that I had been enrolled in as a child years earlier at Edison Elementary School. I also worked at the Burbank YMCA as a counselor in their "Summer Fun Club" program.

I went to Valley State from ‘62-'65 and graduated with a BS degree in recreation. I was hired by the City of Gardena Recreation Department. We moved from Burbank to Gardena, and I worked there for two enjoyable years. The Watts riots took place while we were there. People who couldn't go home because of the riots camped out at my park. We could see the glow from the flames and military personnel on the street corners. It was truly a scary experience. In 1966, while in Gardena, we adopted our son Ted. He is now 36 and living in Hayward.

After two years in Gardena, I was hired by the City of San Jose. We moved into a duplex there on New Year's Eve. My job was with the San Jose Recreation and Parks Department at the management level. Over the years, I was responsible for all the after-school recreation programs for four school districts, including parks, sports leagues, day camps and cultural enrichment programs.

I also managed the openings of three community centers and the staffs at four senior centers. In addition, I played a key role as a member of a capital improvement project team which worked closely with the city council and public works in identifying and implementing major parks and recreation facility projects throughout San Jose. I also coordinated senior nutrition programs throughout San Jose, and of course "other duties as assigned."

In 1968, the year after we moved to San Jose, we adopted our daughter Gretchen. She and her husband and two children live in Union City.

I enrolled at San Jose State University and earned an MS degree in recreation administration in 1975.

Our third child, Michael, was born in 1976. He is living in San Francisco now.

Annette and I divorced in 1985. She took a job with IBM in Texas for several years, then returned to San Jose. Meanwhile, I married the former Sue Fagalde in 1985. She is a writer, with three published books. She writes freelance articles for magazines and newspapers and teaches writing courses at the local community college. She also sings, plays piano and guitar. She plans to receive her master's degree in fine arts from Antioch University next June.

I began an income tax practice in San Jose in 1976, and I'm still in business, returning to San Jose during February and March to meet with my clients.

In 1992, I retired after 25 years with the City of San Jose. Then, in 1996, Sue and I satisfied our desire to live on the "affordable" coast and moved to Oregon. We bought a home in South Beach, just south of Newport, which is about halfway between California and Washington. We're not right on the beach, but close enough to hear the waves crashing and the fog horn blowing. I volunteer at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. It's a world class facility. (Keiko, star of the Free Willy movies, lived here for a couple of years.) Other interests include reading, beach walking, antiquing, wine tasting and tending my modest wine cellar, whale watching, storm watching, adding to my shot glass collection, attending local plays and concerts, and some traveling. Life is GOOD!

I'm glad to be on the "found graduates" list and look forward to the FIFTIETH!