My life was once best described by my late mother, Margaret, when she wrote in my baby book, "no genius, just a busy boy." She must have known me well, even at early age of six months. Now, at the age of 65, 1 am still busy and quite romantic in my golden years. On May 24, 2003, FUSION took place at the American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE), Oak Ridge, Tennessee. FUSION with a Happily Ever After, in the marriage of David McVicker and Sara Childs, officiated by Bishop McGavin of the Oak Ridge Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Never before had AMSE hosted a wedding ceremony, but a special exception was made since, Sara and I met one another while working at the museum. For our honeymoon, we spent an enjoyable week in Washington, D.C. visiting family and friends, the Washington, D.C. Mormon Temple, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and Goddard Space and Rocket Center. Later in June, we spent a week in Quebec, Canada. There we visited old Quebec City and traveled on the Saint Lawrence River. So many beautiful pictures were taken.

Sara is a real blessing from God and so pretty in our wedding pictures and always. She is for sure, my companion over the next 40 years and soul mate throughout eternity. With my bad habits now all gone and with so many interests in common, this wonderful person makes me feel better than I have ever felt in my life. For sure, you all will meet her at the forthcoming 50 th High School Reunion.

Yes, Oak Ridge, Tennessee is my permanent retirement home. I will now go back in time and tell you all how I got here, for it was truly my destiny. My parents moved to Burbank in 1945, just after WWII and bought a home on Keystone Street. I entered the Burbank school system in the forth grade and remained in this school system through high school, establishing friendships that now have lasted a lifetime. Certainly, I am proud to be an alumnus of the John Burroughs class of 1955. In 1960, 1 graduated from the University of Southern California (USC), with a BS degree in Chemistry. Later I obtained an MBA from Chapman College, now Chapman University.

After graduating from USC, I was faced with the draft. I entered the United States Air Force (USAF), in 1960, and was commissioned a 2 d Lt. in 196 1. 1 married in 1961 to my first wife, Carole, who is the mother of my biological children, Michael and Susan. At the time of our marriage, Carole had two children, Paul and Lamar, who I later adopted and raised to adulthood. Paul, now 45 lives on the Gulf coast near Biloxi, Mississippi and Lamar 44, lives in northern Mississippi, near Memphis, TN. Michael, 34, lives in Jacksonville, Florida and Susan, 33, lives just south of Richmond, Virginia. I currently have five grandchildren and one great grandchild.

My military career in the Air Force did not go to retirement, but the years spent with the Air Force did count towards my total career with the Department of Defense (DoD). While in the Air Force (1960-1976), 1 worked in the field of CommunicationsElectronics. The AF needed personnel in electronics more than in the field of Chemistry. Assignments were in Washington State, Nebraska, Mississippi, Virginia, and northern Thailand (1966-1967) during the Southeast Asia conflict. These assignments were at air defense radar sites and control centers, command centers with the Strategic Air Command (SAC) (airborne and underground), serving as a ground guidance officer on the SAC Atlas-D intercontinental ballistic missile system and taught air and space

defense systems. I left the military in 1976 as a Captain, transferring to Federal Civil Service with the Army. My civil service career was in the field of Operations Research, Cost and Economic Analyses. The work up until retirement in 1996 was based in the Virginia and Washington, D.C. area. To accomplish the costing of weapon systems required travel to many stateside and overseas locations in Germany and Korea. My time in Washington, D.C. was most rewarding, being located at the focus of our country's history and culture. I also served while in Washington, D.C. as a volunteer with the Smithsonian Institution's resident associates program. Here, I assisted subject experts, lecturers and docents on field trips and local tours throughout the Washington, D.C. area. Later when applying to be a volunteer at AMSE, the Smithsonian volunteer position looked nice my resume.

I retired from federal service in 1996, completing 36 years with the Department of Defense. My retirement party was held in the Pentagon. Overall, my federal career left me with many treasured experiences and memories.

During the latter part of my civil service career with the Army, I met and married my second wife, Martha. We married in Juneau, Alaska, traveled later to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Caribbean, and to Guatemala's Mayan ruins. Martha also worked with DoD (Army). She was working in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 and got out safely. Today, she back working in the Pentagon and will likely remain there thought out her career. We separated and divorced in 2002, due to our different goals and obj ectives.

Today, I have come full circle. How did this occur? I owe it to a wonderful and most dedicated teacher at Burroughs by the name of Mr. Oliver Parker. Nearly 50 years ago (1954-1955), Mr. Parker taught me Algebra, Chemistry and Physics. He also developed my interest in science when he hosted science-oriented field trips to such locations as Cal Tech, Kaiser Steel, China Lake, and Pomona College and to an oceanography laboratory. In addition, during the period of his teachings, Mr. Parker told his class of a "secret city" named Oak Ridge located in Tennessee. This WWII city was born of war under the Manhattan Project for development of the highly enriched uranium needed for the first atomic bomb, which in just a few years ended WWII. Someofthe famous scientists that worked at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) during this WWII period, a few are still living in Oak Ridge. Today, Oak Ridge is not a city of war but one of peace. The city is nestled in the green, peaceful valley between the Cumberlandu Mountains and the Southern Appalachians (half-hour drive from Knoxville, TN and three hours from Nashville, TN). The population is just right, around 28,000, still the home of ORNL; blessed with its own full symphony orchestra, playhouse, top school system and best of all, friendly down to earth people. Well, Mr. Parker left such an impression on me, not only developing my interest in chemistry and the full spectra of science, but later I choose to live the remainder of my life in Oak Ridge, and with now a most wonderful, blessed companion and eternal love named Sara.

See you all at the 50'h High School Reunion, in 2005.

Great to be alive

The picture on the right is Sara and I during the marriage ceremony being presented by Bishop McGavin, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to invited guests and staff of the museum. Sara's son (left) stood up for her and my neighbor (rear right) stood up for me.