Occupation: retired

Comment:
After graduating I married 2 months later and had 4 boys, later i had a active part in raising a grandson who is now 32. My oldest son was killed in 2003 he had 2 daughters that are all grown up. I have 11 grandchildren ( ages 14 to 32 ) and # 12, a granddaughter, is due in Sept. I also have 5 great grandchildren ages 5 to 20 months. I divorced my husband in 1997 and remarried in 1999 to a Super great man that i lost in 2011. I now have a great partner of 6 years, Charlie. We live in Tucson for the winter months and then in May we leave and come to Bend Or where all of my family lives. We have a 5th wheel toy hauler that we bring our RZR in. Our hobbies are Quadding, camping, fishing, traveling anad family time.  I love travelling and have been blessed to visit Paris, Ireland, England, Australia ,Panama, Costa Rica and other places. I love being retired which i was able to do at age 56.
This is my first reunion to attend and wondering who i will recognise.

Occupation: Driver

Comment:
Hoping to see many, many classmates in August.
After graduation, I ran away to the military where I served 12 years with the US Marine Corps. I thought it would help me to grow up. I specialized in repair of electronic encryption devices. Following the Marines, I worked as manufacturing engineer and manager with two different companies manufacturing communications equipment destined for military purposes.
I’ve managed the inventory plus shipping and receiving for an international group of companies.
I’ve started three different businesses and also worked in a cubical providing escalated computer support for an international company.
Over the years, I have worked as a teacher, trainer, supervisor, writer, transcriptionist, manager, technician, manufacturer, tutor, counselor, driver. When I graduated from Penn State University at Millersville with a BA in Psychology, the guidance office recommended I seek a career as a generalist. Fat chance! I wanted to be guidance counselor, knowing I could give better service than I received in High School, but couldn’t afford to complete Grad school.
I’ve never really had a bucket list because I’ve always gone ahead to pursue whatever dream activity I thought about.
I’ve been married three times. My forever wife, Joyce, has the same first and middle name as my first wife, but the names are switched. I guess grabbed the wrong part of destiny first.
If you look me up on the Internet, you can read about how I posted a sign in my front yard telling the community how I needed work after we moved from Pennsylvania. After all, who wants to hire a former business owner to work for them? The sign worked!
I serve on the Board of Directors for the Lane County chapter of the international ministry Love In the Name of Christ, and I transport patients from emergency rooms to treatment facilities around the state where they can get the long term help they need.

Occupation: Business Owner

Comment:
After graduating from OSU I took a job in San Francisco as a retail management trainee (translation: grunt)  I naively rented a studio apartment in the DT red light district but was never approached for special services.  When my fiance joined me we moved 'uptown' to Harvey Milk's gay district.  Again, I was completely safe.  

After 2 very fun, but expensive, years in SF we moved to Washington and I went to work for the Bon in Seattle - buying children's sleepwear and later working in store managment.  We relocated to Portland 7 years later and I became a domestic goddess tending to my 2 adorable children.  4 years of goddessing wore me out.  I returned to retailing - a much easier job.  This time I worked as Executive Training Mgr. for Meier & Frank.

Eventually my life long yearning to own my own business became more than I could bear.  I bought a maid service in LO.  It was an employee nightmare.  I lasted 7 years and then sold that business and bought an awards and recognition store in DT Portland. I have been the owner/manager for 19 years and I'm still there.  It is a delight.  

People Stats: 1 Husband - 29 years, Divorced - 17 years, 2 children, 4 grandchildren (all exceptionally bright and gifted of course)
Hobbies:  bridge (social not duplicate), Happy Hours, movies, Words with Friends, travel, family time
Favorite TV:  GOT, BB, AR, etc.  As you can tell...anything really classy and educational
Favorite Politician:  Seriously?

 

Occupation: Kind of retired

Comment:
My UO journalism degree took me to newspapers in eastern Oregon, Reno, and the Mother Lode area of California, along with some life side trips along the way.  By stumbling into California's Mother Lode/Gold Country, I crossed paths with a great guy who was similarly drifting through life. After 41 years we're "still havin' fun" as the song goes and in the same area. We opted to pamper several generations of pets in lieu of diapers, testy teenagers, and college tuition, and though I have the greatest respect for those who took on that challenge, our choice was perfect for us. My newspaper reporting background morphed into an interesting public relations practice that took me to remote places around the state and the west working with mining companies. I realized I enjoyed my staff training for those companies so returned to school to get the MA needed to teach part-time at community college. I have closed my small agency and just enjoying teaching a class or two, having time for hiking, some traveling, and feeling lucky for a good life! Many thanks to the hard-working committee members for making this reunion happen. It's going to be great to see so many of you.

Occupation: accountant

Comment:
Post WCHS I spent two years at LCC, two years at UO where I got my degree in K-8.  Didn't like teaching so next stop was boyfriend’s uncle's dairy in rural SC where I learned to drive tractors, milked 260 cows and visited Jan Kersgaard while she was working in Kentucky.  Next came a couple textile mills--a spinning room and a weave room--as in the movie "Norma Rae".  Got married, moved back to OR but only got as far as Wallowa County where I sorted spuds before finding a job at the local Grain Growers.  Two kids later I moved to Spokane to study accounting at Gonzaga and never left.  Bought a farm north of Spokane which I now share with 12 head of cattle, 2 parrots, 2 cats and a dog.  Unlike some of you who changed jobs whenever you grew bored, I just went back to school which is how I became a BS(ing) CIA MOL(e) Ph.D (tuition waivers are great).  Son became a mechanical engineer, married, bought a farm further north, and blessed me with 3 grandkids who take his old school bus to my farm every other Friday for a weekend with grandma.  Daughter became a research physicist who moved to the Netherlands to teach at Delft TU, set up a fish lab and study the neurons in zebra fish.  Since I don’t travel I really lucked out on which kid decided to have kids!  Still working at Gonzaga (can only make so many quilts in retirement), celebrating the first decade in my life that I've not been a student (they call it a terminal degree for a reason) and texting my “new” family.  At 65 (via DNA) I found my birth mother and 3 maternal half-sisters (also an unmet paternal half-sister--maybe someday).  One never knows what surprises life holds in store for us. 
 

Occupation: Retired Teacher/Administrator

Comment:
I will not be attending, but thank you all who are sharing your lives. I attended the UofO for one year and dropped out. Went to work for OMSI in Portland and progressed from there to being a machinist, then a contractor. Met a wonderful woman I married in 74 and we are still together after 43 years. One son, who is a wonderful man of 45 and have one granddaughter. After contracting, I went back to school and earned a Masters in Human Studies and a Masters in Education/Administration. I was an AMI Montessori Guide for 25 years and a Guide/Admin for nine years with my own school.  Retired in 2009 with my wife and we have been enjoying yoga (she teaches, I try) and Woodturning where I get to talk to the wood. Blessings on a great reunion and I am glad to know so many of your are still well.  Blessings.   
 

Occupation: Social Services Assistant

Comment:
I graduated from Oregon State in Forestry in four years and postponed the draft by joining the Peace Corps and worked in forestry for two years in Morocco. Since the draft ended, I served for a third year teaching English as a second language.  Many of my students spoke Berber at home, Moroccan Arabic the official language, French learned at school, some Spanish and now I was instructing in English in the tiny cross road town of Souk El Arbaa.

I fed my wanderlust with a year in Fairbanks, AK and a year north of the Brooks Range working on the oil pipeline.  Off to Saudi Arabia with the same company.  Part of the deal was a two week vacation every four months with a ticket to London and back to the States at the end of the year.  A lot of fun globe trotting: Kenya & the Seychelles was my first vacation, followed by Greece, Italy, Thailand, Malta, Cyprus, Isreal/Bethlehem, Egypt and even London.   I finally returned to Eugene in 1980.

Moved to Bellevue, WA, and in 1985, married Verda, a Eugenean originally from Bend and got two really good children in the bargain.  Her daughter is Soriah, the Café’s namesake, who works in Portland and son Naseem works with his dad in Eugene.  I worked for Vacation Internationale, a timeshare company.

In 1998, Verda and I moved to Republic, WA to avoid the projected strife of Y2K and for a change.  Republic is the only incorporated city in Ferry County, population of 950 and deer wandering the streets.  I worked as Economic Development Specialist for the county for three years, during which the sawmill closed and the gold mine ran out of gold and moved on.  Oops.  Not good for my results or job.  I worked summers for a couple of years on call for the Forest Service doing administration in the base camps on forest fires.  I even went to Biloxi, MS on an assignment post Katrina.  I’ve been involved with several volunteer groups since I’ve been here.

In 2005, I got a job at Curlew Job Corps working with sixteen to twenty five year olds on improving their social skills so they can keep the trade jobs they train for and have been there since.  Verda passed five years ago.  I have been dating Chery, a wonderful woman who is getting me interested in fishing, tent trailer camping and other outdoor activities.  Fun stuff I can fill my retirement with in another year, or so.
 

Occupation: Retired

Comment:
I stayed anchored in the Eugene area. I have loved my last two years of retirement after 35 years working for the Springfield School District in everything from IT to alternative schools.  Retirement gave me more time with my two grandchildren and my son and daughter.  It always provides time for jeep and Harley outings with my outdoor-loving husband of 33 years.  I've enjoyed several trips to Europe, wine tasting and distillery hopping, and river rafting with good friends.  Life is good - retirement is great!

Occupation: Retired

Comment:
I plan to attend our 50th H.S. reunion. It's been a long time since I have visited Eugene.
I have lived in Northern California for 40 years. Married to the same great guy I met at the U of O in 1967. We have two sons and two grandkids. We raised and showed Morgan horses for many years but after age 50 I decided it was time to give it up and start traveling. We are still traveling but staying a little closer to the USA.
Looking forward to seeing everyone next month.
Gina Coxen Degner

Occupation: Retired

Comment:
Many years in Eugene, then to Bend  in  1995 where I met and married my wife Connie.  Connie's deceased husband was Bill Worrell who taught at WCHS.  Our family is blended with hers, mine and theirs.  Youngest is approaching 40! How did that happen?  15 grandkids from 6 to 24. 
​Living on the Deschutes in Tumalo.  Not a bible beater but do have some nice thoughts’ to share:  Look back and thank God; Look forward and trust God; Look around and serve God; Look within and invite God...and of course GoDucks!