Occupation:  Sr. Transitionist
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  2
From Doug:
I feel so lucky to have shared the WV experience with such a great group of people.  Thanks to the committee for all your time and effort.  Thanks to all those who have opened up a little about your lives here in print.  I will be coming to the reunion and look forward to catching up on things with you all.
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Occupation:  retired
Marital Status:  Widowed
From Galen:
  Wow, 40 years. Could I really be as old as the rest of you. Nah, I'm only 57. For 1 1/2 more weeks anyway. 
  So what have I been doing all these years? After graduating from West Valley, I went to J. M. Perry for two years in the machine tech. program. Then jumped around between Yakima and Portland area trying to find a decent job. In 1974 my parents moved to Newberg, Oregon, and shortly after, my dad told me about a place there that was hiring It's called ADEC, they make dental equipment. I got a job there and moved to Newberg. I went to work there in December, working first in the machine shop. After a little more than three years, I got a position in the tooling department as a tool and cutter grinder. I worked there until January 2000 when I retired, ( sorry Gay, I know you didn't want to hear the retirement word again). We moved to Dayton in 2001.
  I met my wife, Evelyn, at work and we got married in 1979. She passed away over two years ago after 26, too short, years of marraige. But Helen Keller said, "life is either a daring adventure or it's nothing", so I am moving on and getting to know a very nice lady named Christie. I hope to bring her to Yakima. 
  In the mean time, I spend my time working around the house and yard (1 1/2 acres), puttering in my wood working shop, building model cars ( yeah, I still play with toys). I also have 2 old cars (1932 Plymouth & 1955 Studebaker) that I work on and drive to cuise ins, usually with members of my club, the North Valley Cruzzers. I also do some camping in my motorhome with a group of good friends. 
  Well, that's about it for my 40, boring I know, but that's me. Boring and steady.
  See you all in October.
 
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Occupation:  Technical Writer
Marital Status:  Single Again
No. of Children:  1
From Doug:
After high school, I spent several uneventful quarters at YVC before joining the United States Air Force in 1969. Assigned to Keesler Air Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, I trained to be a Morse systems operator. I then was assigned to Hakata AF Security Base in Fukuoka, Japan. I married while in the AF and two years later had my one and only child Jason, who today operates his own convalescent home in Gig Harbor, WA, and has two of his own, William (12) and Joseph (9). After serving Uncle Sam, I left the USAF and landed in Fossil, Oregon, where I worked as a member of the ‘bull gang’ for the Kinzua Lumber Company. After a year there, I migrated northward to M Street in Tacoma, WA, and many months later migrated even further north into Seattle’s Greenwood district. In 1975 I got regenerated unto a living hope and began a new life. I became a journeyman carpenter and spent the next 17 years as a rank-and-file member of Carpenters Local Union #131 in Seattle. I married a second time in 1985 and moved to the peaceful confines of Woodinville, WA, where I spent the next 8 years working as a carpenter/inspector for Seattle’s public housing authority. I left WA State and the construction industry in 1995 and moved to Scottsdale, AZ, where I traded in hammer and saw for keyboard and mouse and entered the field of technical writing. Today I am the lead writer of a small technical publications department for a semiconductor industrial manufacturing company in Phoenix, AZ—ASM America.
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Occupation:  SIGN MAKER/GRAPHIC ARTIST
Marital Status:  Single
From ELAINE:
It's a good thing I put off writing my bio until the last minute, because things have changed in the last few days.  I'll just start from now and tell the story in reverse because it doesn't make any more sense if I tell it in forward mode. 

On Thursday I was laid off my job as a Project Coordinator...grooming to become a Project Manager...at Dwinell's Visual Systems.  They gave me 45 min notice and a one day severance.  Not bad, really for only having been there for 2 months.  I was a victim of economic whiplash.  At least I was there long enough to get insurance , which I am now frantically scrambling to take advantage of before that vanishes at the end of the month.  Then, Unemployment and back to the job search.

This job was my second attempt to become un-selfemployed.  After 21 years of doing my own thing in the sign business, I'm trying  to do something that doesn't require that I do everything.  The previous attempt at breaking away was a 3 year tenure at LA Weight Loss as a counselor.  I couldn't kick the habit then, either. I was doing signs at home in my spare time.  Maybe I'm just into signs.  Working on miracles, but that is a little harder.

In the mean time, I have made about a half dozen trips to Sweden, and one to Australia.  I have a delightful nephew who has turned out to be a terrific traveling partner so I haven't needed my own kid.  I also have another kid that I've stolen.  No trips with her, but when she got her drivers license, she started calling me up to take me to lunch! Does it get better than that?

I don't know how it happened that I'm ......well, you all know how old I am, right!?!?!?!?....but I really feel like life is just beginning.  and all the signs are there: (no pun intended)  Unemployment, job search, no kids yet.......


So while some of the rest of you are retiring, I'm still a member of the Peter Pan Society.  Looking forward to comparing notes with all of you!


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Birthday:  January 07, 1949
Occupation:  Hairdresser
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  3
From Devone:
I enjoyed the last class reunion , and occasionaly check on my class mates. Iam still hairdressing, quess don't know how to stop. Thank you for the wonderful website on our class .
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Occupation:  Actuary (FSA)
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  4
From Karl:

Go and make a joyful sound!!
Our first grandchild - Morgan Key Baker Junior.  Six pounds fifeteen ounces and 19 inches but boy oh boy I had forgotten how small that is.  Haven't held a newborn for years and years.  It is fantastic.  A whole new world of love.


Sorry that we won’t be attending the events, I had already planned a week or two up north with my brother Chris (WV ’69) in late October for elk season.  With the reunion timing that meant either a vacation that was going to be too long to enjoy or else back to back  4,000 mile round trip commutes.  So will have to go with this note instead.  Hmmm, where to start about the last ten years?  Reading the posts of others it would seem that mine will be pretty much “same as you”.

 

We are empty nesters now, but all three boys bought homes within an hour and a half drive so it is possible to get together as a family fairly often.  The problem is that they are in their twenty’s and they do stay busy, so it is not as often as I would like.  (How sharper than a serpent’s tooth.)  Anxiously awaiting grandkids, I have read your notes about how great that is, but we haven’t reached the stage where we are dropping “hints” yet.

 

Our thirty eighth wedding anniversary is coming up, I’m still in love with Karen’s beauty, humor, tenderness and understanding.  Can’t ask for more.

 

Same profession as when I got out of school, actuarial science, with no plans to change or retire anytime soon.  The field of knowledge has changed and expanded enough during my career that it keeps me interested.  Karen calls it a touch of Asperger’s, I call it the joy of concentration.  Retirement looms but I don’t feel ready for that yet. 

 

My undreamed shore turned out to be China.  What was supposed to be a six to eight week intro/demo evolved into an installation that kept me over there for about two and a half years.  For the first couple of months just stepping out my front door into the people was a trip.  Couldn’t understand a word being said, couldn’t read any of the signs didn’t understand what the people were doing or why they dressed the way they did, and was fascinated by the beautiful strangeness of everything.  The giddiness and confusion went away over time, but the fascination with the people and the strangeness has not.  The older I get the more there is to learn

 

Lastly, thanks for all the responses sent to me ten years ago when I asked for help.  Many people took the time and made the effort.  They all helped and were deeply appreciated.  It showed that our class of ‘67 is filled with very considerate and caring people.  But I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know.  Enjoy each other’s company!

 

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Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  2
From Dick:

Let me start with I feel much older. Over the last 40 years I have been involved with so many job and things I’ve done that a single page won’t even start to say much. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 40 years as of Feb 17 , 2008. Nina and I have had an absolute wonderful time. We still hold hands and love each other a lot. We have got two children and eleven grandkids.  We are best friends and partners in everything.  As for work I have been a carpenter, involved in electronics, owned several business, been a police officer, a pastor, and an evangelist. As of now I still build houses. For hobbies I build old looking furniture. My dad has moved in with us now. He just turned 83 years young. He is in a wheel chair and requires a lot of care. Nina and I look forward to retirement. We don’t mind getting older. As far as would we change anything in our life the answer would be no. We have learned the secret of love and life. We always look up for help to come.  Dick Baxter

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Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  2
From Nina:

Nina Baxter. I may be getting older, but I’m getting better. Dick and I are still so in love that we have never got off the honeymoon wagon.  We do everything together. If you see one the other is close behind. Life has been good to us. We have been through the bumps and the turns , but we always come out on top. Eleven of our joys are the grandkids. I have so much fun with them They all live here in town and we get together a lot. Ages are from 20 years old to 5 months. My daughter has 4 girls and 2 boys.  My son has 5 boys. Holidays are big times around the house. I have  helped Dick on his jobs for a long time. We have built fences, barns, houses and about everything else. We have made a life of working together. The good news is I stay home all I want to. Right now I take care of Dick's dad who needs 24/7 care. We built a house this last year, that works great for helping take care of his dad. Home life is great. We have 5 dogs to look after. We have been doggy people forever.

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Occupation:  Bookkeeper
Marital Status:  Married
No. of Children:  1
From Julie:

Where to start (sound familiar), we moved back to the northwest in 1997 after several years in Daytona Beach FL.  We had the opportunity to purchase 3 radio stations (Clarkston WA – Lewiston ID) from my father (when opportunity knocks…), we cashed in EVERYTHING and moved.  We sold the stations in 2001 and moved to Sandy Oregon, just outside Portland.

 

Our son Erin (age 23) attended Sandy High School his senior year, he wanted to move to the mountain to snowboard!  He now has a bachelor degree in Internet security and networking and works at the corporate office for AAA of Oregon and Idaho.  Three years ago he met the sweetest girl while he was interning at the Oregon Literacy Society she was doing the same from her school.  Last weekend (09.21.07) they were married in a ceremony at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. She is originally from South Korean, has been studying in Canada since she was in the 8^th grade, has a bachelor degree from Lewis Clark College in Portland and a masters degree from Portland state and speaks EXCELLENT English, which is a nice feature!  We will all attend another wedding in South Korea in the spring.  Erin and I are trying to learn the language – at least enough to ask for the bathroom and understand where they say to go!

 

Gene is working at Monte Shelton Jaguar delivering parts – he DOESN’T work very hard!  But is works for health insurance.  They are afraid that he will quit now that Erin is out of school and married so they let him have time off whenever he wants.  I am a QuickBooks Pro Advisor and float from one small business to the other I NEVER work Fridays and most Mondays but the middle of the week I do. 

 

We purchased a 5^th wheel travel trailer last year and are anxious to use it more.  Gene wants to retire now and I keep telling him not until age 62 – then we can pay for health insurance! Ha Ha.  When we decided to get a 5^th wheel instead of a motor home, we traded in my BMW for a 1 ton dually!  That turned into MY everyday car.  I would get out of the Dodge and people would say “A pretty big truck for such a little girl!” I drove that for 2.5 years, Gene pulls the trailer, but I do the in town driving!  We have since retired it to towing and I have the luxury a SMALL Subaru! It’s GREAT and easier to park!

 

We will be unable to attend the events because of previously scheduled activities but will be thinking of you all and what a great time you’ll be having.

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Occupation:  Secretary
Marital Status:  Widowed
No. of Children:  2
From Marilyn:
After graduation, I attended Yakima Community College and met my soul mate, Bruce Blanchard from Ike of 1965.  In our 33 years of marriage, I worked while he finished his master in education, we built a home together and we loved to travel.  We raised our son and daughter to be quite independent and we felt we survived the trials and joys of getting them through their teenage and college years.  After four generations in the Yakima Valley, my son is in Florida and my daughter in Seattle.

Since my husband's career was teaching with Yakima School District, I choose a career as secretary in the education field so we could take advantage of all the vacation time available. 

Presently, I am an assistant to a director with Yakima School District.  

Losing my husband to cancer three years ago, I have joined Cascadians, so I could have someone to hike and ski with, taking cooking and sewing classes to keep me out of mischief and love to travel.
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