School Story
My father died in the fall of '62, so my early days at East were clouded by a pervasive sadness over that loss. I think I attempted to bury the pain in my extra-curricular and social activities, something which did, in fact, help to buoy my spirits. I don't believe I ever missed a game and I'm sure I was one of East's loudest cheerers. Despite my gregarious nature, I never really fit into any of the well-defined cliques, but there was probably no classmate I didn't greet with a smile and a "hello."
When I look at the pictures of my classmates, I realize that I only knew a few of them well. It is not the details of each person that are at the forefront of my memory. Instead, it is the sense of just whom was a kind and gentle human being, and there were more than a few. Similarly, it is the feelings about each teacher, rather than the details, that persist through time. I remember those who possessed a rare warmth and humanity, and particularly Mr. Sperry, from whom I took Physiology.
Yet there is one teacher who stands out above them all. Perhaps it is because music is in a different realm than other high school subjects. I found myself filled with a sense of joy every time I attended Boy's Glee and Junior Choir, and I was thrilled to be chosen for the 1965 A'Capella, though my detour to New Jersey deprived me of that experience. Miss Lorraine Bowman didn't just inspire me. Music was an essential that was very much at the core of our school. I believe Miss Bowman left her mark on the hearts of everyone at East, and I will always remember her as an ambassador of inspiration and love.
After high school I started at the UofU, but my education was interrupted by a stint in the Army. I was commissioned a second lieutenant in March, 1967, served as a training officer and XO at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and was Asst. Public Information Officer for Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver.
I received both my undergraduate and graduate education in journalism at the U, was inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha, the honorary journalism society, worked as a news broadcaster and advertising copywriter, and later started my own medical devices company, Cardiomed, Inc., from which I retired, at age 50 in 1997. Among my official responsibilities at Cardiomed, Inc., was "company pilot"--logging over 5,000 hours in a variety of aircraft and flying to destinations as far away as Nova Scotia. I received Learjet "D" series training after my retirement, and both ferried and sold aircraft for ProAir Services.
I was married young, put a total of eight children through college and braces, and spent about ten years traveling to a total of 68 countries. My travels have given me an appreciation of both the simplicity and complexity of our world, and of both the value and insignificance of each individual.
As a "retiree" I started a second career in writing, winning top honors four years in the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, and performing both my music and poetry in as many as 282 shows per year. I was chosen seven times for the Utah Arts Council's "Utah Performing Arts Tour," and have played to audiences as far away as Calgary, Alberta. I have created about 500 songs and poems, short stories, and three novels--"Failure of Sheep," "Four Corners, One Square," and "Yes, Ma'am, Just Call Me Slim." All available on Amazon/Barnes and Noble.
Though I graduated from high school in New Jersey, I have a special place in my heart for EHS. It's my school.
