Julie Strickland Kramer

I worked full-time in an office right out of high school but cut back to part-time when Kate was born in 1980. I quit work altogether in 1981 so we could travel with Jim as he toured with Bigfoot – the monster truck – crushing cars and racing. The farthest we got from home was Melbourne, Australia. I was pretty much grounded from traveling when Russ was born and Kate started school. I must have subconsciously resented it because I would go shopping as soon as Jim left town ... my biggest purchase was a Corvette! Jim has driven in several movies; the most popular were probably “Roadhouse” and “Tango and Cash.” He still travels with Bigfoot but leaves the racing circuit and car crushing to the younger guys.

We moved to the country near Brighton, Illinois in 1986, where I was a stay-at-home mom (aside from a few short-lived attempts at work). When our son started first grade, I started college and graduated from SIU-Edwardsville in 1997. After teaching a few years, I moved into the corporate world and now work as a communications consultant at Wells Fargo Advisors (formerly Wachovia Securities / A.G. Edwards).

I love living in the country, and my favorite thing to do is spend time with my family … especially now that our first grandbaby is here!

My family moved (from Wichita) into our house on Patterson Road on my 10th birthday. After bouncing from school to school within the district (Lusher > Walker > Hazelwood Jr. morning sessions > Kirby > Hazelwood Jr.), I finally landed at the high school. Seems like I was never at one school long enough to develop true friendships with my classmates. My best friends were Becky Smith (class of ’71-sister of our classmate Jim Smith) and Debi Wuennenberg (also class of ’71).

I dated Dan Wilke (a classmate who didn’t graduate with us) my entire junior year and recently learned that he, his wife and two sons are all attorneys with an office right across the street from where I work! I started dating Jim Kramer (class of ’69) my senior year and we've been married since ’76.

I didn’t participate much in school activities; I attended very few school functions and even fewer parties. I was a Hawkette my senior year, but that’s about it.