My "The Last 20 Years..." Story:
I married Julie in 1990 and finished my masters with a double certification in counseling and administration. We bought the old historical Green Valley Ranch north of Palmer Lake and moved in 1997 for some "pioneer" living. It had been a rental for 25 years so virtually everything needed replaced or fixed.
In 98 we suffered the loss of Tucker. He had graduated from Texas A&M with an Environmental Engineering degree and immediately got a great job with a firm doing water and soil studies on military bases. He moved back to the Monument area to open a branch office in Colorado Springs but was killed in a car wreck while riding back from a ski trip in Steamboat Springs. The driver lost control and they were hit by a snowplow.
I continued teaching and coaching until 2000 then retired. I coached three sports my final years, HS Cross Country and MS Wrestling and Track and enjoyed very successful seasons in all three. Julie retired from her secretary job four years later.
Since leaving the classrooms, gyms and tracks I've been remodeling and restoring the old ranch and raising and training horses. I created two rentals and additions and improvements to the main house and barn. We aquired an Arabian stallion and Saddlebred mares and have produced and trained about a dozen National Show Horse foals.
We have also been doing lots of traveling including trips to Europe, Mexico, Canada and Alaska. We bought a 5th wheel RV six years ago and spend the winter months exploring the US; mostly the Southwest. Eric, Julie's oldest son, lives in Phoenix with his wife Nancy and two sons that are fun to visit.
I must admit that retirement does pose some psychological adjustments. It is somewhat of a culture shock to spend thirty years reporting for duty with the rigid classroom schedules and working 16/6 with 200+ different personalities a day, then suddenly find yourself free. With all the ranch work, horses and travel I've never found myself bored but I did feel somewhat isolated.
I solved the situation with an iPod and a library card. I discovered I can listen to books while working on most projects and have read 555 books in the past five or six years. It is like getting another college degree (only free) and I can reserve whatever I want to learn online then pick up the books at the library. I read mostly non-fiction; history, biographies, philosophies, etc.
In my readings I also learned some facts about my father who was killed in WWII. I contacted some of the vets who knew him and was invited to speak at the graduation ceremonies at Connally HS in Waco for their 50th anniversary. The school district, golf course and Connally Air Force Base were named for him. He created and commanded the elite 504th Bomb Group that played a key role in dropping the Atomic Bomb and ending the war with Japan.
The 504th BG invited me to speak at their dinner banquet reunion in St. Louis in 2006 and also my father's gravesite at Jefferson Barracks. The following year at their Albuquerque reunion they felt they were getting too old to plan reunions so Julie and I became the secretary and president of their association. We planned and hosted their reunion in Colorado Springs last year. This year we will host them in Branson MO on 9/23.
Julie and I greatly enjoyed attending your reunion this year at O'Malleys. We got to meet many of you again and it is highly rewarding to see how successful you've become and what fine people you are. It was a high honor to be a part of your development. I frequently meet with 8 or 10 of retired LP coaches for coffee on Fridays. We share jokes, experiences, sports talk and stories about all of you. We all agree that the class of 89 was "loaded"; filled with great students, athletes and was a joy to teach and coach. I keep in fairly close contact with 15 or 20 past students; mostly runners, wrestlers and friends of our sons; seeing our past students has greatly enriched our lives.
