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Hello there...my name is Ricky Lee Walker... I go by Rick these days...I would have graduated with the class of 1970 if I had stayed in Chickasha... I was born in Chickasha in 1952.....and attended South School, and Chickasha Jr. High School...we lived across the street from the old Jr. High on 314 Texas Ave...
My family moved from Chickasha when I was in the 7th grade...and I lived in Las Vegas, Nevada during my Jr. High years...we moved to Long Beach, California for my high school years...where I graduated from Jordan High School in 1970, started my college in Long Beach, major was Architecture...and graduated from Rio Hondo College with a degree in Design Technology....first big job out of school was with Fluor Engineers and Constructors...they designed petro-chemical plants..and the Alaskan Pipeline in the mid-70's...on which I worked...I'm still amazed that its still working...Ha..
I got married in 75' I think...I try to suppress that bad memory...divorce a couple of years later...no kids..luckily...arrrrrggg...I left Fluor, to start my own business...Wildwood Design...my first love was Architecture...ended up working for one of my biggest customers...Beverly Coachcraft doing high end design and prototype vehicles for the movie and celebrity industry...got to meet and work with a few celebs ...
I left Beverly Coachcraft in 79' to go out on my own again...this time Interior Design Concepts...I had kept up my design and drafting expertise over the years, and I always wanted to get back into it...So I opened my own shop, got my contractors license, and set out doing remodels, designing custom kitchens, baths, and furniture...as well as commercial office and retail spaces...did some design and prototype work for a company that did point of purchase displays in alot of major dept. stores..
At my 10yr High School reunion...I was on the reunion committee with friends....and being single got put on the entertainment committee, to check out DJ's, and Bands for the reunion...a great girl I knew in school...Mary Ann... also single was on the committee too..I guess we entertained ourselves a little too much, and ended up getting married in 80'....it will be 30 happy years in Nov. wow...time flies...you can get thru anything with enough medication...LOL
Both sets of our parents are gone now, and we decided to start looking for someplace other than California to live out our lives...so five years ago, we started looking for where we wanted to live...we both have similar likes, and we wanted to be somewhere in the mountains, with alot of water, with a change of seasons, and this place is just gorgeous...the panhandle of Idaho...just east of Coeur d'Alene at the top of the chain of lakes area...the area is known as Rose Lake...but the mailing address is Cataldo..thats the closest post office...
I had always wanted to build a place in the mountains where nothing stood before, and I'm getting my chance now...we have 22+ acres...not much in Oklahoma...but in the mountains its great...we back up against a national forest....our own private Idaho...we have our own piece of forest that we manage, with springs coming out of the hillsides that feed our creek (Service Creek) hence the address...the wildlife is incredible...fish in our creek, moose, elk, deer, canadian geese, ducks, grouse....black and occaisionally a grizzly bear, those do get the adrenaline pumping if you come upon one...I always carry a weapon with me when I'm out in the forest...and my ATV has a gun boot that carries my scoped rifle...so I don't become part of the food chain...LOL
I have been living up here going on 3yrs building, Mary Ann will be up here next year full time with me..so I better have it done by then...so thats the short version of what I have been up to since leaving Chickasha...been back a couple of times I still have relatives that live in Duncan and Walters...not too many left anymore...
The friends I remember from my formative years...my best friend back then...Jay Paul Payne...my first girl friend...Cindy Scott... loved her dad's hay rides...other girlfriends, Susan Methvin, Kevin Van Ess, Linda Baker, Kay Cowan...guys I can remember Mike Knox, Randall Sellers, Ricky Ford, Danny Black, the Auchincloss's (spl??) in the big white house across from the old jr. high...and what ever happened to my neighbor across the street Ricky Worbes..???...my cousin... His name was Steve Phillips passed away too young in life...he always had a little James Dean in him...his dad owned Phillips Trading Post down town...our dads built and raced go-carts and we used to race each other...good memories..
So I would like to hear from you guys, especially you Jay... I haven't seen or heard from you since the summer after we graduated..
Byte me back....Rick
