Gary McIntye

In 1968, I left Cleveland during the riots to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. Washington was an eye-opener for me, with the monuments, the seat of government and all the beautiful buildings...so I studied Architecture. I was accepted into Howard and Kent State for Architecture but choose Howard because of the International city setting. Glad I did after the Kent State Riot, but Howard's 1968 Riots were also significant! I graduated in 1974, and opened my own design build firm in D.C. I designed and built twelve houses on Capitol Hill and converted an Embassy into a condominium on Embassy Row, D.C. I was the Project Architect on the Iowa Condominiums on Logan Circle. I left D.C. for Chicago to accept a construction specialist internship, in the middle of winter and froze my Arse off! I moved to Newark, N.J. thinking it was near N.Y. City, big mistake! I left in 1979 for Oakland California after seeing the painting, "Go West Young Man!" and never looked back. I built six World Class projects in San Francisco and Oakland that move during an Earthquake. The largest building, is S.F. International Terminal with 870' long trusses and the entire building moves 20" during an earthquake. I was the Resident Engineer that building completed in 2000. I built the Port of Oakland Vision 2000 Maritime Shipping Port by converting an old naval depot. I was converting the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard into 1,600 homes and commercial space, when the opportunity to start my own business and write a book surfaced. I am now broke and writing a book on this web page! I have just enough money to catch a Greyhound back to Cleveland, the same mode of transportation I left on, to see everybody after 40 years! I look forward to seeing all of You on August 29th, so if you forgot who I am, it doesn't matter...I don't look the same! But I've got my health and a positive attitude...so let's toast to that!

During a Mr. Commando class we had to climb ropes to the ceiling, climbing the rope like a monkey. Because of my fear of heights, I was afraid to look down until I got to the top. When I took a glimpse down, Mark McCord, Greg Fraley and Mike Mobley appeared to be half way down. I slid all the way down the rope to catch them, but they were still climbing up the rope. I still have that 2" rope burn on my inner leg 42 years later!
I also jumped rope over several thousand consecutive times without missing a jump, today I can't make 50. One of these comedic feats earned me the "1968 Mr. Commando Trophy!" The U.S. Marine recruiters always took John Adam's "Mr. Commando," and Viet Nam was at it's height...so they're probably still driving around my house in Cleveland looking for me! I was on a Greyhound!