Michael McMahon

Update as of 02/16/2016: Not much new. Emilie is now a Freshman at Western Washington University studying Environmental Science and working part-time at an upscale comic book store. I'm still her chauffeur as she has yet to learn how to parallel park well enough to pass the driving exam. She's still living at home with us which is fine with me as I'm not yet ready to be an empty nester. Our Yellow Lab Bessie is in the process of being certified as a Therapy Dog and next to be trained as a Service Dog-SAR. Keeps me busy and out of trouble. Judith continues to her position as a Program Manager for the Department of Social and Health Services and has no intention of retiring any time soon. So that leaves me as a busy house husband and a fly fisherman whenever I get a chance. Looking forward to a trip to Montana later this year for some excellent fishing.

Unfortunately, I had to miss our 65th last October but am looking forward to whenever our next one is. Hope to see many of you there.

Update as of 02/04/2015: changes, nothing but changes. My daughter, Emilie, is almost 18 and is graduating from high school this June and then it's time for college. She will be attending Western Washington University here in Poulsbo and plans on majoring in Environmental Science. If she's like most university students that major may change multiple times before she graduates. Thankfully, we saw into the future and started a 509 pre-paid tuition plan when she was about five. Will certainly help out with her expenses and tuition. She'll probably continue to live at home so I guess that I will never be an empty nester.

On the home front, we downsized our abode a few years ago. Less land to maintain, less square footage to clean, and I can fish in the Hood Canal right down from our rear deck. We lost our first yellow Labrador Retriever, Carrie, in 2011 at the age of 14 and thought that we were through raising another dog and that two cats were more than enough animals. Well, cats are okay but I needed a fishing companion so a year ago I found a local reputable breeder (a 4H mom} and we (I) brought hone another yellow Labrador Retriever we named Bessie. Interesting story, our first Lab was named after my wife's paternal grandmother and this one is named after her maternal grandmother. Bessie is completely different in personality from Carrie, much more mellow and much easier to train. We are getting ready for some obedience trials this summer, should be fun.

Here I sit at my computer pondering on how to encapsulate the past four decades plus into a brief scenario. After leaving O'Dowd I spent the next lovely four years in the USMC and got to be deployed to places I'd rather forget. Then it was onto college, BA and MA from SJSU and my PhD from the University of Arizona. Returned to SJSU to teach and do research from 1972-1975. Married now for over 22 years (third marriage was the charm, finally). Raising my 11 year old step-granddaughter who I adopted five years ago. Spent all of my working career in public service in Santa Clara County, Los Angeles County, and the California State Legislature. Never got rich (or even handsome) but gave a lot to the community. Spent the last 12 years commuting from Washington to Los Angeles to keep on working as a Supervising Children's Social Worker. Now retired and being a house husband wondering how two females can get so many clothes dirty for me to launder. Yep, I do the cooking, the laundry, do have a cleaning woman for the rough stuff. I even attend PTA meetings and go as a chaperon on the school field trips. I now attend a Catholic Lite Church (Vinland Lutheran) here in Poulsbo). My spouse, Judith, works as a Program Manager for the state's welfare program. So that's my life. Drop a line if you care to. Might see some of you at our 50th.

It's funny that I'm not even an official graduate of O'Dowd and I still receive all of this news. As some of you may remember, and you probably know who you are, I left O'Dowd mid-senior year as a discipline problem for not telling who all was imbibing spirits (besides me) at a school dance. Ended up receiving my GED in the Marine Corps in the latter part of 1960.

I'm not sure how many of you recall the after school fire on the hillside behind the classroom building. We were on detention, probably for getting caught smoking. I believe that the miscreants were Alan B., John B., Joe D.,Steve P., and myself. The powers that be at the time fervently believed that the ensuing conflagration was due to our smoking while on detention. Little did they know, we were having a contest to see which one of us could light the biggest fire and still be able to put it out in time (we were bad, bad boys). One positive aspect of this "childish prank" was the discovery by the Fire Department that their engine would not fit on that narrow little road and it had be brought to code. I guess you could say that potentially our prank made O'Dowd a safer place in the long run... I have a bridge for sale if you're interested!!!