Franklin Taylor Scanlon Taylor Scanlon

Worked in high tech for over 40 years - computers and semiconductors. Loved my work. Helped change the world in space exploration, medicine, communications, computing and entertainment. Accumulated 4M airline miles working on international business.

Met a most beautiful and intelligent "40 year-old virgin" in 1988. Married Lucy Godoy a year later in Carmel Valley. Adopted first child, Sean, at age 45. At age 60, I could throw a baseball better than I ever had in my life, as Sean became a superb player.

Recently retired and moved the "Disneyland for Old People" - The Villages, Florida. Happy to be healthy. Even happier that my wife and son and dog are so wonderful to me and are doing well themselves.

For many years, I viewed my time at Tucson High as the happiest time of my life. With relentless pressure from my mother, I was incredibly busy with school clubs, sport, chasing girls and studying. By the time I entered the UofA, I wanted nothing to do with outside activities (including fraternities) and devoted my full attention to engineering school.

Because I was deaf in one ear (from pre-school measles), I did not pay much attention to the Vietnam war. I later regretted being so self-absorbed, but have since forgiven myself, realizing that none of us "can be everywhere."

Patti got a scholarship to the University of Utah with the hopes of becoming a professional ballet dancer. We were best friends and soul mates, but were so busy and so broke, we were able to see each other only occasionally during the four years of college. We also respected each other's career goals over our desires to be together.

So sure enough, my mind got clouded when a beauty queen at the university took me to bed for the first time. Concurrently, I was telling myself that GE would want its future executives to arrive at work with a settled (ie, married) status. So I suddenly get married on the day of graduation from the UofA and move to Phoenix to join the nascent computer industry.

Life kept moving at a fast pace and I thought all was well, until I realized every other man found my wife's beauty intoxicating. As our tenth high school reunion approached, she fell in love with her boss and left. I experienced the first real failure of my life. I was 28, exceptionally smart about computers, but surprisingly unprepared to deal with these realities of life.

I abandoned my highly structured life, became totally spontaneous, misbehaved, and began exploring the lunatic fringes of relationships. Business took on a heavy international flavor and I got to see the world. My views on religion and politics became much more liberal and forgiving. I remained best friends with Patti as her life also took on an international scope and her husband liked me.

I spent 14 years and what seemed like $1M looking in all the wrong places for a "new proper wife." Finally, I met Lucy in Menlo Park, a beautiful 40 year old, with her head screwed on straight and no baggage.

As the years have gone by, I have been more and more impressed with the classmates I had in Tucson. We had a special high school.