I was supposed to graduate in
'55. In fact I am older than most of you. I can already take advantage
of Medicare. I know: big
whoopy!
I wound up taking sophomore 1st semester English 3 times. Not that it took
3 times for me to pass it [though my wife says English is my second language;
she has yet to figure out what my first is], I passed it twice; but they
stopped January graduations that year. So when you all were enjoying your
senior year, I was only taking senior English and working in a cabinet shop.
And that may explain why you don't remember me. And yes, I am listed as "Sandy" next
to my sister, Wendy Moran Biggs, in the year book. If you want to stay on
my good side, the name is Jerry and I have been Jerry ever since I went into
the Navy.
In fact in the summer of '55, while you all were getting ready for your senior
year, I went to boot camp; I had already joined the Naval Reserves. In the
summer of '56, while you all were in the process of planning out your future
I was on board the USS Hank on my way across the Atlantic. Remember the USS
Cole? The Hank was on the same mission, protecting US oil 'interests' in the
Red Sea and Persian Gulf, making the same ports of call as the Cole, some 45
years earlier. The Hank was the last ship to pass through the Suez Channel
in '57 before the Egyptians took over control of the channel from the English.
I later transferred to the Sea Bees. I was attached to Reserve Mobile Construction
Battalion 15, retiring in '78 with 23 years of service. During the Vet Num
War we were about the 3rd or fourth on a list of battalions ready to be called
to active duty for service in country. Praise God we weren't called!
One of the ladies commented that she didn't marry her high school sweetheart,
she married Mr. Right. Well, I didn't either; in fact I didn't even have a
sweetheart [if one of you had been interested you never got the word to me]!
Anyway, if that lady married Mr. Right, I married his sister 41 years ago!
Charlene is the love of my life after my Lord. I would not want to live without
her. We have lived here in Colorado most of our married life. we are still
involved in our church which we have belonged to for about 18 years. We have
been small group leaders for some time. We were small business owners for a
while, then moved on to other things. I am your basic 'jack of all trades'.
That made it possible for me to go on a trip of a life time. In 2000, a group
of us from our church were able to go to Israel on a short term construction
missions trip to help a Messianic Congregation build their place of worship.
We were there in May and in! September of that year the uprising started. We
were able to do some sight seeing also. Got to pray at the Western Wall; to
walk all over the old city of Jerusalem, including some of the old walls; got
to stand on the Mount of Olives where Jesus will stand when He returns. It
truly was a blessing.
[How am I doing with my English? Is there an English teacher out there some where?]
We have been through a couple of things together, some nice,
some hurtful. We had a daughter, a son and then we experienced two crib deaths,
SIDS, both sons, within 15 months of each other. My heart goes out to those
who have out lived their kids for what ever reason. We really wanted more
kids; the Dr. said better adopt. So we did; a 101/2 month old Mexican/Nevaho
girl. She decided early on that if her natural parents didn't love her enough
to keep her neither would any one else. She set out to prove her theory and
walked out at 151/2 years. Today she is a house mother to under age PG girls
in a Christian based home in Nevada and knows that we still love her in spite
of what she may have done. My heart also goes out to those who have had to
deal with troubled kids for what ever reason. Our natural daughter is married
to a deputy sheriff and works for the same sheriff department here in Colorado.
Our son works for the company who serviced the planes which crashed while
fight! ing the wild fires here in Colorado and California this summer. He
and his wife live in Wyoming. We have 4 real grandchildren. I said that because
our kids like to refer to all their animals as grandchildren also, dogs,
cats, lamas, horses, etc.
I SAY: NOT!!!!
I am semi retired, back working in a cabinet shop again; how bout that? My
Charlene is office manager for some insurance salesmen. We travel to see our
kids, read, play computer games and garden. I still bike and rollerblade occasionally.
We like also to go to Coors Field, the nicest MLB field in the country, to
watch the Rockies, not your best team in the country, play ball. When we were
in NV. this summer we were able to spend some quality time with the Semicoles
of Carson City. Speaking of visiting, any one living in the Colorado area is
more than welcome to give a call so we can visit. Any one else, should you
happen to remember me, please let me know. I don't remember any one. Blessings
to all of you.