Bio, 2014: Scrib Messenger
It's been great to read a bit about what our classmates have been doing since graduation. Here's an outline of my last 50 years.
- 4 years of college in Maryville, TN. After my junior year (after her senior year), married Mary Jo McConeghy, who is still the love of my life and my best friend, and whom I continue to appreciate and admire even more with each passing day. Degree in English.
- 4 years in the U.S. Army Security Agency as a Thai translator/interpreter. Daughter Cristin was born just before we left for a tour in Thailand; daughter Catherine was born just before we came back.
- 4-plus years of graduate school in Ithaca, NY. Studying full-time in a highly competitive environment while trying to be a good father and husband was not easy, but we made it. Degrees in General Linguistics, with specialization in Southeast Asia.
- 30 years as a civilian linguist for the U.S. Government doing a wide variety of things related to work with foreign languages. Developed enduring interests in nutrition, health, and a variety of forms of exercise.
- 7 years and counting: still working three days a week as a USG researcher and administrator at the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language.
Throughout the years, being a very involved father of two daughters with significant learning disabilities taught me a lot about humility, about doing the most with what you've got, and about being human; those lessons continue.
Current special interests include: family, road biking (on a short-wheel-base recumbent), playing bridge, ham radio (especially for support of local government emergency management), weather (click here to see my weather station website), beekeeping, and reading (mostly non-fiction).
Top five very favorite books read in the past decade:
-- The Promise of Sleep: A Pioneer in Sleep Medicine Explores the Vital Connection Between Health, Happiness, and a Good Night's Sleep, by William C. Dement
-- The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, by Sam Harris
-- The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins
-- Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDun
-- Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman
I have greatly enjoyed our reunions both because they reconnect us with those who were close friends in high school, and also because they enable us to share in the joys, sorrows, and accomplishments of everyone in our class. Hope to see you at the reunion in June!
©2009 Stillwater High School Class of 1964