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David Yost
2016-02-22 11:21:14
 Send David a Message
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2016-03-14 15:18:14
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Stephen Yuengling
 
2016-04-16 10:27:03
From the 40th reunion:
After graduation from WJ I went to Montgomery College for a year then transferred to the University of Maryland . I was taking Electrical Engineering but the math was killing me. One of the classes I had to take was computer programming and I found my niche in life. I went back to Montgomery College and got a two year degree in Computer Science. In the summer of 1969 I took a trip to Ocean City for a week (on $20 including gas), where I met my future wife. I found out that she lived just around the block from my best friend (Doug Weiss) in Bethesda (close to WJ).
In 1970 I won the lottery (the only time) and was soon expecting to be drafted. Luckily my draft board was in Silver Spring and it was always getting trashed so they did not catch up with me till 1971. That year I got married, graduated from MC, and joined the Air Force, a very busy year. We lived in Biloxi MS for almost a year where I was in Tech School learning Radar Maintenance and during that time our daughter was born. I was then stationed in Statesboro GA (a small college town) at a small Radar site for three years. While in the Air Force I got to go to Austin TX. I was there when LBJ died. I also spent a few months in Maine (during the potato harvest). I went to Thailand for 5 months during the last weeks of the war. While in Thailand my son was born at Bethesda Naval Medical Center . I got out of the AF in the summer of 1975 and moved back to Gaithersburg Md. We didn’t stay there long before we moved to the Chicago area and a job with Bell Labs. We were only going to stay for a few years but were there for 13. At Bell Labs I programmed telephone switches. This is where I lost my 20/20 eye sight and hair but to make up for that I gained a few pounds. We bought our first house a year after we arrived and a second home 7 years later. I really enjoyed my job, but we hated the long cold dreary winters. On Jan 3rd 1989 we packed up the two cars, the two kids, the two cats and moved from Chicago to Durham NC . When we left there was snow on the ground and it was 2 degrees. When we got to NC it was 50 degrees (the locals were complaining about the bitter cold weather), everything was green, and pansies were blooming. The cat escaped at the airport, the moving van broke down, but life was good (and the cat was recaptured). I started work at Bell Northern Research programming Nortel telephone switches. While there I became a supervisor and then a Software Architect. I retired in June 2008 after working for 33 years in the telecom industry and surviving many downsizings. I really like knowing that whenever anyone makes a phone call they are more than likely executing some of my code. We have lived in Durham in the same house for almost 20 years, the longest I have lived anywhere. We have 5 grandchildren, some live here and some in Maryland , so we make frequent trips back to visit them and my wife’s family. It’s always a shock to see how things have changed from 1966 (and the traffic just gets worse and worse). Nowadays I read a lot, mess on the computer, and help around the house. When I was young, my Dad was in the Navy and we moved almost every three years, so I never made too many lasting friends. We moved to MD in 1963 when I started going to WJ. This is where I met a lot of good friends and I have a lot of fond memories of that time. I was at the 25th reunion and hope to attend the 50th and meet everyone again. Send Stephen a Message
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Patricia (Pat) Zimmerman (Kloke)
 
Retired
Married
2016-04-30 16:56:06
For the last ten years since retirement, it is hard to document my time as I have been following my heart. Although my husband is virtually working two jobs, he has a home office; so I basically work for Kloke Business Solutions. We both love being at home with our three Siberian Huskies. We sell Legal Shield Insurance. I will bring business cards to the reunion or call us at (804) 272-5875.At one time we were keeping foster children from the United Methodist Family Services (UMFS) with locations in Richmond, Fredericksburg, Tidewater, Northern Virginia, and South Central 1-855-ASK-UMFS (855-275-8637); www.umfs.org. I am now on the Auxiliary Committee at UMFS. This committee consists of members of local United Methodist churches. We work directly with the high risk children from the campus cottages and the Charter House School, giving them birthday parties, providing an annual tea (both boys and girls), square dance; and to support our expenses we have a silent auction. The initiative of our church, Bon Air United Methodist Church (BAUMC) in supporting homeless high school students is being expanded throughout Richmond: changetheworldrva.org and http:www.bonairumc.org We are preparing for my husband's retirement. We remodeled six rental homes, all in the same block near McGuire Veterans Hospital in Richmond. We have established a working relationship with our tenants and provide quality housing. I have joy in my heart, a pep in my step, and am looking forward to the reunion. Those of you who were in home arts, senior year may remember our Fashion Show. Classmate Arlene Scott, Scotty, walked my little sisters down the runway in navy blue dotted Swiss dresses that I had made in my favorite class. Lately, I have been remembering fun times at Walter Johnson. Send Patricia (Pat) a Message
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2016-01-15 12:42:10
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2016-02-22 15:39:42
From the 40th reunion:
Most of my high school years were spent involved with my church youth group and not extracurricular activities at WJ. Think the fact my dad was the minister played a role in that?
Right after graduation I was forced to take a six week trip to Europe with my parents. I wish I had been more attentive to all the beauty and history I was exposed to. We met up with my brother who was stationed in Munich, Germany in the Army. He toured around with us a few of those weeks, making it more tolerable for me. I discovered at the airport upon arriving home, that the Beatles had been riding up in first class. Would have been really nice if the airline attendants had told me.
I struck out to become an elementary school teacher - thinking I liked little kids and wanted to make a difference. Attended MC on a scholarship, but only made it through the first year. Married my first love, a "boy" I had met when I was 12 in Maine where my parents summered. He was in the Navy, stationed in upstate New York. From there we moved to Groton, CT. Discovered rather quickly, I didn't know him at all, we didn't share much in the way of hopes and dreams.
Came back home not sure what I was going to do. Got a job working for a dentist and pursued that career for 18 years. Married the son of the man that ran the dental lab. Mistake #2. There is something to be said about hitting bottom before you can climb up. I surely did! A very abusive relationship spanning over 20 years, emotionally, mentally and at times physically. I changed careers. I felt if I was ever going to be able to make it on my own that I needed some securities like health insurance and a pension. I got a job as an admin assistant for NCR in Rockville. Somehow that job and the responsibilities I had, boosted me out of my slump and gave me some purpose to life. I started as the secretary to the Human Resources Director, went on to payroll, then secretary to the North America's IT Director (that got me a trip to Vegas - fun), coordinated facilities functions, processed security clearances. I'd attempted to go back to college several more times.
Best thing in my life, had a beautiful daughter, Laura in 1970. She is still in Maryland, not married, but living with a nice guy who has a 12 year old son who adores her.
I met the love of my life at NCR, Chuck Dykes. I was preparing for the legal battle of divorce - and I mean battle. I needed to find a place to reside that was protective, so asked if he would rent me a room. He did, I moved in, we got to know each other, liked each other, enjoyed each other. He is wonderful! We got married three years later, 1993, yes, it took that long to obtain the divorce from #2. I supported my attorney those three years.
A job transfer for Chuck brought us to Michigan in 2000. We started out on the east side of the state, close to Detroit. I went into retirement, but needed something to do. I took a job at a Joann's store. I thought because of my love of quilting I would get a job in the fabric department, but due to my experience with payroll and human resources at NCR, they decided I should handle the money, as in preparing the cash drawers and balancing the drawers daily. Only once did I think I was short a thousand dollars and came flying out of my closet they called my office, ready for them to strip search me. Thankfully, I calmed down, went back and recounted the money and it was all there.
A year later we moved to the mid part of Michigan, to a small town called Ionia. Now this is an experience! I once again went into retirement, but once again needed to do something. Chuck works out of the house and never thought I grasped that he wasn't home to play with me in the garden or go shopping. So, I looked in the paper for a job. The paper is six pages thick and it costs more than the Washington Post. My choices from the want ads were for a milker, herder or fork lift operator. Thankfully, there was a temp agency in town that had something more up my alley. I work at the local bank as a mortgage editor. Small town America!! Everyone was born and raised here and related somehow to everyone else. There are five prisons in this town, the newest being a super maximum security. Only had one escape since we have lived here and like everyone says, the prisoners don't want to stick around. I entertained the idea of trying to get a state job in one, but from what I gather it is depressing work. We live in the country so we are frequently visited by deer, turkeys and stray cats.
Retirement isn't here yet, but not far off. Chuck is from Iowa originally and we are thinking that is where we will head. All his family is there and we just had a wonderful family reunion this past Labor Day. His son and daughter have given us four neat grandsons. We keep busy daily with two cats that came to us as kittens literally out of the woods. We love to garden, I quilt and craft, and we just bought a RV we look forward to touring in once we retire.
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