Eric Purdy:
CLASS OF 1985
Piney Woods Country Life High SchoolClass of 1985
Piney wood, MS
Northwest High School 723Class of 1985
Indianapolis, IN
George S. Buck Elementary School 94Class of 1981
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Public School 111Class of 1980
Indianapolis, IN
Paul I. Miller Elementary School 114Class of 1978
Indianapolis, IN
Eric's Story
Life
I actually did not graduate from Piney Woods. I went back to Indianapolis and graduated there. I did attend PWC from 1981 till the summer of 1983.
I've since been in the US Navy and finished my Bachelors. I've decided recently that I want to change careers so I'm going back to school to become a (PA) Physicians Assistant.
So far I've been a Dental Hygeinist, Dental Technician, a Call Center Manager, A Project Manager and am currently a Benefits Administration Consultant. I've enjoyed all of the positions but am always in search of finding something new.
I've really been trying to contact people that I remember from PWC. I think we were more like a large family since there was not very many of us. I think the class of 83" had a total of 10 or 12 grads.
School
I was born in St. Louis, MO. I was then raised in Mississippi, New Jersey and Indiana. I attended school mainly in Indianapolis. I went IPS 114, 111, and 94. I spent most of my freshman year at George Washington High and Crispus Attucks as I was in the Health Professions Magnet program. The following year I went to what was then called Piney Woods Country Life School. This was my greatest experience of all. As Piney Woods is a predominantly black boarding school. I would recommend the school for any child of color as I learned a great deal about our people there. Unfortunately, I did not finish at PWS. I was kicked out in summer school for spraying a fire extinguisher and did not return the following fall. I then went back to Indianapolis and attened Northwest High School. The Norhtwest experience was a bit diffrent as It was large school and I had just come from a school that was rather small (a total of 300 students. Nevertheless, I did graduate in 1985 from Northwest High School.
Workplace
I've done it all let's see, I was a Dental Tech in the Navy, Then became a Dental Hygenist, worked for Cigna Dental. I left Cigna went to work for SafeGuard Dental. I was then employed by the local healthcare initiative in Los Angeles as the Operations Supervisor (LA Care). Left LA Care and went to Prudential Healthcare initially held the position of Team Leader, Member services. Prudential was purchased by Aetna US Healthcare. I then became the Project Manager for the Customer Service Department. I was responsible for handling the production side of the operation on the west coast (this was during the integration of Aetna and Pru). Changed positions agai...Expand for more
n within Aetna and became an Implementation Consultant for a new product they offered called EZLINK(it is a web based HR system used primarily to administer benefits). Left Aetna in 02/2004. I then went to PacifiCare and held the position of Project Manager II. I then decded to leave sunny Southern California to face the harsh winters of the midwest again. I am now in Indianapolis, IN working for Managed Health Service in position of Provider Relations Specialist (I act as the liaison between the healthplan and the doctors office)
Military
I joined the Navy 09/09/1985. I was sent to San Diego, CA for bootcamp. I have to really be honest this was a pretty scary experience for me. Here I was going way across the country to do something that I never thought I would be able to do. For those of you that knew me then, we all know that no one could tell Eric anything and he had a big mouth. I spent the next 2 months running, marching, learning military bearing and getting ready to join the fleet. Finally graduation came around. I was then sent to "A" school. I was to be a Dental Tech so I was sent over to Naval Station San Diego. On the NavSta I attended the Naval School of Dental Assisting and Technology. Here I made great friends with Mark Cordell being my best friend at the time. Well right before graduating I found out that I would be stationed onboard the USS MISSOURI BB-63. I was devestated as I thought that I would be going FMF as I did my clinics at Camp Pendelton. While at Camp Pendelton I was at Las Flores. As it turned out the "Mighty MO" was my greatest life's experience. It help to shape me into who I am today. I was of course assinged to the Dental Division under the leadership of Commander Thomas Stark. We also had Lt. David Metzler, DTC Roger Stephens, DT1 George Allen(my greatest mentor) and then my peers DN Larry Marchand and DN Marcelus Porterfield. Of course we all are Plankowners. We were the first Dental Department when the ship was recommissioned. Our first cruise was an around the world cruise we saw all types of places. We went through both sides fo the Panama Canal and several other places. We all became shellbacks and then later became golden shellbacks. I served onboard from 02/1986 through 04/1989. I was then stationed at Naval Dental Clinic Long Beach I spent only 5 months here and was transferred to Naval Hospital San Diego (Balboa). This is where I ended my naval career on 01/12/1991.
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