Aron Gladney:  

Well, if you really want to know the whole story... I was born in Southern California, but we moved to the San Franciso Bay Area when I was 5. I attended Fruitvale Elementary for about a year, then we moved, so attended Allendale Elementary through 6th grade. At Allendale, my BFFs were Burnadette and Therese. Then for the three of us it was off to Junior High at Bret Harte where walked to school together (and yes I really think it was 5 miles!!). On the way home from school we occasionally stopped for donuts at the corner of McArthur and 35th, but usually always headed to Burnie's house to watch Dark Shadows at 4 o'clock! For high school, life split us up as I headed to Fremont High, and the other two went to Skyline as did many of our BH classmates. The summer before my junior year I got married to a really sweet guy 10 years my senior (I know, a bit odd for a 16 year old, but it seemed like a great idea at the time!!) and moved to Alameda where I started at Alameda High that fall. The following summer before graduation, Therese and I, both bored with high school, took a summer school government class at AHS so we could graduate early in Jan of '72 vice June. It was a different age back then, and I seem to remember some partying during a field trip to the state capital that almost got us into trouble!! So, I finished up HS that December, but still attended my graduation ceremony the following June, and Therese and I both enjoyed the 6 months of early freedom!! That fall Therese and I both started college at Cal State Hayward, and after 30 months of taking classes straight though to summer 1975, I dropped out (seems like 'out growing' school was a thing people did back then too.) Unfortunately, at about the same time I had managed to outgrow my marriage as well, so was separated and eventually divorced. I still hope Chuck is doing well, he was a great guy, but a 16 year old is just way too young to understand the commitment of marriage. I then moved to Vacaville CA where I worked as a waitress, had a poodle grooming biz, and then worked for a year or so building Coachmen 5th wheels. At Coachmen I met two dear friends that I still keep in touch with Jan and Clair. We don't see each other often, but when we do it is great fun to reminisce. Then (lucky for me!) right before the gas crunch of 78, I decided to see the world and joined the Navy to become a Photographers mate. The Navy sent me to photo school in Pensacola FL, I met and married my husband Richard. Then he headed to a ship and I was stationed at Sigonella Sicily for almost 3 years. Sigonella was a blast! My roommate and best friend Becky and I shared a little casa down on the beach. We danced our shoes off at the base club, went 'trick or drinking' on Halloween, had wild toga parties at the house (I can even remember having to hose the whole place out to get the 'garbage can punch' sticky residue off all the tile floors!) We took trains to Rome, slept on train station floors, hitch hiked, rode scooters up and down Taormina, ate great food and drank delicious Italian wines! Those were some of most care free, fun years of my life. Becky got out of the Navy, and my next duty station was at NavSta NY, where I ran the photo lab, and reconnected with my estranged husband Richard who I hadn't seen in almost 3 years! Then as I neared the end of my 5 year enlistment, and was ready to get out of the Navy they made me an offer I couldn't refuse: 2 years full pay to go back to college and finish my degree in the enlisted commissioning program. So it was off to the University of Idaho, at Moscow Idaho where I completed my undergrad in foreign languages (French and Spanish) in spring of 1984 (cum laude and Phi...Expand for more