Bill Van Dick:
CLASS OF 1978
South Salem High SchoolClass of 1978
Salem, OR
Crook County High SchoolClass of 1984
Prineville, OR
Oregon Institute of TechnologyClass of 1982
Klamath falls, OR
Hood River High SchoolClass of 1978
Hood river, OR
Sprague High SchoolClass of 1978
Salem, OR
Bill's Story
Updated 1/13/2024:
Life is short. The most valuable but diminishing thing that we all have is time! Help others and ..
DO WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL ALIVE!!!
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After graduation, I went to OIT in Klamath Falls for 4 years and got a BSEET in electrical engineering. Upon graduation from college went to work for Intel.
Have traveled extensively on both business and pleasure. Been all over Europe, Puerto Rico, Antigua, Martinque, all over Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia,: Komodo Island, Sumatra, Bali, Lombok, Sulaweisi, and Flores, Also went to Australia, Tahiti, Moorea, Fiji, Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Brazil, the Philippines, Hawaii, China, Taiwan, and Korea. (I was in search of the world's best tropical beach.) Found it on a motu....One Foot Island, Aitutaki...(you can google it). My favorite international city is Taipei, Taiwan. My favorite island is Lombok....home of Gunung (Mount) Rinjani.
In 1994 I married a flight attendant from Indonesia that I had met in Bali. We have one daughter who recently graduated from OIT, completed her internship & passed her boards and is now working at Univ. of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, CO.
I have rafted dangerous rivers, climbed active volcanoes, and have sat with live wild animals: A white tiger, a Bengal tiger, a lion, a leopard, Komodo Dragon. By far, the scariest an animal I ever sat with is a full grown orangutan. (It could have crushed me like a twig!) I have also sat on the back of a live crocodile.
I love roller coasters, Texas Hold 'Em, NFL football, hiking, and computers. I tried tandem sky diving and have jumped 24 times from 14K feet, and once from 18K feet. (An 18K jump is very different from a 14K jump!) I often donate time to talk to high school students about career opportunities in high-tech and donate time speaki...Expand for more
ng to people with social issues . I like to take day hikes in the Columbia River Gorge, but unfortunately the Gorge has become incredibly crowded and the large number of people are ruining the Gorge experience. I pseudo-retired in 2012 after 30 years working for Intel.
In 2014 I enrolled in a medical billing & coding program at a local college and then went to work performing medical/anesthesia billing, After about 5 years, I quit medical billing. Just not for me and the work environments bordered on toxic. So I went off to spend a month traveling in Indonesia, visiting my wife's family in Jakarta and relaxing in Bali and then going to Senggigi Beach on the island of Lombok. There are over 120 active volcanoes throughout the Indonesian archipelago. Most are not active just sleeping. If you ever get the chance, visit Gunung Bromo! The view of Bromo from Pananjakan is like no other place on Earth! (Google it) There is a huge crater lake in North Sumatra, Lake Toba, that many scientists believe was the site of the largest volcanic eruption in the the history of earth. Lake Toba area is considered to be one of 5 "Super Volcanoes" on earth.
My last few jobs have been more about just wanting to be out and doing something. Worked for Epson, Amazon, Walmart, and even Plaid Pantry. But the last year and a half has been spent performing volunteer work, home improvement projects, and self directing investments.
I expect 2024 to be an interesting but challenging year. I truly believe we are on the cusp of something both amazing and frightening, filled with both danger and opportunities. Why? The divisiveness within America, an election year, world wide tensions in Europe, the Middle East, and Taiwan/China crisis, the exponential growth of artificial intelligence, the vanishing middle class, a potential stock market crash/recession and an invasion at the Southern border. My suggestion to all is be prepared.
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