Bonnie Billington:
CLASS OF 1969
Coronado High SchoolClass of 1969
Scottsdale, AZ
Bonnie's Story
Hi Dons! It has been a LONG time guys! I graduated from ASU in Winter of '73 and waitressed for awhile not quite knowing what to do with myself after graduation but knowing I wanted some sort of variety in my life! I got that once I joined TWA as a flight attendant in April 1976. I flew international and domestic routes up until 1998 when I took an early retirement from TWA when my husband, son, pup and I were stationed in Bahrain in the Middle East with his job with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). I have worked as an actress mostly as an extra in films and some commercials and have been a member of Screen Actors Guild for 31 years. I also worked as a background investigator,Community Liaison Officer for the American Embassy in Bahrain, a case reviewer for background investigations for DSS and Customs and as a substitute teacher for all grades and worked at the front desk of my local athletic club. I have one son Matt....19 who attends Rensselaer Poly Tech in Troy, NY attending on a football scholarship and he now plays baseball for the Redhawks! I also have an awesome golden retriever named Scout who appears with me in some films and pays for his dog food by doing it! Would love to hear from you all! ;-) Bonnie
FROM extra Q and A's.........
I always wanted to be a model and an actress when I grew up. My family and friends thought that that was a questionable idea. As it turns out, they were "somewhat" WRONG!! I did some modeling mostly of swimsuits in college and continued my quest in acting as an extra in films....mostly!
I relax walking my golden retriever in the farm across the street and in the beautiful glen and river down the road, Exercising or having a glass of white wine while talking to good friends is how I relax too!
I cannot recall the wildest thing I did in school as I was pretty shy for the most part..but my outgoing and crazy boyfriend from CHS at the time -Jay Curlee more than made up for my lack of wildness and shyness....that is for sure!
If I'm going to work somewhere, I need to have space, variety and an interesting work environment to be able to deal with the day-to-day thing. I work well alone and hate having a supervisor hovering over me!
Having a hero is a tough one.....but I'd say Jim Newcomer,CHS's theatre arts teacher influenced my life and career choices the most. I tried out for commercials and films with HIS belief in me......and somehow got some jobs!
I have lived in NYC, Kew Gardens, NY near JFK airport, Hampton Bays, NY, in NJ for a spell, Brookline,MA near Boston,Westchester and Playa del Rey, CA,; Gales Ferry, CT, Upper Marlboro and Edgewater,MD,Bahrain in the Middle East and presently make my home in Portsmouth, RI.(Enuf moves?????????)I commuted to St.Louis from Los Angeles by air to work for TWA about twice a week for 2 years. I moved around ALOT due to my airline job and also my husband's job with Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
The one person from my past who I'd most like to see again is Janice Bruce Corak. We reunited at the 40th reunion in September 2008(she is in the class of '71) and we felt like we were soulmates when we met up once again. I am so sorry we let so many years go by before reconnecting! She is as "wonderful, vivacious and innocent" as she was 40 years ago!
I am surprised that life has a lot more surprises than I expected. I was used to watching old romance movies and life just isn't like the way the stories portrayed it was SUPPOSED to be!
Golden retrievers, New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, photography, working out at the gym, Christian prophecy and church are my interests and passions!!! Family has ALWAYS been foremost with me! American Idol also keeps my attention! We like HOUSE too!
If I could improve my home,I'd remodel my master bedroom and the family room just below it and add on an addition. My dream home would be where it IS......just bigger with more storage space! I live across from a farm, a beautiful river and an alpaca farm! What's not to like here????
I have learned from my "kid" that they will grow up with the values you instill in them at a young age....even if it is not apparent right away. I am blessed to have a very level headed and conservative son who loves to come home to visit his parents and pup and loves the Lord. Not a big party-er (like his Mom and Dad were.....yahoo!)
I saw Jim Newcomer in September 2008 for a visit in the new CHS auditorium after the 40th reunion! We had a blast reminising about the way Coronado USED to be.......I remain in e-mail contact with him and will always think of him fondly for oh so many reasons.......!!!
If I won $100 million, I'd give some of it to charity, then spend the rest of it on family, a dream home aside from where I now live and save much of it for the future. I'd also take an extensive tri...Expand for more
p to Europe and thru the United States with my family and pup in an elaborate motorhome!
I lived at the Chi Omega sorority dorm floor at Palo Verde West at ASU for one year in 1972. I found I preferred living at home. Sorority life was too caddy! I am a loner and pretty private really!
To be truly happy...who knows...I have been happy several times in my life........but am still searching for things to add to my "happiness list"! I love where I live and my pup is awesome as well as my son!
My current age is 57 (OMG!). When I was 12, I thought that people my age were OLD and some would be in a nursing homes at that age. I was so completely wrong.............at least where "I" stand now!
Still want to do some acting...and do things to HELP people...I feel I am at my best helping people......or dogs!
I have had so many careers to date....I can't decide what ELSE I want to do anymore! I'm tired of changing careers! I want to be a lottery winner...............SOON!
I e-mailed my first crush recently....but I don't think he knows WHO he is! And I won't tell! But we went to grade school together at Hohokam.....and he was pretty athletic too! He e-mailed me back.......!
My best friend would tell you I'm thoughtful, but people who don't know me very well would probably describe me as shy back in school.........but I am rather outgoing NOW! I think the flight attendant/actress thing changed me a bit! I always felt like a fish out of water at CHS.......anyone else? I still rather DO!
I still have my clothes from college days.....not that they are stylish....but there really isn't anything WRONG with them! At least I can still fit into them! AMEN for that!
The weirdest job I ever had might be as a model who had to stand still as a mannequin in the store as people walked by...you could not blink or say anything. Just stand completely still. It was at the former Goldwater's...not for sure! I hated working at a laundromat in Scottsdale.....missed instructing at the cheerleading tryouts clinic and being a dancer in CHS's Guys and Dolls..darn!..What was I thinking? I LOVED cheer and theatre!!
I share my home with my husband and pup which I find fun...... but very challenging at times. But I do miss having my kid at home.....ALOT!
I have an acting trophey from Coronado Theatre Arts for Best Female Minor Characterization that totally floored me. Jim Newcomer said he began that award category because of one of my non-speaking roles in CHS's Inherit the Wind. I was totally blown away by the award....still am! But it gave me belief in myself and I pursued acting enough to become a member of Screen Actors Guild in 1978. Have been in 25 films and 5 commercials since. I also have a bowling trophy and one for Miss Auto Queen of Scottsdale and one as the runner-up for the first Fiesta Bowl Queen at Arizona State. Impressed??........... NOT!
IF I had one do over....I actually HAVE "2"- but I do not want to mention them! I DO wish I had been more way more outgoing in high school and tried out for more acting roles. I DO wish I had believed in myself more.....but at least I do now......!
In 10 years I hope to still be in fairly good shape. I'm going to get there by exercising and trying not to get old before my time. OLD in my mind is just a state of mind anyway!
My oldest friend is probably Judy Smith, CHS class of '70. We lived next door to one another in Phoenix in 1959 before we both moved to Scottsdale and wound up at Coronado together. We just had fun together as 8 year olds..and kept the friendship going.....though we have lost contact in recent years! I had kept in close contact with Barb Menoes Wald and Jon Wald for over 40 years!
People at Coronado would probably remember me as rather shy in my early years but not so much as a senior. They might be surprised to know that I worked very hard to appear more outgoing to get into the areas that I loved...like cheerleading, acting, and finally as a flight attendant - all "non-shy" type of activities. But my basic nature is still rather shy. I think I am a very loyal and thoughtful friend. Need one?
My first job other than babysitting was at a dry cleaning place where I worked with Bonnie Bruce and got paid "not enough" to be a laundry clerk. What I remember most about it is that it kept me from helping out at Coronado cheerleaading clinic and tryouts my senior year and the last CHS musical! I wished I'd never done it NOW....I hated the boss!
A childhood memory I'll never forget is living in West Babylon, NY. We grew watermelons in our garden. I watched the clouds up above and tried to find pictures in them...and enjoyed lying around and napping in my family's hammock in the backyard under the trees with no responsibilities. I just enjoyed being a kid and life....when it was carefree and easy! So unlike NOW!
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