Charles Bradley II:
CLASS OF 1985
Marietta High SchoolClass of 1985
Marietta, OH
Charles's Story
Looking back, I hope that old friends remember me as kind, considerate, friendly, and easy to get along with. When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a cartoonist/writer--but by the time I reached 5th or 6th grade, my focus turned to music. I also played baseball and basketball growing up. As I progressed into music more deeply, sports were set aside.
What inspired me to study music in college and teach music for a living was Mr. Kimball, our HS band director. He had a way of being tough, yet caring to all his students. His door was always open if you had a problem to discuss, or just wanted to talk. He encouraged me to follow my dream and wrote a nice recommendation letter (which I still have) for me when I applied to Ohio University to study Music Education.
I lived in Marietta until 1990, then I took a teaching job as an assistant band director for the Mansfield City Schools in Mansfield, OH (1 hour north of Columbus). I moved because I had to go where the jobs were--at the time, there were no decent teaching jobs in southeastern Ohio.
The one person from my past who I'd most like to see ag...Expand for more
ain is Monica Updike, because I had such a crush on her in HS, and she was really pretty--I'm sure she still is.
My biggest surprise in life was the fact that I thought I would get married, have 2 kids (one named after me, i.e. Charles III), and teach in a nice, suburban school. But that didn't happen--I got married in 1997, had a shaky marriage for 12 years, adopted 1 child (whom I love to death) because my wife didn't want to have biological children, and now I'm divorced. In addition, I have been teaching in an urban school for 23 years(VERY different than Marietta) with a lot of problems. Nice.
My first job was at McDonald's, where I got paid 3.35 (?) to Cashier. What I remember most about it is working the drive-thru with Angie Butler--another nice girl!
My oldest friend would have to be Matt Chociej, who also attended MHS. He and I share the same taste in music and as friends, we were always there for each other when times were tough. He's living in the Seattle, WA area.
To conclude, I hope in the next few years, I can reconnect with friends from the past and rebuild my life after my divorce.
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