Chuck McIntyre:  

Life Went to San Fernando High, Poly, then Monroe. Didn't go to college. My motivation at the time was to find an enjoyable creative line of work. I started out at 17, painting cars at various dealerships and doing some custom work such as metalflake, flames, pearl, candyapple as well as some motorcycle tanks, frames etc. I did that for about 14 years. The pay was great, but the work was unhealthy. It was time for a change, so I attended an optical college, then worked as an optician for several years. Over the years as an optician, I mainly worked in Beverly Hills or nearby. I made glasses/nonRX sunglasses or dispensed contacts for a number of well known folks back then such as Elton John, Eddie Van Halen, Patrick Stewart, Robert Redford, Elizabeth Ashley, Paul Newman, Joan Collins, Stephen Bishop, Edgar Winter, Cher, Fran Jeffries, Pepe Ludmir,(Peru)... I remember when Elton John came into our office. As he sat quietly, a crowd of curious people started forming in our shop. In particular, I enjoyed meeting Patrick Stewart (Star Trek). Although I never attended a Star Trek convention, my wife and I still enjoy the series. Patrick Stewart is an extremely gifted actor and great guy as well as the other folks I have had the pleasure of meeting over the years. I met my wife Valerie in 1984, we got married in 1993. A friend living in Atlanta told us about the great home values in the Atlanta area. I visited Atlanta, took a look around and was stunned at what I saw. Houses that would cost $800,000 - 2 million in LA could be purchased in Atlanta for around $150,000 - $400,000. Valerie was working for a company at the time headquartered in Atlanta. She put in for a transfer and we packed up and moved. When we first moved here, people asked me if it was a culture shock movin...Expand for more