Frederick Boutcher:
CLASS OF 1966
Bayside High SchoolClass of 1966
Bayside, NY
Frederick's Story
I remember my time in High School as not a very good time. I was not a very popular person, not a nerd, but for sure did not fit into the fast crowd. Who ever was the people who put the year book together put next to my name, "I vouch for that" though those words never came out of my mouth. It was a last hit by the "Cool" Crowd on my family name of Boutcher. All I wanted to do was get out of that place. I did not attend the prom,I did not buy a year book or a school ring. I just wanted to be gone. i was also not the smartest nail in the shed. Not because I was dumb, I just hated being there. I was supposed to graduate in 1965 but came up three credits short. So I was forced to do another full year for three credits. Problem was that I had satisfied the Math, English, History and Science majors. I was short on credits because I did not take the Regents Exams. The year I was forced to do for three credits, I took, Electric Shop with Mr. Andrews, Machine Shop with Mr Lux and Home Economics (Cooking class) with Mrs Small. Now here is the joke. I got a 97 in Electric Shop, a 96 in Machine Shop and 95 in cooking. Because Bayside High School based the final graduating grade on the last year, I had a 96 GPA and they were forced to put me on the Honor Roll!! I was also awarded the Industrial Arts Achievement Award at Graduation. I was done! I was out of Bayside School.
I went into the US Navy on August 2nd 1966. Was sent to Electricity and Electronics School and Communications School, then was assigned to the Mobile Riverine Force as the Radioman on a Alpha Boat, A-91-3, part of River Division 91. That was 1967. In 1968 i was promoted to RM2 and became the Boat Captain of A-91-3. Was awarded the the Vietnam Gallantry Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V", The Naval Combat Ribbon, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Medal as well as being Certified as a Navy Diver. On September 13th, 1969 my Boat took a hit from a 106 MM Rocket which killed two of my Crew and ripped me apart. I spent 8 months in the hospital at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines before I was finally discharged from the Navy, May 2nd 1970.
Went to work for ...Expand for more
a company in Flushing New York called Bayside Tiners Inc. It was a Electrical Design company Designing and building Electrical Controls for animation of lighting. Did Broadway shows, TV Game shows, Rock and Roll Shows, Trade Shows. Gale Dorothea, the man who owned Bayside Timers financed me to go back to school and complete my Engineering Degree. Going to NYU at night I graduated with my Electrical Engineering Degree in 1974. Took the Engineering boards and was certified as an Electrical Engineer. Went on to become Bayside Timers, Electrical System Design Engineer. Worked there for 10 years.
Gale reached the age of 77 and decided that he wanted to retire so he called me to his side and told me that he wanted me to go and see this man. His Name was Irving Berk. He owned Berk Trade School and was a good friend of Gale. Mr. Berk and I hit it off really well and I became a teacher of Electricity. Specifically teaching the Theory of Electricity and it application in the construction trade. Went back to NYU from 1980 to 1988 at night to get my teaching degree and take the teaching boards. Taught at Berk for 14 years.
In 1994 I was invited to go and Teach Electrical Physics at Aramco University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I took the offered position and taught in Saudi for 16 years. In 1995 I took vacation from Saudi and went to the Philippines. I went to the hospital at Clark where I had spent 8 months back in 1969 to 1970 and found that the Nurse who took care of me then was still there. Her name was Priny. On July 24th, 1997 we were married at the American Embassy in Manila, then we were married at the Philippine Office of Foreign Affairs in Manila, then we were married by a Judge at Municipal Hall in Manila and finally we were married at the Church in Asingan, Pangasinan where we live. Asingan is 7 hours of driving North of Manila. Our home, "Two Winds Estates" is up in the little village of Asingan called Carosucan Norte. We live up in the mountains surrounded by jungle.
On March 16th, 2011 I retired and Priny and I are living happily ever after in the Castle I built for us. No really!! I built us a castle. I am now 64 years old and have been retired and living in paradise for just over a year.
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