James Clark:
CLASS OF 1976
Lasalle High SchoolClass of 1976
St. ignace, MI
Dundee High SchoolClass of 1976
Dundee, MI
James's Story
I know that this missive should concern what I've been up since school. Alas, I have attended many schools during my lifetime, so rather than leave out information that some old classmates are reading this to find, I will instead relate an abbreviated version of my life.
In other words, be prepared for utter boredom.
I was born in Saint Ignace, Michigan in 1958. At least, that's what it says on my birth certificate - I, however, have no recollection of it.
First and second grades - Grand River Kentucky. I have virtually no memories of this period, either, except for embarrassing or traumatic ones... have you ever noticed that such memories stick with you even when the good ones don't?
Third, fourth, and part of fifth grades - Gros Cap Elementary, St. Ignace. a few lasting friendships, a few good memories, but most of this period is lost in the mists of time.
The remainder of fifth and part of sixth grades - Rapid River Elementary, Rapid River Michigan. Just marking time.
The rest of sixth and part of seventh grades - back to Gros Cap. Became reacquainted with old friends, did a lot of small game hunting and fishing.
The rest of seventh along with eighth, ninth, and tenth grades - These were good times. A large part of this was, of course, that I made the transition from girls being gurrrllls, ick, to wow! You know... puberty had finally completed its work and an entirely different perspective on life took over. I made some good friends during this time, but due to time and distance, these friendships have lapsed. I also (in my own evaluation) made the biggest mistake of my life during this period. I will not relate it to you in this public forum... if you are curious, ask privately and I may or may not grant your request. There were many firsts for me also, some of which were...
First time that I was recognized for something other than intellectual pursuits (i.e. swim team)
First drunk (followed by my first hangover)
First time that I related to others a particularly stupid and/or clumsy thing that I had done, just because it was too hilarious to be kept to myself
First girlfriend (who will always own a piece of my heart).
Eleventh and Twelfth Grades - LaSalle High School, St. Ignace, Michigan. Again, new friendships, most of which have lapsed over the years, along with the renewal of some old ones. New experiences (drama club? oh no! did you hear that 'ping'? That was a high school boy's worst nightmare... the wimp-o-meter pegging out on overload.) Comradery and foolishness intermingled, with a liberal sprinkling of the feeling of invulvnerability common to all teenagers. Graduation Day (Wow, when did you get that cleavage?)
College (the first time around) - Michigan Tech, Houg...Expand for more
hton, MIchigan. Up until this point I had never had to study to get good grades. Coupled with the eighteen year old drinking age and a lack of commitment, I quit school before I was thrown out. With a spectacularly bad GPA (more on this later). During this time, I compounded the biggest mistake of my life.
Electrical Apprenticeship - The Upper Peninsula of Michigan along with northern Wisconsin. The four year program took eight years to complete due to a lack of work at the time. Thank you ever so much, reaganomics!
College (the second time) - back to Tech. With maturity, I was able to haul that abysmal GPA that I had saddled myself with up to the point where I was able to graduated cum laude. It would have been much easier to get that BSEE if I had just buckled down the first time around... oh, well, it's the mistakes we make that allow us to grow.
Electrical Engineer - Port Huron, Michigan. As the only electrical engineer in a 70 year old paper mill, I found that I was putting bandaids on bandaids. With a totally inadequate budget and a maintenance crew that literally could not troubleshoot a blown fuse without supervision. After 22 months of this, I quit and went back to the tools.
Electrician - Some say that I am the best electrician in the state. Those people, obviously, have been at some variety of controlled substance. Others say that I am the biggest pain in the derriere in the state. They are probably closer to the truth.
In any case, looking back at my life so far, I have done many things that I am proud of, and some that I regret. All but one of the ones I regret I have at least apologized for, and hopefully I can rectify that.
To wrap up, at present I'm an electrician with an electrical engineering degree. A house on Lake Michigan, never been married, no kids. Any old friends out there, drop me a line and we'll get together and talk about old times, and catch up on the new ones.
Jim
On July 27th, I called every woman that I cared about. I wanted to remind them of the absolute importance of getting their PAP smears and mammograms done at the recommended intervals. For anyone who reads this, PLEASE, ensure that your loved ones have these tests done. A pink ribbon on the back of your vehicle, a reposting on Facebook... that doesn't do it.
I lost my mother to breast cancer, and I lost my little sister to cervical cancer. Mom was 77, and Janna had just turned 51. Sis and I were the caregivers for mom, and I was the sole caregiver for sis. Janna died in extraordinary pain, begging for me to put a bullet through her brain.
So guys? Make sure that your beloved ladies get the tests done! Ladies? Don't put it off! Early detection IS the answer, if you wait for symptoms to show up, it's too late.
JC
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