Jimmy Holman:
CLASS OF 1971
Central Gwinnett High SchoolClass of 1971
Lawrenceville, GA
Jimmy's Story
Grew up in Lawrenceville, GA, from humble beginnings in a house I called a 'shoe box' before we moved to a ranch style home. High school honor graduate. Entered the military 3.5 months out of high school as I had no money for college and the job I had at the time paid little. I was not going to take out a college loan, so I enlisted to get the GI Bill, assuming I survived. Vietnam veteran, USAF, '71-'75, SAC, Sergeant with a Master rating in electronics. Worked on various recon aircrafts and drones. Senior missile technician. Flight crew member of an air recon unit. Expeditionary force mobility troop, first deployment, so I had additional weapons, survival, & flight training. Three overseas deployments (tour & TDYs). Yes, I was exposed to Agent Orange, but have no known side effects from it. 1974 NCO Academy graduate. 1974, 12th USAF Airman of the Year. Before enlisting in the Air Force, tried for the USAF Academy, but my eyesight was worse than minimum acceptable requirements (since nearly all graduates later become pilots). However, my eyesight was good enough to be on a flight crew; go figure. Having survived the war, despite some close calls, enlisting in the military was one of the best decisions I made as I received training in electronics which, after service, got me a good job with a research and development company (R&D) and I went on from there. Purchased a fairly large home in '81, thanks in part to the VA home loan. Worked and attended college in the evening graduating with a BS in theoretical and applied physics and a minor in mathematics and almost a minor in pre-engineering. Education was all paid for with no debt. Retired R&D engineer having worked on defense and space systems, missiles, aerospace, computers, microwave communications, and medical equipment for a total of forty-four years. Also, worked in hospitals for eight and a half years of the forty-four years as a Biotech/Bioengineer. I am a supporter of STEM education for young people, as I believe it gives the best chance of success after high school. Due to the high tech, contractual nature of most of my jobs, I worked for 12 companies. Seven of the 12 companies I worked for were Panasonic, EMS Technologies (formerly Electromagnetic Sciences), Intelligent Systems (Intecolor Division), Scientific Atlanta (Broadband Division), Rockwell International (Missile Systems Division), Smith's Medical (formerly Medex), and General Electric (GE) Healthcare, which included working in seven different hospitals. My father passed away in 1993 and my mother in 2008. Married to my wonderful and loving wife Pamela, whom I ...Expand for more
met in college, in ‘79. She has a BS in mathematics, minors in computer science and business, and a Master's in finance. My wife is a retired senior computer systems analyst. We currently reside in Duluth, GA, but also own a home in the mountains with a great panoramic view, a condo on the beach (oceanside), which we recently sold, and an RV. Have pretty much traveled the entire world. Staying active in retirement. Enjoy traveling, cruises, snow skiing, martial arts - Tae Kwon Do, style - Chung Do Kwan (highest brown belt level just below black. Stopped when my instructor stated to attain my black belt, I had to break concrete blocks with my head, by which I responded “Hell No!” It was hard enough to break bricks and concrete blocks with my fist. The last thing I needed was a concussion), reading, writing, chess, and I'm a do-it-your-selfer. My hobby is being creative and innovative - a thinker with end results. I'm a life long learner, so I never get tired of learning new things or subjects. In my world travels, the furthest East I’ve been is Greece and the furthest West is Thailand, due to the war. My favorite vacation locations are Tahiti, Hawaii, Galapagos, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Great Britain, Alaska, and the Canadian Rockies. I have been to several places more than once. I especially like Hawaii due to Mai Tais (drink), luau's, and Hawaiian sunsets. I can honestly say, I went from the out house to the pent house due to hard work and making good financial decisions and investments. Personal quotes, particularly for young people starting out in life, "Things are not as hard as they appear, it’s all how you perceive it. Simplify and persevere." and "Have a goal and stick to it. Difficult challenges lead to greater success." Follow your own path and do not listen to naysayers. Pray for our service men and women. Best wishes to all. FOOTNOTE: I had a stroke in Feb 2017 that caused my right arm to be dead weight. The motor nerves of my right arm were affected only from the elbow to the shoulder. With physical therapy and determination, I have regained full range of motion in my arm and 100% of my strength in a span of ten months. I was lucky as the doctors said it was a major ischemic stroke. Could have been much worse, but only affected my arm. This is proof that most of my brain is empty space. I’ve had to change my eating habits staying away from foods high in sodium. I'm taking medications to prevent future strokes and using a CPAP due to sleep apnea. I have resumed working on projects and chores as though nothing has happened. So far so good.
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