John Daley Jr.:
CLASS OF 1962
Randolph High SchoolClass of 1962
Randolph, MA
John's Story
"After High School Graduation (June 1962) I went to Saunders Electronic School (September 1962) in Boston to study Basic & Advanced Electronics. I received my Diploma and in June 1964 enlisted in the US Navy as a designated Electronic Technician (ET). I served for 5 years (one extension), primarily stationed in various locations on the West Coast but did a Westpac Cruise and a Tour of Duty in Vietnam during 1966. My major transition year was 1969; I was discharged from the Navy, got married, obtained career employment with Raytheon Company and enrolled in College (nights) under the GI Bill. I met my wonderful wife at a coming home from Vietnam Party (at my house) in early 1967; Eileen was from East Weymouth and a co-worker & friend of my best friend girlfriend. Eileen & I have been married for 52 years; we have two terrific daughters and four very special grandchildren (3 girls & 1 boy). After many years going to various colleges nights I managed to earn an Associate and Bachelor degrees in Business Management. I spent 31+ years within Raytheon Company; initially in Quality Control and subsequently transitioning to a new career field in Human Resources in 1977. I am a graduate of Raytheon's Middle Management, Management and Advance Management Programs. I traveled extensively both domestically & internationally; my Family and I lived in the Middle East (Saudi, Egypt & Jordan) for almost 5 years. In 2000 I transferred to a new company (Washington Group International, Inc.) in conjunction with an Acquisition Agreement for the purchase of a Raytheon Subsidiary. I spent 5+ years with them; retiring as the Director of Human Resources for their Defense Business Unit in March 2006 with 37 years of credited service. My wife and I relocated from Northern Virginia to Connecticut in 2005 to be near our children & grandchildren and we own a home in a 55+ Independent Living Community. I continued to work part-time as an Independent Senior Consultant for almost another 5 years, fully retiring at age 66 in December 2010. We spend most of our time with our grandchildren (sports, recitals, school activities, vacations & family outings). I enjoy Genealogy and put a lot of time into researching our family Trees. The Civil War still interests me and I continue to visit Civil War Battlefields & Reenactments. I love movies & music and still go to Concerts; we try to get to Manhattan for a Broadway Show a couple of times a year. Life has been good to me; despite “cataract surgery” in both eyes, a “detached retina” and “triple coronary by-pass” heart surgery. .
Update: March 2021
Between 2011 and 2020, life in retirement certainly exceeded my expectations. We enjoyed a close relationship with our two daughters (who both live within 20 minutes from our house) and have a strong bond with each of our four grandchildren. We saw our oldest granddaughter graduate from High School and get accepted to UCON and our grandson graduate from Middle School & start his freshman year of High School. I am proud to say (to date) all of our grandchildren have been Honor or High Honor students during their primary school years (Grades 1 – 12). I have been fortunate to have been recognized as an “American Veteran” by my grandchildren and have been invited to several school ceremonies honoring our veterans. It can be a humbling but rewarding experience, especially for many Vietnam Veterans. We have all managed to stay close as a family unit and have enjoyed several group-family vacations together: Lake Winnipesaukee, NH - Lake George, NY - Moose Pond, ME & Cape Cod, MA. We have also been lucky enough to go with each of our daughters & their family to Disney World and be a part of the very special first-time memories of each of our grandchildren. Between my Ancestry research & American History trips (the Alamo, Liberty Square, Valley Forge, Plymouth Plantation & many others) I have had a golden opportunity to relive my childhood through my grandchildren. Unfortunately, we did have to deal with a number of significant health issues, my oldest daughter was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer in her left back shoulder which resulted in surgery. My wife had a series of incidents that resulted in foot surgery during which she aspirated; an ankle surgery as well as meniscus and knee replacement surgeries for both legs. Despite these medical setbacks we had some wonderful adventures and created some joyous lifelong memories.
Year 2019 was a milestone year for me. On the positive side I was alive and in reasonably good health. I turned 75 years old (3/4 of a century) and celebrated 50 years of marriage (1/2 of a century) with my wife “Eileen”. We spent our anniversary in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace (as we did on our 25th) and our daughters hosted a Surprise Anniversary Party for our relatives and friends at my oldest daughter’s home in Southbury, CT upon our return from Las Vegas. Our oldest daughter hit her second year “Cancer Free Milestone” and our oldest granddaughter entered her senior year of High School. The year ended with a surge in the Stock Market and our investments did extremely well. On the negative side; my wife was diagnosed with an “Auto Immune Disease” of the eye and referred to Yale Medicine & Health for specialized long-term care & treatment. We also had to say goodbye to our pet Shiatsu “Caesar”; he was a trusted companion & special friend. We feel his loss every day and are so grateful he was part of our family & lives for 14 years. The future looked like it would be full of positive opportunities!
The year 2020 turned out to be a nightmare; the human race was forced to deal with a “Corona Virus Pandemic” which originated in China and quickly spread throughout the world. Here in the USA (declared a Public Health Emergency on January 31st) ...Expand for more
we saw thousands of cases and deaths. On March 13th the President declared the pandemic a National Emergency. All Schools & Businesses (non-essential) were ordered to close for 30 days (on March 17th in Connecticut); unemployment quickly went to an all time high and schools in Connecticut were subsequently directed to cancel all classes for the remaining 2019/2020 school year. The population was instructed to isolate at home and to practice social distancing when required to go outside. We were later advised to wear masks when we are out in public. Eileen & I as well as our oldest daughter are considered to be in the High Risk category. Along with this Health Crisis came a crash in the Stock Market and many investors, including myself, lost a significant amount of their investment value. On May 26th in Minneapolis; a Protest March over an incident of police brutality in which a black person was killed (potentially murdered) turned into a riot accompanied by vandalism, looting, fighting & destruction of property. These lawless activities spread to over 2000 cities in the US. Not a good time for anyone. When it will end and how much damage it does has yet to be determined. It will certainly be recorded in History as a major world disaster.
Well it’s January 2021 and the Pandemic hasn’t ended; there was some hopeful news… two new vaccines were developed and approve for Emergency use by the FDA and inoculations have begun for the first tier of the population (front line workers & seniors over 75 years old). Unfortunately, the distribution & administration plan has hit a snag. The World is now in the midst of a second wave of the virus which is having a much wider & greater impact on our US population. As we entered this year (2021) there were 23.4 million COVID 19 cases and 389,000 deaths recorded in the US. Hospitals have exceeded capacity and our hopes rest in the delivery & effectiveness of the vaccines. There is rising concern that there will be a third wave of the virus this year.
The Presidential Election was a close one which generated tremendous controversy as Democrat Joseph Biden was declared the winner of the final vote. Protests & rioting continue to plaque our major cities and on 6 January 2021 protester against the election results stormed the US Capital Building turning a protest into a riot which destroyed federal property and included attacks on police which resulted in several deaths. A Dark Time for America and there is little optimism that our political parties can work together to heal this divide.
On a more positive note there are now three vaccines and millions of Americans have been vaccinated. On a personnel note I took two COVID 19 tests in December 2020 and both came back negative for the virus. I entered the year 2021 “Free of COVID 19” and now have had my initial shot of “Moderna COVID 19 Vaccine” on January 21st and my second shot on February 18th.
Update: March 2022
It’s July 2021 and we are in the beginning of another outbreak of COVID-19 (Delta Variant) which is highly contagious and deadly. In the US the Delta Variant is spreading through the vaccinated in almost every state and the death toll could exceed last year’s total because so many have not taken the vaccine. Of real concern is there are also breakthrough cases of vaccinated people getting the variant, fortunately the infection does not appear to be severe enough to warrant hospitalization and has not resulted in any deaths to date so far. Conflicting information on the variant and what steps should be taken to mitigate the spread of the virus is everywhere. Parents with school children under 12 years old & not eligible for the vaccine are deeply concerned about school reopening in the fall and they too are conflicted on what steps should be taken to mitigate the spread within the school environment.
It’s Mid-September 2021 and the kids are back in school, unfortunately the Delta Variant has discovered how vulnerable this group is. There are more children in the hospital today than at any other time is this pandemic and social media rages on with what & who’s recommendations are best needed to be taken to stop the spread of this virus in our schools. With current death tolls exceeding last years, far too many are concerned with the potential long tern affects on both adults & children. My perspective has always been dead adults or children really don’t have any future to worry about.
It’s the End of 2021 and the hopes that the end of the COVID-19 Pandemic was just around the corner were blown to pieces with the new COVID-19 Variance “Omicron”. There was some hopeful news earlier in the year …. The Pfizer vaccine was modified and approved for Emergency use by children via the FDA, inoculations have begun for Teens (June: 12 – 17) and children (November: 5 – 11) but the administration plan has not gone smoothly with many parents refusing to have their children vaccinated. Testing for COVID-19 is becoming a national past-time. I have taken two “Home Tests” (both negative) and one “Lab Test” (negative). Even with the vaccines the death toll in 2021 exceeded 2020> I have entered the year 2022 “Free of COVID-19” and have had my initial booster shot of the” Moderna COVID 19 Vaccine” (January 2022)...
Again at this moment in time I remain truly concerned that our country has never been so vulnerable nor the future more uncertain. As a closing comment, I as a Vietnam Veteran was horrible disappointed with our departure from Afghanistan, once again the most powerful country in the world left the fate of its allies to the vengeance of the conquering enemy. So far the New Year has not brought me any greater peace of mind; when it’s over in Ukraine will the dead really appreciate our prayers? As always “Time will Tell”!
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