John Dwyer:
CLASS OF 1983
Bristol Eastern High SchoolClass of 1983
Bristol, CT
Central Connecticut State UniversityClass of 1998
New britain, CT
John's Story
Life
Well, this proves it: I'm still a geek! Damn it! I joined this website to see if I can connect with old friends from high school, but I suppose there are other folks I can connect with. Soooo..hey everybody!!! I'm sure many of you will either just drop your jaw as you read...or...more likely stop reading and not ever say hi! Oh well!
Jeez - who am I? Well, some remember me with the lame name John Krawiec (name as lame as the person who gave it). Changed name to Dwyer as soon as legal to do it (it's my step-father's name). While serving in Turkey, got the nickname Jay - and well, it just stuck. There were 5 of us named John on a small detachment - one got to keep John, a Tech Sgt was always Johnny - so he got to keep that, then there was Jack, JC, and...I became Jay - Jay Dwyer.
So, let's see: Graduated Bristol Eastern in 1983. But family drama around my sister's murder by her husband during my senior year made it difficult for me to focus on college - so after working for 3 years in banking/insurance until the guy went to jail - I bailed on CT for the military. The recruiter said: "You'll be in Germany in 6 months." HA!
Ended up in Minot, North Dakota for the next 4 years. Wasn't the best time in my life, but I'm thankful for it now. In 1991, I was deployed to Turkey until I left active duty in Dec 1992. Although I was struggling with my sexuality in North Dakota, it wasn't until Turkey that I decided I was tired of hiding, so I was going to muster out. But...between deciding to leave and the time I actually left, Clinton was elected and I thought it might be time to sign up for the Reserves. Unfortunately, Clinton didn't hold up on his promises, and within a few months, I felt compelled to come out in the press in CT as a gay man serving in the mili...Expand for more
tary - well, the Reserves. But after my first 2 week stint and the BS I heard about "Clinton's Boys" and all the other grief, I got tired of the BS...and left the Reserves (before they kicked me out anyway).
Since then, I went back to school at Central CT State University (undergrad in sociology) - while cutting my teeth on HIV and queer activism and community development. Upon completing my degree, I moved cross country.
And since 1998, I'm still alive and well and living in San Francisco. Originally worked in HIV social services, but from 2002 to this past summer was coordinating administrative services and outreach for an HIV research unit at UCSF / SF General. The nurses I worked with just captivated me and the work made sense for me, so I applied and was accepted to UCSF's Masters Entry Program in Nursing. Am now a practicing RN and taking a year off to work in hematology/oncology. I'll start the final two years of graduate study in Sept 2008. When I finish, I should be an Adult Nurse Practitioner with an HIV specialty.
In the meantime, HIV and queer activism is my life's work and passion, especially focused on queer health outcomes. As a consequence of my involvement in the movement and my desire to help queer people reconnect with themselves, I have also donned the habit of a nun as Sister Constance Craving and under the auspices of the San Francisco Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence I have been doing street and bar ministry, fundraising, hospice work, community building, speaking engagements, workshops, and a host of other things for the past 6 years. It is an amazing way to marry all of my interests - as the spirit is really the bond in any marriage!
So, if I haven't lost you yet...contact me. Would love to find out what has happened to others...
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Reunions
Register for Free to start a reunion event!
Photos