John McIlwee:
CLASS OF 1965
Keyser High SchoolClass of 1965
Keyser, WV
John's Story
My story is fairly simple...after I got my second MFA in theatre from WVU, I have been lucky enough to always work in the fields I love for the past 45 years! It was either theatre or fashion and I had a blast in both..we were in Morgantown for awhile...I was in and out of NYC periodically and we still love California, but,I am now living in Raleigh, NC and am the Director of North Carolina State University Theatre. We have fantastic program and I have an unbelievably talented staff and incredible students who keep me on my toes at all times. Nancy (Morris, class of '66) and I moved here because it is truly the "state of the arts". We are out almost every night for theatre, music, dance, and a fabulous choice of restaurants and clubs. (Yes, I know the triangle is a great place for sports but I have only been to 1 basketball game since moving here and that was only because I was invited to a private box in the stadium and the food was out of this world good!)
Nancy and I have 1 daughter and 3 grandchildren now and 3 lb. poodles actually complete the family. We live in a 100-year old Victorian in the historical district behind the Victorian Governor's mansion so it is a great walking AND party neighborhood. This suits our interest in Vintage ballroom dancing (1812 to 1940) that consumes most of the free time we have and almost all of our travel to dance in wonderful historical ballrooms throughout the U.S. and Eu...Expand for more
rope. I love designing the costumes(many of which Bill Cunningham has photographed for the New York Times Style section) and Nancy loves to dance which she does a couple times a week while I am in rehearsal.
I have been off the radar the last two years due to health issues and long visits to every hospital in the area. My doctors say that it is a miracle I made it, but I just chalk it up to having too many projects left to do and the fact that I am having too much fun to retire from the perfect theatre job....a new project every week and I am afraid to stop so I am still directing or designing or acting or singing or dancing or painting or writing and reading my way back to health....I HOPE!!!!!
Has it really been 50 years since we left KHS? I remember so many of you as you were then and I can truly say I had a great time in school and from then on, thankfully! The one character trait I have now is that when I see anyone from those days, i remember the way you were...and that's what i see when I look at you! Not a bad flaw to have even if I say so myself.
Now that I am back in circulation until the next health crisis sneaks up on me, I am doing more than ever and will try to contact as many of you as possible to check in and say hi!
Until that time, please know I think of everyone of you from the "olden" days with great affection...you are part of the reason I have had such a wonderful life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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