Kenneth Purkiss:
CLASS OF 1963
South Gate High SchoolClass of 1963
South gate, CA
Los Angeles City CollegeClass of 1966
Los angeles, CA
Los Angeles Trade - Technical CollegeClass of 1965
Los angeles, CA
Kenneth's Story
I live in Crossville, TN, with my wife, Candace, on top of a mountain in a log house. We have lived here for about 3 years after moving from Stockton, CA where I lived for several years.
After graduation I worked at Firestone Tire Plant in South Gate, in their printing department.
I got married in 1965 and had a son in 1966. I got divorced in 1973 and moved to Fresno, CA. Remarried in 1977 and have been married to Candace ever since. I am now living on a mountain top in TN just like Davy Crockett.
I am retired and have been diagnosed with Alzheimers. Don't know if I will be able to attend upcoming get togethers.
I spent 4 periods a day, all through High School, in print shop typesetting the school newspaper and other school forms, etc. I wasn't very well known by many people but I did have a few close friends, Richard Stuart, and Gary Miller (who was killed in Vietnam in 1965). I got out of bed every day at 2:00 AM for 4 years through high school and delivered 200+ LA Times papers.
I married my first wife in 1965. She was from Long Beach. We had a son in 1966 named John. He now lives in the bay area with a wife and two kids. My wife Candace and I were married in 1976, my #2 son, Joshua, age 33, is a policeman for the Chicago Police Department and just got married and honeymooned in Mexico last month.
I spend my time hiking, working on my log cabin, and taking care of our 7 cats.
The wildest thing I every did was to sneak onto the school grounds late one rainy night and try to stop up the drains in the school yard so they would cancel school that day. Didn't work, someone unstopped it.
I always wanted to be the next Elvis, but unfortunetly I can't carry a tune in a bucket, so the idea was discarded very soon in life.
I sold insurance for 4 years in Ora...Expand for more
nge county, then moved to Fresno, CA and worked as a bartender for a Denny's Restaurant. (They don't have bars anymore.) I was promoted to restaurant manager and moved to King City CA and managed there for 3 years. I then managed a new Denny's, which was just finished, in Stockton, CA. for 3 years where I met and married my wife, Candace. We have been married 32 years and are very happy.
After my marriage to Candace, I took a job in St. Louis, MO as a business manager for a Television Minister named David Paul, (he was an old friend of my wife's family and was practically raised as a brother to my wife's father.)
We lived in St. Louis for about 6 years until the 1985 flood wiped out our office complex. My boss decided to move his offices to Connecticut, he offered to move us there but we decided that was to far away from family so we moved back to Stockton, CA.
After moving back to Stockton, I was the business manager for another church organization for 6 years.
We then decided we wanted out of California for good, so we sold our house and bought some land with a log house on it in Tennessee, just south of Crossville by 26 miles.
We have lived her for the last 3 years and plan to stay until we die.
I always wanted to be rich when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a crazy idea. As it turns out, they were right.
I am not a millionaire, but I rich in many better ways, a wonderful wife, two sons who are the pride of my life, and security for the rest of my life.
PS: anybody hear of Mr. King, my print shop teacher, when did he retire and how he is doing?
I always wanted to be a millionaire when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a crazy idea. As it turns out, they were right! I am not a millionair but I am rich in many other ways. .
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