Nicholas (Nick) Beck:
CLASS OF 1970
South Gate High SchoolClass of 1970
South gate, CA
Nicholas (Nick)'s Story
(Hello Nadine Young. I’m so glad someone remembers me! I remember you well.)
Oh... so long, long ago. Some of my memories of SGHS are amazingly crystal clear. Yeah, I was one of those profoundly introverted, skinny ‘lil fellers, hiding out in Mel English’s photo lab, tinkering with cameras, strobe lights, darkroom chemicals and water baths. It was my all-consuming passion at the time. This was 1968-69. Had GREAT fun on photo shoots for the yearbook and school paper, which included businesses for ad revenue, and traveling with camera with our sports teams. It felt like a real job.
I graduated SGHS, but didn’t show up for the senior festivities or the senior portrait, which I regret, so I’m not in the 1970 yearbook, dad gumit. Always regrets in life, yes? When you have kids, later in life, then you understand why that high school senior yearbook is significant to your life story.
After high school, I knocked around South Gate, Huntington Park, and Long Beach, where I had a series of easy jobs, and did a lot of lounging on sand and surf, and traveled the West in my ‘lil V-dub. I really enjoyed my studio apt on Gaffey Street in San Pedro overlooking the harbor. I did photo finishing for Berkey and Snap Pak, and had some gigs as a wedding photog. I also enjoyed my stint at Sargent Industries where I assembled and tested “quiet” precision valves for our attack submarine fleet. Not bad. No stress.
After 8-years of coasting along on fumes (low income), it was high time for a course correction. I began taking classes in biology, chemistry, and lab technology at Long Beach Community College. Suddenly, out of the blue, I was hooked on bioscie...Expand for more
nce. Two years later, I moved to Boston at age 29 where I had my pick of jobs in medical. I continued with classes there and soon found work in a hospital laboratory (hematology, serum chemistry, bacteriology, and serology). Finally, a decent paycheck! Met my wife in the chem lab when I was age 30 (she was 23). We dated for a long, long time. Married six years later.
As an aside, I delved into the fix ‘n flip real estate thing, after hours and weekends. That turned out to be a very lucrative hobby (I recommend it when the market is ripe). Turns out I’m good at repairing and building like my old man was -- so that was a good fit. Continued with classes part time, this time in digital and analog electronics, then shifted gears into business machine sales and service, and then to medical analyzer installs and repair.
My son came along very late in my life. I was 47, wife was 40. He’s now 18. Heck of piano player, and he’s soon off to UMass Amherst in pursuit of an undergrad. We reside in central Massachusetts. It’s a remote, rural little town I whimsically refer to as “Willoughby,” population 7,980. Idyllic in some ways. It’s nestled in thick woods, is sparsely settled, and best of all, it’s dead quiet. I’m retired, and finally have “reading time,” and time for other interests, such as golf, astronomy, electronic tinkering, meditation, and mentoring my boy. I suppose, all in, I’m content with where I’ve ended up at age 65. Life, I’ve discovered, is about stringing joyous moments together, and finding that serenity that lies hidden deep within one’s soul. With any luck, I just might have a grandchild one day soon. I’d really like that.
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