Ronald Cotton:
CLASS OF 1974
Stearns High SchoolClass of 1974
Millinocket, ME
Granite Street Elementary SchoolClass of 1969
Millinocket, ME
Ronald's Story
I doubt any body actually reads these, but I'll take a stab at it. When I was 19 Mathew Williams encouraged me greatly in my decision to join the Navy where I spent 4 years on active duty on board the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea CV43 out of Alameda, California and 8 years as a drilling reservist out of Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.
I had a brief marrage to my home port sweet heart. The girl gave it a great try, but let's face it home life with me in my 20s was no picnic.
I went to culinary school and community collage on the GI Bill in the mid 80s. I spent a couple of years living in Seattle, but mostly I lived around the greater San Francisco Bay Area in: Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, and Petaluma.
Out of the blue I moved to Portland, Maine from Petaluma, California in 1990. Leaving all of my adulthood acomplishments and friendships on the west coast behind to start life back in Maine was tough at first. I no longer really knew people here.
Now I've been here long enough that I am nearly as much of a local as those who are Portland born.
Looking over the story ideas I've come up with these answers:1 the big surprise was I showed up to a class reunion driving leagally, 2 I wouldn't want to see any of those teachers (at the risk of exposing bad motive maybe Fitty), 3 I'm not telling! No one knows it was me who did it, 4 We still seem to be fond of one another, 5 if they can remember back then they were never friends of mine, 6 on the stage at Stearns High School telling tall tales about you to your great grea...Expand for more
t grandchildren , 7 that I am a darn good teacher, 8 Back in 1977 I'd have done a better job of cleaning the grease off from my hands before I shook hands with Steve Jamison when we ran accross one another in the Pacific ocean on board the USS Coral Sea, 9 Property sitting on a tugboat for 2 years, 10 dozens of places I have had the wander lust all of my life.
Well this has been fun. Perhaps I'll add to it some other time. Bye for now.
ps: A friend from Town we all use to call FunGuy was living in Hartford. We ran across one another at a music show in Mass. When the concert was over I wasn't able to find the people I had come with. Concerned for my well being so late at night and far from home FunGuy had me go to Hartford with him and his companions to stay the night at his place. The next day he and some of his friends drove me to my aunt's house in New Hampshire. On the way there he told me how it was important to be happy to see and hospitable to any one we encounter from Millinocket when we are away because being from Town is a special thing only Millinocket people share. He died soon after. It was months before I got home and heard the sad news. My mother said when she was at his funeral all FunGuy's friends frm Hartford asked her about me and how I was doing. They were impressed at how Millinocket people look after their own. This all happened almost 35 years ago. I remember those last words he said to me bad boy to bad boy as if it had just now happened. It changed my whole perspective on who we are and where we're from.
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