Scott Carrell:
CLASS OF 1970
McClintock High SchoolClass of 1970
Tempe, AZ
Life University - Chiropractic CollegeClass of 1982
Marietta, GA
Cochise Community College - AviationClass of 1971
Douglas, AZ
Scott's Story
It was in Jeri Ridings english class that I read what would most descibe my life.......Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.......and I, I took the one less traveled by and it has made all the difference.
I turned 58 just a few days ago and birthdays are a good reflection pond, the mirror must be cracked because that isn't me I'm Lookin at! I am still very activly engaged in life. I have practiced Chiropracic for the past 28 years and have enjoyed every second, well maybe not the IRS audits. In the past five years I have developed a pain control system that we should have through the FDA and out to the general public in 2010, if you like check us out at painawaypro.com. It has been a real fight trying to bring a new product from the garage to market. It is kind of scary being "ALL IN" at 58.
I have a great wife (we met in the Air Force) and 3 kids. One is a teacher, One is trying to be a rock star(the band isn't bad) and the other is a senior at Corona del Sol, he is also a BMX racer with 4 national wins.
I really haven't thought to much about high school until Robbie Palmer started the reunion notes. Now I have begun to remember a whole lot of great people that really made some impact on my life. Just a few minutes ago Ruth O'Toole requested to be a friend on facebook, I look at her picture and I don't remember anything specific except I knew I should have ask her out 40 years ago. One of her friends is Bill Jackson and I can still picture him with that extreamly slow 67 chevelle (but he was proud) and the night he broke his collar bone at the state fair. Sounds bad but it was funny watching him roll down that huge slide. Bill went to the Navel Academy after graduation and I now I see him on a horse, he couldn't even slide down a slide without breaking something and now he is on a horse!
Somethings just make you smile, like hearing that Gary Sanford and Laura Bautista got married! Gary was one of my best friends and I always felt that he was not his best around women (think Gomer Pyle), in fact if I heard he become a monk with a vow of chastity it would not have been a suprise, but landing a girl as hot as Laura, well life has been good to Gary. Laura would you have dated Gary in H.S, well moot point because he would never have asked. Conrats!
One of my most suprising memories is of Steve Gigax, I have run across only a couple members of our class in all these years, Steve was one of them.
I was stationed at Ching Chaun Cong air base (Taiwan) in 1972 and as I was leaving the base exchange this blond hair dudewas coming in, we we recognized each other immediately it was Gigax, 12,000 miles from McClintock there was Steve, very strange.
On a real lighter side about strange meetings while I was home on leave Jack Eddy (Best Friend) and met a couple of girls and well the next few weeks were fun. His girl was a 40yo german lady named Kitty. well I went back to overseas and was talking with a bunch of guys at the NCO mess at Clark AFB. Well as is the rule we all started swaping "war" stories and when my turn came up I told them all about what a great time I had on leave and happen to mention that my young friend Jack had a thing for this older slightly wrinkles lady named Kitty. Well this Old sargent leaned into me and asked where we had met this kitty and I told him Tempe, AZ. I was somewhat suprised when he said "thats my wife". Well Jack old buddy because of you I had to participate in my first bar fight but since the old guy had a couple of buddies there, at that time I was 0-1 in bar fights.
I have a hard time remembering any of the teachers. There is a haze probably brought on by Boonesfarm apple wine, but there are a few that made a differance. Mr Ruby was a terrific teacher he made history come alive, I am sure my love for history is directly tied to his class. With the thousands of students that went through his class I am sure he would not have rememberd me, but I can never forget him. I was very sad to hear he had died. But I'm sure I was not alone he left a tall legacy and I was fortunate to know him.
I mentioned Jeri Ridings why she stands out has nothing to do with teaching and if you had her in class then you know what I mean.
I had Steve Myers for my guidance counselor. What I remeber most is all of the aptitude test I took for him and after he got the results he said I should join the army. Well if you remember Vietnam, then this guy was inviting me to spend my summer vacation at phu bui or some other delightful hell hole. As fate would have it I have become friends with Steve and see him quite reqularly. A few years ago I ask him why he would have wanted me to vacation in beautiful Ho Chi Minn city and he replied "I was your conselor". Nice to have made an impression, Huh.
My homeroom teacher was Mr Martin(unknown first name maybe Bill) he must have been ok because I have no memory of pain. Mr Martin was the faculity advisor to a strange organization called the Kings Club. The Kings Club consisted of all those not smart enough to get into key club or talented enough to get into the drama club. Anyway I have absolutly no idea what the purpose of that club was. But I was appointed to be the Sargent at Arms, know I wonder if Myers and Martin didn't get together and try to find a way to get into the military sooner. Oh Da Nang how I missed thy.
Ed Regelski was a jewel of a man. If you don't remember him he was the swimming coach during my sophmore year. He taught me the fine art of making a rattail out of a towel and if you have ever been hit with a rattail then you know pain in its opurest form. I have to admit I was the master of the rattail, just ask Gary Sanford to show you his scars. He was a fantastic motivator and is most responsible for me staying with the swim team and excelling at it. I was the a 4th string dog paddler when after a pra...Expand for more
ctice he walked up to me and without saying a word, put a slip of paper in my hand, turned and walked off. It said "Backstroke - you could be good". That was it but after that it was all that mattered I wanted to show him he was right. Mr Regelski was killed in a car accident that summer and I just kind of never delt with it until after state finals in my senior year. Lets just say the tears of a fool.
Don Wilkerson replaced Mr. Regelski and
he was a great coach. He was tougher, more polished and a lot meaner. I really liked him except when the water was 55 degrees, he had no mercy in his heart. I met Mr Wilkerson about 15 years ago, he was s superintendent in the school district then, introduced myself and looking him in the eye knew he had no clue who I was. Nice to know you are remembererd.
The more I think about it I feel as if alzhiemer's is setting up shop. I have no idea who taught me science, math, most english(Jeri Ridings)and any of the other things I was suppose to have learned.
There is one other teacher and I never took a class from her. Ann Thiebert was a classy person. She become a patient of mine and I developed a good rapport with her over the years. I asked her once why she started seeing me and she said that she would only see McClintock alumni, Never had her and yet she knew me. When Mrs Thiebert died I was truly saddend the world had lost a very special person. RIP Ann.
I remember having a lot of fun and There were several girls that I liked. Heres a list if anyone care's
Paula Valenari (married someone alot better)(after she dumped me)
Kay Godin (in your dreams boy)
Kathy Anthoney (prom)(dumped me)
Marcia Miller class of 1969 (dumped me)
Pam Hollinger (to bad you could have been cool - 1970 year book)(dumped me)
Pat Archileta (admired from afar - she would have dumped me)
Maralyn Harrah, Jenifer Huish, Hallie Coppenger, Yvone Cope (mormon girls) (who dumped me before I asked them)
Marsha Depriest (heck of a time(dumped me)(twice)
Anne Collie (we used to talk history, she was smart enough not to go out with me - I consider myself dumped)
Debi Lee - Liked my cat fur tie.
Lailoni Earl - always had a kind word except for the your dumped part.
Leah Rose (dumped me like a bad cold)
Cheryl Carpenter (One kiss I'm Dumped)
The Reason I even mention all of these great people is that they taught me some wonderful lessons that I still remeber to this day and not to mention not to have a fear of rejection. I cant believe that I went from a dweeb frosh that wouldn't even ask a girl to dance to a suave senior with a very thick skin.
To all other girl's of the class of 1970. I am sorry not to have had the opportunity to get dumped by each and every one. Hey don't take that wrong, its just the truth.
The guys I used to hang with were cool for the most part. Time has a way of softening the sharp edges and now it all seems like it was nothing but fun and games. My core of friends included Jack Eddy, Gary Sanford, Alan Rienig, John Hardy, Gary Reno, Jake Kempton, Greg Hendicks, Ron Rahorn and several faces I cannot put a name to. Some of these guys shared some very memorable moments. Like being involved in a plane crash with Alan Reinig at the controls, thankfully only minor injuries. Going 140mph in Jack Eddys GTX we blasted through intersections at over 100mph, my brilliant days. Going to the Pioneer Drive in and leaving a tape recorder under the seat while we went to get a coke and left the girls there. Having a casino night with real games and real money and with real cops showing up. I am sure that everyone had the opportunity to cruise Main in Mesa, get into fights and drag race between the lights. One of my friends even streaked the Arizona Temple. Love-ins at Tempe Beach, football games, basketball, swim meets. My father gave me a bar for my 18th birthday and we hung out at my house a lot. I can't say these were my best days because they are not even close, but they were interesting.
I have often contemplated my our my place and by association our classes place in history. Since we have been born there has been war in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, The Balkins,
Iraq, Iraq part 2, Afganestan. In our life time we have seen the rise of civil rights and the demise of communism. We participated in the largest bloodless coup by marching aginest the war or for the war it made no differsance just that we were involved. Have gone from being about to be extinguiished by nuclear war to getting brain cancer from our cell phones. Ours will never be touted as a greatest generation instead we are the mortor that has held this country together through some of the most interesting time mankind has seen. We have found religion and experienced a godless aloofness. Lost our way only to find it once more. We have hoped for a better world and in many differnt ways have helped to make it so. Along the way we fell in love and relalized that it takes more than love sometimes. We have each laughed, cried, despaired and overcome, felt the wieght if the world and then felt someone lift that weight and then gone on to lift it from someone else's shoulders. Along the way we lost some good friends and love ones but gained life partners and gave birth to the next generation. Our attitubes became hardend and there was steel in our resolve and now we are becoming kinder gentler and less swayed by the winds that push us and more atuned to the soul we posses. Emotions once pushed down and controlled boil easily to the surface and find us more willing to share them with anyone who will look, listen or feel what we have to share. where we looked out, looked up and looked away we now look inward and look towards each other.(to be continued)
Well I will continue this stroll down memory lane at a later time and if by chance you can remember anything about anyone I would love to here it.
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