Susan Parker:
CLASS OF 1967
Temple City High SchoolClass of 1967
Temple city, CA
Emperor Elementary SchoolClass of 1959
Temple city, CA
Susan's Story
Life
I've moved back to California from New York and have been living in Northridge with my fiance and my 15+ year-old chocolate Lab, Duncan in a little old house and a big yard. We recently (10/31/10) got married; he's a wonderful guy that I met back in 1977 before I took off to live and write in England. I was a fool and should've gotten married to him back then! But that's all water under the bridge, and now our lives back on track.) My husband's name is Jim Parker (Pomona College, Class of '73) and he went to college with some of the kids from our class. Kent Cullers and Charlie Golden come to mind.
I had been working as a technical writer since I moved back out to California, but my last job, writing user guides for Toshiba's laptop and desktop computers, servers and routers, was sent off to Taiwan. As a result, I've been unemployed for the last 7 years. Such a reversal of fortune is hard to deal with, but I'm trying hard to find new work, and have been for some time. We're confident I'll find something. I have a degree in Economics/management from Fordham University in New York, with post-graduate work at Columbia University, also in New York. In NYC, I worked as a Sr. Economist for the Office of the City Comptroller. After a number of years working on Wall St., that was quite a change! The "pace" of work was so different! But I loved all the analytical work and financial writing.Now, when I see what goes on in the 21st Century on "The Street" I wonder how a "nice girl like me" could ever have been a Wall St. banker!
I'm still in touch with some friends from TCHS, (two of which I met when I was in third grade at Emperor School!) and have annual "slumber parties" with three other women (2 Class of '67, o...Expand for more
ne Class of' '69). We "alternate locations" every other year---this year it was in Arcadia, as "the Blah-Blah Sisterhood" girls came down for my recent wedding. Next year, it will no doubt be up in San Luis Obispo, closer to the other three "members" of our group.
Jim and I enjoy the company of friends, but more importantly, enjoy the company of each other! We've fallen into our "routines" over the past 3-4 years, but they are good ones, and we have a lot of fun. Film at 11:00!
Susie (Kahn) Parker
School
It's strange, but the most profound memory I have is from my Freshman year. It was a hot (REALLY HOT) November day and just before lunch, it was announced that President Kennedy had been shot. Feeling numb, Kris Shafer and I went to sit on one of the railings out front. I remember, as if were tattooed on my memory, when Mr. Canfield (I think it was he)came out and lowered the flag to half-staff! It was then that I knew that the beloved young president had died.
My most inspirational teachers were Mr. Thaller (Mr. Bowtie) and Mrs. Ackerman. It was Mr. Thaller who encouraged my love of science, and Mrs. Ackerman who taught me the love of literature, and who encouraged me to write, write, write!
Would I do it all again? I don't know. Except for my few friends, I always felt like a girl on the edge of a circle. Being Jewish made me feel out of it for some reason. Of course, by that time, I was used to being in the minority, and it usually didn't bother me, except when people tried to invite me to church. Sometimes, I think that if I had it to do all over again, I would've gone to Pasadena Polytechnic. My dearest friends I'd known since my days at Emperor school, so I would've still seen them regularly anyway.
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