Sym Blanchard:
CLASS OF 1970
California High SchoolClass of 1970
Whittier, CA
California Polytechnic State UniversityClass of 1981
San luis obispo, CA
California State UniversityClass of 1975
Fullerton, CA
Granada Junior High SchoolClass of 1966
Whittier, CA
Ceres Elementary SchoolClass of 1964
Whittier, CA
Sym's Story
I grew up in Whittier, California (a suburb of Los Angeles) with a great older brother and three wonderful younger sisters. I migrated to the San Francisco Bay area in 1981 residing until 2017 in San Francisco, Salinas, Fremont, Santa Rosa, Walnut Creek, and San Ramon. My main residence is now San Diego, CA.
I graduated from California High School in Whittier in 1970, California State University, Fullerton BA Mathematics in 1975, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo BS Mechanical Engineering in 1981.
I took about three years off at various times in the 1970s to hitchhike throughout Central America, South America, Alaska, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
I worked for Pacific Gas and Electric (a Northern California utility) as a Mechanical Engineer from 1981 to 2017 (36 years). I am now officially retired..
I was happily married to Kristi Kennelly for 28 years. However, our goals had diverged (travel versus lawn work). So we were able to achieve an amicable divorce in 2011. We still have a good relationship. I helped her move from Oregon to North Carolina in 2015 by driving across the country with her and her German Shepherd. A great marriage, Great kids, Great divorce. She continues to be a wonderful lady.
Kristi and I have two wonderful children - Tym and Korbi Kay.
Tym lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He works as a venture capitalist, investing in promising start-up businesses. He also does political work, having worked as a campaign director for a long-time friend who ran unsuccessfully as the Tennessee State Senate. He graduated from law school at the University of Virginia in 2015 and from Duke in 2010 with a Bachelors's in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Biology and did brain cancer research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He has successfully climbed the highest mountains on all seven continents having climbed Mt. Everest in 2018. He ran internet businesses that paid for all his law school expenses and tuition. Tym has a wonderful wife, Kristin Chen Toms, and my beautiful granddaughter, Blaire Mckinley.
Korbi Kay is in Los Angeles, California. She gr...Expand for more
aduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Psychology in 2013. She works as a Pilates and Yoga instructor.
In 2014 I completed a seven-week 3,600+ mile bicycle ride across America (Oregon to New Hampshire) with my old buddy, Tom Slyker.
My son Tym and I were able to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro together in 2009. we enjoyed two months in Nepal in 2012 hiking to Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Base Camp, and the Annapurna Circuit. I completed the entire Pacific Crest Trail hike from Mexico to Canada (2,650 miles) in 2012 as well as the Appalachian Trail (2,189 miles) from Georgia to Maine in August 2017. I am now hiking the Continental Divide Trail (3,100 miles), the Florida Trail (1,300 miles), and the Ice Age Trail (1,100 miles). I have resided for a month in Milan, Italy, three weeks in Oslo, Norway, six weeks in South Africa, six weeks riding the rails in India, three months in Madagascar, 1 year in Australia, three weeks in New York City (to see 24 plays and shows), three weeks in London, England (to see 18 plays and shows). I had a great experience in 2015 hiking the 50 miles from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to help commemorate the 50-year 1965 Civil Rights march.
I gave up my car in 2011 and bought my beloved Rivendell A. Homer Hilsen bicycle which I rode across America. I now travel almost totally by public transit, bicycle, or foot. I donated my bicycle in 2023 and now rely on public transportation and occasional car rentals.
I have been working on my family tree, having identified over 60,000 relatives so far. I have helped organize and attended various German, Swiss, Norwegian, and Scotch-Irish family reunions in Brazil, Germany, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.
I am interested in living a very long productive life (eating right, exercising, good spiritual practices, stress management, sleeping well, being socially connected, especially with my family). I lost about 70 pounds in 2002 and have been able to keep it off.
I am looking forward to more long-distance ultralight backpacking, world travel, and connecting with family and friends. Life is a blast!!
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