Thomas Hamilton:
CLASS OF 1978
Jefferson Township High SchoolClass of 1978
Oak ridge, NJ
West Virginia University Institute of TechnologyClass of 1983
Montgomery, WV
Thomas's Story
The summer after graduation I went back to school (County College of Morris) for English. I was never really good at mastering English (I wish I had today's computers back in the 70's). I also worked that summer before I went off college in the fall.
The fall of 1978 I started taking classes at West Virginia Institute of Technology (that is correct - WEST, by God, VIRGINIA). It was here that I started to learn how to learn. I never got the learning game in High School. I felt that I was always two steps behind everyone in the class. The lights turned on during these years. It took me 5 and ½ years to graduate from college, but I did it (with honors). Along the journey I worked for Huntington Alloys in Huntington, WV and Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, VA and used my new engineering skills. In August 1983, I graduated from West Virginia Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.
After graduating college, I started to work full time for the Department of Defense/Department of the Navy at Norfolk Naval Shipyard maintaining and modifying Navy ships as a civilian worker (I was never in the military). I worked in the Design Division on Destroyers, Cruisers, and Carriers. The most impressive ship that I had to work on was the USS Iowa Battleship (BB-61). I then moved position to a group that developed ship work packages (work scheduled to be done at shipyards). This group used Machinery Condition Analysis to determine the running condition of all the mechanical shipboard equipment. Repair work of each piece of equipment would then be determined from the analysis. This job gave me the opportunity to see the World. I traveled to different countries to catch and ride Navy ships. I visited Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Israel, Japan, and Peru. On one trip, I floated off the coast of Liberia for a few days waiting to transfer from one ship to another. (I have been around the World and there is no place like home. Give me the good old US of A any day.)
In 1990, I moved to another group in the DOD. This group was located at the Norfolk Naval Station. I worked as the Atlantic...Expand for more
Fleet Gas Turbine Engineer. It was at this point that I obtained my engineering license (Professional Engineer (PE)) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 1994, many Navy Bases were being closed by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). I was not a veteran and my job was in jeopardy. I happened to find another job.
In 1995, I started working for CSX Transportation, in Jacksonville, FL, using the Machinery Condition Analysis knowledge that I gained while working for the DOD, on train locomotives. Some of the diesel engines used on Navy ships are the same engines used in locomotives. This job was a good fit. I worked for CSX until October 2000 when I got a call from a company called Booz-Allen-Hamilton (not related).
I had put my resume on the Monster web site and Booz-Allen-Hamilton found me. They needed people with railroad experience and made me an offer that I could not turn down. The job was working on the Washington DC Metrorail. I and still working for Booz-Allen-Hamilton as a consultant engineer to the Washington DC Metrorail.
Along this journey, I got married, adopted 4 wonderful boys (three from her first marriage), and then got divorced. In 2008, I obtained an MBA from Webster University (this only took me 11 years to complete, one class at a time and a divorce in the middle). I am now engaged to get married again. I am currently living in Martinsburg, WV.
Update: 12/1/2009
This September I turned 50 years old. It does not feel any different than any other age. When I was young, time took so long to pass. The High School years passed very slowly. Now time is flying by so fast. It felt as if the year just started and now it is December. I hope this is one more year closer to retiring.
I have been looking at the peoples names who graduated from JTHS in 1978 and there are alot of names I do not remember. I guess that comes with over 30 years of time and old age. I did look at the pictures from the reunion and some of the faces I sort of know. I need the caption for help.
I am not good at keeping things up to date, but, I will try on this site.
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