Alyson Brendecke:
CLASS OF 1982
Arcadia High SchoolClass of 1982
Phoenix, AZ
Northern Arizona University - MusicClass of 1986
Flagstaff, AZ
Tavan Elementary SchoolClass of 1978
Phoenix, AZ
Alyson's Story
Life
I posted an announcement recently. Take a look! Thanks to a reminder from one of the NAU Choir gang, I have finally added photos to my profile. Sorry I didn't submit a happier photo for "Then." It's from the Summer of 1987 when I left NAU and moved to England to live with my Aunt & Uncle in their pub. I was glowering at my younger cousin, I wanted to kill her. She's still alive, though. It's a long story. The "Now" photo is from the Jules Verne Adventures Film Festival.
I grew up in Phoenix in the same house where my Dad still lives. We lost my Mom in October of 2003. I've been in Southern California since February of 1990. I had been working as a supervisor at Osco Drug in Phoenix since November 1987 until I decided to move to California in 1990. I worked as a supervisor at Savon (same company as Osco) for a few years before moving on to more specialized retail sales at a local camera & photo processing store. I'm very much into photography, so that was a great place to learn a little bit more and get my photos printed at a discount.
I got married in 1992, and in 1995 got divorced, and at the same time got a bit burned-out on retail altogether, so I went a different direction and got into security. I guess you could call it a mid-life crisis, although I'm apt to hope that I haven't reached mid-life yet. After jobs at a few different places, like the local Budweiser brewery and Savon (again) as a security supervisor, I took a position at Warner Bros. Studios. I've been with the studio for 11 1/2 years.
I still keep in touch with a couple of friends from Tavan and Arcadia. It would be nice to reconnect with a few more that I've lost track of. As far as NAU is concerned, those were probably the best years of my life. After I left I had only a few encounters with my choir and Tri Delta friends, but lost track of most of them as well. My world became small when my Mom got sick, causing me to put my friends at a lower priority. My closest friends understand that, as most of them have experienced losses in their families.
At the present, I'm divor...Expand for more
ced & still single. Dating pretty much sucks, as a lot of you probably know. But I haven't given up, and hope to get married again someday and perhaps start a family. I go to Phoenix several times a year, and Germany whenever possible to see my Brother. Maybe I'll run into some of you in my travels. I'll try to post photos from my time at NAU when I get around to scanning them to my computer. In the meantime, I hope to hear from more of you.
College
Well, I started out in Cowden Hall in the Fall of '82 and moved across the way in the spring when I pledged Tri Delta, living there until I moved off campus in 1986 sharing an apartment with Ron Carpenter and Jeff Sutch. Lisa Stevens eventually moved in, and later Jeff left for Florida. We were all in the Shrine of Ages Choir with Mel Kinney. Mel left and was replaced by Dr. John Taylor. Anyone remember the trip to San Diego and San Francisco? Was that one trip or two separate ones? It's all a wonderful blur! I have photos somewhere. Dr. Taylor was replaced by Jo-Michael Scheibe. Kind of like Munchkin Land, people came and went so quickly. I was also in the Jazz Singers for a couple of years, as well as the Marching Band playing the tuba (Souzaphone, technically).
I ran into Tim Davis last year when he came to Warner Bros. to sing for a Christmas "thing," don't remember exactly what it was. Tim hasn't changed AT ALL! I also don't remember what city he said he lives in, but he's married and has 2 kids now. He told me he's sort of a freelance singer. I envy him for continuing with his music and making a living at it. Anyone see him in last year's Oscars? He was in the choir that did that sound effects thing.
A lot of us who were in the choir also worked at Black Bart's singing and waiting tables. We also did a bunch of musicals and one light opera. Anyone remember "The Magic Flute?" "Oklahoma"? "The Pirates of Penzance?" "The Music Man?" "The Sound of Music?" I have a copy of our version of "The Pirates of Penzance" on VHS. It was all so much fun! For me it was like 5 years of summer camp!
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