Mark Meyers:
CLASS OF 1974
Saint Brendan SchoolClass of 1974
Detroit, MI
Oakland UniversityClass of 1986
Rochester, MI
Austin Catholic Preparatory SchoolClass of 1978
Detroit, MI
Mark's Story
For those who would like to connect: See the encrypted e-mail addr below. Apparently I can't see any of your messages without paying an annual fee. Here was my summary:
Life surely takes us in funny directions, and makes it difficult to stay in touch sometimes. Having said that, here's a way to do that. Since the days of elementary and high school in Detroit, I finished college when most advisors in high school thought I was best suited for a career tending sheep. I did pretty well for a guy working full time and taking as many classes as I could afford each semester. It took me a little longer to graduate, but it was worth it. Somewhere during college I met my wife and we married a day, literally, before my graduation ceremonies at Oakland. There was no way I was going to miss that pomp and circumstance after having written that many checks to OU. I had a degree and a job waiting for me right after, courtesy of an OU professor, Frank Cardimen. Thanks Frank!
Though our family moved out to Rochester just before high school graduation, my wife and I moved east to the booming metropolis of New Baltimore after the wedding. We moved once to get away from 900 square feet and one bathroom shared between 3 kids and 2 working parents. (One son, two daughters)
My career took me from SecureData in Auburn Hills to Alexander Hamilton Life in Farmington, then on the road for 10 years with a software company called PeopleSoft. That took me to 7 countries and 37 states and I learned more in 10 years about people and culture than in all my other experiences through school and local employment. Please, please, get your own kids to travel and learn what they can.
My wife continued to work for doctor's offices doing billing and office management, and I came off the road to work for Kelly Services in Troy. That lasted for only 3 years while a group of VP's who barely knew me put me on the chopping block when it came time to cut expense. Funny really when you think it will never...Expand for more
happen to you. In the end, (the best part of the story), all those on the committee to recommend people to cut, were terminated themselves. The remaining management team approached me to apologize for making a mistake and offer me a spot to stay. Ahh. No.
By then my friends and former co-workers from around the country had helped me locate a couple of options, but given the economy of 2008/2009 they were all outside Michigan. It came down to Wisconsin, California or North Carolina. My family helped me pick Wisconsin, though my daughters wanted warmer weather, my wife liked snow.
Blah, blah, blah, ramble, ramble, ramble. But now we are making a new start in Wisconsin and love it here. The cheese tastes so much better for some reason, maybe because I can literally drive 6 miles to the factory and buy it off the shelf. The people have been great and the roads are actually spotless despite not having a bottle return law. Mixed emotions still haunt the family. Hated to leave the expanded city we all grew up in, but realized there are other opportunities elsewhere, sometimes without corrupt political leadership and an entire state economy based on a single industry.
And so, for those who recognize my name, the days of the tall but painfully skinny kid are gone, thank God. I look more like a chunky ex-linebacker now. I've softened the geek persona and can actually speak normally now. Going into too much detail on career sounds a little too self-serving, sort of like an endless stream of "Hey look at me" text from Twitter, but we've done well and are thankful for what we have.
And so, I leave you with a wish for your own health and happiness, harmony and prosperity. Take care and drop a line if you get bored. I really miss the days of St. Brendan's and wished I had followed some of you to high schools other than where I attended. Though I'm sure Regina and Dominican wouldn't have let me in the door without a skirt....
Best always,
Mark
mpmeyers at gmail(dot)com
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