Richard Leaton:
CLASS OF 1982
Walla Walla High SchoolClass of 1982
Walla walla, WA
Garrison Middle SchoolClass of 1979
Walla walla, WA
La Grande Middle SchoolClass of 1979
La grande, OR
Central Elementary SchoolClass of 1976
La grande, OR
Roosevelt Elementary SchoolClass of 1976
Bellingham, WA
Richard's Story
Life
Well it took me a while to settle down. I actually started college while I was still a senior at Wa-Hi, then transferred up to my hometown of Bellingham and attended WWU for ~3yrs. I came back to Walla Walla to work on the Buchanon ranch during college breaks for 3 summers. I ran out of school money so I built houses for awhile, mostly in Bellingham. Eventually I decided to get more college money by joining the Army, ugh! I loved being in Europe but the military wasn't a good long term fit for me. After my 2 yr stint as a 'soldier' I went back the states to get finish a Computer Engineering degree in Corvallis OR (OSU). I married my wife Karen in the spring of 1993. I was a computer engineer working on the HP Omnibook notebook computers for 9 years. After the HP-Compaq merger of 2002 I 'transfered' to Boise, Idaho to work on the development of personal LaserJet printers. A very healthy place to be considering the economy. We have 2 boys - Scotty born in 94, and Michael, my stepson who has already left the nest to pursue new adventures in Denver Colorado related to real estate an is now living in Nampa ID, married with 4 kids. I really like living the pacific NW, especially with all the skiing, mtn biking, white water rafting, tennis, windsufing, camping, running, dirt biking and other outdoor choices near h...Expand for more
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College
I went to several colleges before I finally landed in a good engineering college at OSU in Corvallis, Oregon. Pro School was much more work than I had expected but I came out of it a better person. I've been using about 1/3 of what I learned in college in my job. The rest of what I use I've learned on the job. Probably the most important thing I learned in college is being disciplined and establishing a good baseline of knowledge to build on.
Workplace
- Test Engineer at Intel in Beaverton for ~1 yr
- MFG robotics programmer for the assy of PCAs in Corvallis ~2 yrs
- MFG process engr for notebook & accessories production ~2 yrs
- New product introduction Engineer for notebooks made in Taiwan ~2 yrs
- Electrical Engr focusing on the developement of Taiwan notebooks ~2 yrs
- NPI/Materials/Test PCA Engineer for PCAs in Laserjet Printers ~10 yrs
Military
Basically went into the Military to get college money. I worked in a Motor Pool - something that I might be able to apply on the outside world. I really liked being in Europe. I did a lot of skiing and touring while I was there. I really liked being in the German culture.
Activites
- Tennis, I've been playing in leagues since 2010.
- Skiing, I try to go about 30 times a year
- Mtn Biking about once a week, when I'm not injuried
- Running
- Golfing
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Yearbooks
Reunions
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Photos
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