Bill Ostella:  

I changed my name from Bill (William) Ostella to Harleigh Ostella about 30 years ago. You might remember me from my "Then" picture. I would have loved to been at the 50-year reunion. Not so much to see how people have turned out but to hear their memories of the Bishop O'Dowd years and what it meant to them, how they saw existence then and how they see it now. Exploring consciousness and meaning has always been my favorite thing. That, and swing dancing. Just moved to Kirkland, near Seattle, in October 2009. I left the East Bay (Oakland/Hayward) in 1960-61, directionless. Taught ballroom & swing dancing in 62-63 in Long Beach, CA and then enlisted in the army. Married with two children, I graduated Cal-State Fullerton, 1971, direction: take care of family. Divorced for the 2nd time in 1973, I took an MA in Family Counseling, 1976. After two years of counseling in Orange County, I turned to a more "lucrative" profession, head-hunting. It allowed me some time and location flexibility, but that turned out to not be ¿It¿either. Gradually I came to see psychology as not having satisfying answers, and in January 1980 I began a conscious spiritual quest/practice. I haven't donned robes or shaved my head and I rarely talk about it. Although my spirituality is intensely important to me, I don't believe in any one best way to spiritual fulfillment; each person's path is highly individual. For me, quite private. My most fulfilling job was 11 years social work with Child & Family Services in South Central LA, and in Ventura Cou...Expand for more