Brian Thomas:
CLASS OF 1977
Meridian High SchoolClass of 1977
Meridian, ID
University of Idaho - EngineeringClass of 1988
Moscow, ID
Brian's Story
Life
After leaving the crowded halls of Meridian HS, I went into the US Navy for 6 years. I was stationed in Hawaii, and visited many countries in the far East. I was determined to get my chemical engineering degree, so after the Navy I went to the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Being a 24-year-old freshman was interesting, but since I'm so goofy I fit in pretty well. I put myself through college on my savings from the Navy and working 1/2-time at a veterinary toxicology lab. I'd been an engineering lab tech in the Navy, and since I was taking so many chemistry courses it was a good fit (thanks to my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Bodily).
After my 2nd year of college, I got married to Kathleen Priebe of Wendell, Idaho, who was finishing up her degree in Nutrition and became a Registered Dietitian. After I graduated in 1988, I went to work in Soda Springs, Idaho at a vanadium production plant. I stayed there for 9 years, and had many interesting projects in such varied fields as battery cathode materials, catalysts, specialized packaging, and fertilizer production. Our 2 boys were born in 1988 and 1991, and remain a handful as always.
I moved to Salt Lake City for a couple of years and worked at a magnesium production facility. The skiing was great, but the work wasn't, so we moved to our current location in Rock Springs, Wyoming in 2000. I work at a phosphate fertilizer plant, which is pretty cool. Sooner or later everyone from Idaho works for J.R. Simplot, eh? I'm the lab manager and process engineer.
As I mentioned, I love skiing and am in a pretty good location to practice often. What started as a one-day trial at Bogus Basin has become a life-long obsession. I've been to a few extreme camps, an...Expand for more
d love hitting the double-black diamonds. I'm running out of ski buddies in my peer group, so if you're reading this and want to hit the slopes, just let me know.
Over the years I've spent considerable time honing my talents at golf, racquetball, and basketball; all the while never getting much better at these sports. I love watching stand-up comedy, and participate in open-mike nights whenever I can sneak past the wife to get on stage. I passed through a gearhead phase that lasted 20 years with a 1975 Ford Ranchero that was a great hot rod. Wish I could have driven that to high school, but it probably would have high-centered on our himalayan speed bumps.
I tend to keep in touch with most of my friends over the years, and have used various internet and alumni services to find old friends. Don't hesitate to drop me an email.
Editing this in November 2016, not much has changed. Still working in Rock Springs for the fertilizer plant, pretty much the same job as always. We've added a few expansions such as an ammonia plant, and the company has sunk a couple of billion into our facility in the last few years. The kids are done with school - somehow I managed to finance that without too much pain in the wallet. Still waiting for grandkids, which doesn't bother me nearly as much as their mother. Pretty much given up on racquetball (too hard on the knees), but my golf game is better than ever. I've got the latest technology in golf clubs, skis, cars, but somehow still carry around a Palm Pilot.
Hoping to hold out until 66 to retire. Kathleen and I do lots of camping in our motorhome, mostly boondocking in the mountains rather than RV parks. Hopefully the 40th reunion will go off without a hitch, and I plan to attend.
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Register for Free to view all yearbooks!
Reunions
Photos