John Tait:
CLASS OF 1966
Chelsea High SchoolClass of 1966
Chelsea, MA
Elgin High SchoolClass of 1974
Elgin, IL
St. Rose High SchoolClass of 1966
Chelsea, MA
John's Story
To all my old classmates back at CHS:
I've decided to provide you all with my life's story, timeline wise, with what's happened with me over the last 40+ years.
I remember as I kid reading the "reunion" notifications appearing in the Chelsea Record and often wondered, do people live that long? What would they look like? Where would they live? When we're young, we think we're somewhat immortal, we'll live forever, but the curiosity of what others may look like at the age when we had our 40th or 50th reunion would be there none the less.
There is no doubt I have remembered back to our younger years and thought of a few of you; those whom I did know and associated with and those whom I knew, but were never close to. How I regret not knowing all of you more.
Now that we're all older, I still have pangs about my life back in Chelsea and of the friends I did have, but life moved on for all of us and I'm sure each of us has their lingering memories of people we knew and were close with and those we wished we knew more.
After high school I went to Northeastern for a while until my second year. After catching pneumonia for the second straight year during winter finals, I knew I had to do something else. I tried to burn the candle at both ends, going to school, working full time and dating Patty and that was all good, but I was looking to see the world.
Of course VietNam was going on during this time and I felt patriotic and joined the Air Force. My first assignment after training was in the middle of the country, Omaha, Nebraska. Corn fields, pig farms and University of Nebraska football. I couldn't stand the area and their winters, but it did have one rewarding aspect, it was there I meet my first wife.
Unfortunately, the Air Force had other plans and a month after I got married, I was on my way to Vietnam after a stint of jungle survival training. At the same time, my wife, who was also in the Air Force, received her assignment to Greece. One hell of a way to start a marriage!
The year in Vietnam passed without too many incidents. Didn't enjoy this tour at all, but did manage to go to Austrailia for a week and to Thailand as well. Austrailians talk funny and drive on the wrong side of the road, so my first night there I almost was killed me as I looked left instead of right when crossing a street!
After my year there I had worked out my next assignment so I could go to Greece (the island of Crete) and after a brief visit with my folks, flew off to Greece to be with my wife. I ended up staying there for three beautiful years and had the pleasure of touring various European countries during my assignment. I always hated "ancient history" but the first time I walked through the Acropolis in Athens and the Colessium in Rome; watching a bull fight in Madrid; eating lunch in the Eiffel Tower in Paris and viewing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Nuseum, to mention but a few places, I cherished every single moment.
Next was my first visit to the Southwest, - southern New Mexico, 90 miles north of El Paso, Texas, Alamogordo. Thirty minutes west were the beautiful "white sands" of NM and 30 miles east were the Cloudcroft mountains. You could have summer and winter in one day if you wanted! Here was also the place of my first born, my daughter Pamela. She was born in '73 and became the light of my life.
Today she is expecting her first child!
Unfortunately '73 also brought saddened news as my father passed away before he could get to see his first grandchild. An event I have have hated all my life and it made me realize how tenuous life can be,
I then became a "silver tongued devil" as we were affectionately known and became a Recruiter for the Air Force. What a life...Expand for more
! It had some drawbacks, but it also was a time when my second child, Michael was born. During the later part of 2008, his wife gave birth to their first child, my first grandson, Miguel. They live happily in Santa Fe, New Mexico and you should have seen the look on my face when I held my grandson for the first time!
I finished my udergraduate degree through the University of New Mexico and was so tired of putting people in the Air Force as officers, I applied and was accepted to Officer Training School. This was a significant move fopr me as I was already a senior NCO and was doing well, but you know that ego thing we all have - I wanted more and this was a way of satisfying that craze!
Now I am an officer and the Air Force, in their infinite wisdom (note the sarcasm in here) decided I should become a Launch Officer with ICBMs, rather than the field I have become, how shall we say, "known" within the Air Force. Now let me tell you, none of the branches of the armed services really like people who advance from being an enlisted person to an officer = they are called "mustangs" and the "old guard" of the officer corps just basically don't like us (we know too much so they can't "BS" us as they do with "rookies".
Off I go to the garden capital of the world - North Dakota - let me tell you, you have never experienced cold like that place has! One winter we had -30 degree temperatures for 32 days in a row and that was the absolute temperature, not one with the wind chill - minus 102 degrees was the temperature one day! Brrrr!
North Dakota was followed by - South Dakota - at least I was moving south - a lot better, but the first Labor Day I was there, we had a 3-day blizzard that literally buried the front of my house. I used to have a picture of me shoveling out FROM my front door out to the street so I could get out of the house. Another picture I used to have was standing in my drive way, with the snow over my garage doors!
By thhis time I knew enough about the Air Force and had a few contacts in the personnel field and worked my next assignment to a warm location. The Air Force thought Nebraska would be good, after all it is further south, but I had my ideas and Omaha was not going to get me again.
Arizona here I come. I moved here in 1988. Unfortunately, married life had taken it's toll and my wife and I got divorced. I stayed here while the family moved back to New Mexico, her home state.
I retired from the AF in '91 and started a new life, new career and a year later started a new family with a new wife. Now I have 2 more sons, Matthew and Daniel. Matt will be entering Arizona State University in the fall while Daniel will be a sophmore in high school.
I still love to travel and have been to Alaska on a cruise, Hawaii several times as well as Mexico(several resort locations), the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Jamaica to name a few.
Arizona is HOT! My sister's (Karen) husband Ken,came out a few years ago and happened to come the day before we set a temperature record of 122 degrees! I don't think he'll ever forget that!
I do miss the four seasons, because here is it "summer" and "not summer"! Our population vastly increases during the "winter" months, as the "snowbirds" from up north take up residence here and I've known people who move here, but last only 1 summer before they head back to wherever they came from. Like anyplace, one needs to adjust accordingly, but after living in the Dakotas, you will not find me visiting anyplace where it's cold!
Well people, I hope you enjoyed a little biography and if anyone wants to write, please do so.
Have a wonderful day! Stay healthy - keep a smile on your face and in your heart!
John
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