Charles Wegrzyn:
CLASS OF 1968
Foreman High SchoolClass of 1968
Chicago, IL
Charles's Story
After high school got my PhDs in Math and Physics. Attended the School at the Art Institute in Chicago and the Museum School of the MFA in Boston. Got an BA from MFA. Had plans to get into painting but never did (and in hindsight regret).
Didn't want to build bombs or work for the Government and decided to go into high-tech. Started the first of my 6 companies in 1981. Sold the it to HP and Exxon. Sold the last to Nokia. Now I just write, dream, think of what I will want to be do in my next life ( I believe in reincarnation!).
I was thankful that Chicago had Krocks and Brentano's - it opened up my life to so many more things. I dropped being a Catholic and became a Buddhist because of the store and the many books. Read everything about computers, physics, mathematics ,philosophy, art and photography.
While at Foreman I had a number of secret crushes on some of the girls in our class. Sharon, Karen, Lynn and Nice - I'm sure you can figure out who they. I was too shy to do anything about it. As I got older I realized that you never know exactly what your life would be like if you took that different fork in the road.
Got arrested a number of times. Once for growing pot in my apartment. Another time for threatening to blow up IITRI. I was a member of the SDS, got tear gassed by the cops during the Chicago Democrat Convention. and got arrested for what I did while in the middle of it. Helped organize the Viet Nam Moratorium Committee in Chicago. Helped organize protests around the city. Got arrested for some of these actions too. Hated the Chicago cops. Became a member of the Weathermen faction of the SDS. I've been leftist and PROUD of it since those early days. F**K the Republicans and the Trumpian idiots.
After leaving the Cicero/Belmont area, moved to Roscoe and Broadway. Got drunk way too many times and stoned. Later moved up to Roger's Park (and would take peyote and sit on the beach enjoying the waves....lol).
Had a number of affairs with married women (seems most of the single girls wanted someone more stable and didn't know how to deal with me). When I was at Foreman I was very introverted. One of the husbands took me to a clinical shrink ...Expand for more
in Arlington. I got out of my shell and become what ( the asshole ) I am today. All this took place while I was studying for my first PhD.
Was an early member of the sexual freedom league of Chicago = it was a small little group! lol.
Went to Woodstock and was stoned most of the time. Went to Toronto to attend the Strawberry Fields concert! Later hitched to SF to stay with one of the married women I was dating at the time. We went down to San Diego to sit on the beach on Coronado Island off of the city.
Found out my real name is Charles Edwin Ginger, Jr - I was adopted. I'm a Son of the American Revolution - one branch of my family emigrated to the States in 1690. The other branch in 1700. I could be a Son of the Confederacy if I was stupid enough to join it. My family owned slaves and fought for Arkansas and Georgia. Every family has members that do stupid things and mine is no different.
I've traveled extensively. Before going to Foreman I was already a world traveler. Since leaving I still travel. And once we have vaccine I am planning on taking six months and discovering "America".
When I did start to work things out, I met a girl where I was working. We dated for a few years (she was 16 when I met her). Her mother hated me - after all I was 20. Her dad was shocked but he couldn't hate me since I enjoyed watching "super heavy weight lifters" with him! lol. I walked in to their house in Palatine wearing embroidered bell bottom jeans, dashiki, sandals and very long framing red hair.
Even though her mom liked another guy at the place, I told everyone I was going to marry her. And one evening at the Baháʼí House of Worship in Wilmette I proposed. We've been together every since. We have 3 children - 2 sons and 1 daughter (do a search for Time Magazine Christopher Wegrzyn!) In the past 3 years my immediate family has grown to include 7 grandchildren,
That's it for now. I might add more later. You are probably thinking WTF why would someone every write this stuff. All I can tell you is that at 70 I'm looking back thinking about all the roads I've taken, and wondering what would be today like if I had done something else.
Wish you all the best!!!!
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