James Billings:
CLASS OF 1982
Northrop High SchoolClass of 1982
Ft. wayne, IN
Ball State UniversityClass of 1986
Muncie, IN
Indiana University - Purdue UniversityClass of 1984
Ft. wayne, IN
Northwood Middle SchoolClass of 1979
Ft. wayne, IN
Mabel K. Holland Elementary SchoolClass of 1976
Ft. wayne, IN
James's Story
Life
I was born July 21, 1964, in Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Attended three Fort Wayne Community Schools: Mabel K. Holland Elementary, Northwood Jr. High School (when it was still "junior high") and Northrop High School.
School
My first school was nursery school at Highland Bethel Church in Fort Wayne. My mom thought I needed it to get ready for kindergarten. I don't remember much about it except that I hated it. The teacher, Mrs. Pote, was mean and bossy, at least in my 4-year-old mind.
College
College wasn't something I really wanted to do -- I did it because I needed to. I made some great friends in college, but didn't really enjoy the experience. I certainly wasn't ready to hang around a few more years for a graduate degree. I first went to Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, which was a commuter college. Hated just about every minute of it. The quality of the instructors was pretty poor. Plus, I was trying to ...Expand for more
work full time and go to school in the evenings. It didn't work, and my grades reflected it.
Workplace
My first job out of college was as a reporter for The Evening Star in Auburn, Indiana. Working there was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned so much -- about journalism, small-town newspapers, and about life.
Military
I first started developing an interest in the military in high school when I applied for a four-year ROTC scholarship. I thought I had a good chance and was disappointed when I didn't get it. In the fall of my freshman year of college, I expressed interest in the ROTC program. I took the first class and fell in love with it. I developed friendships and people who accepted me because I dared to stand with them. They remain among my closest friends to this day. They invited to me to come check out their Army Reserve unit. I did, and never looked back. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without the Army.
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