Jim John:
CLASS OF 1967
Wheaton High SchoolClass of 1967
Wheaton, MD
Belt Junior High SchoolClass of 1965
Wheaton, MD
Jim's Story
Jim is from Wheaton, Maryland. His schools include Wheaton High School, Belt Junior High School.
Thought it was about time to update this. After high school, and college, Montgomery Jr College, U of Md, Chapman College, (music major), I went into the Navy liked it so much I spent 20 years in "Uncle Sam's Canoe Club". I was an air traffic controller. Was assigned to USS Long Beach, USS Constellation, NAF El Centro, NAS Cubi Pt, NAS Adak, RAAF Pearce WA, Tactical Air Control Squadron 12. After the Navy, I picked up a job as a DOD Air Traffic Controller, at NAS North Island, did that for 5 years, then was selected to fill the position of Airfield Manager at NAS North Island, which I continue to do to this day. Love it. It's like where else can I get a job that has an airshow 365 days a year ???? And I don't have fight crowds, can go to the end of the runway and get and get an awesome view...although going to the 4,000' remaining marker for either runway, ( approx 1,000' from the V2 area), and have a really GREAT view! In between all that I managed to have two really GREAT kids, Jim Jr, (yeah...a terrible thing to do), and daughter, Alex....not really kids any more. Most of you who know me, are aware of my journey with Alex, her Dystonia diagnosis and subsequent brain surgery. It's been a long difficult time, but thank God, she has more better days than bad.
My main interests still revolve around aviation and music. I do a lot of guitar playing with three other guys, mostly acoustic stuff...I happen to amass a collection of 21 guitars...a few I bought new in the 60's... not to mention the amps too, again a few I bought new in the 60's. Thanks to my first guitar teacher, Bill Singer, at Ken Wheaton Music who wouldn't let me give up, when I wanted to. I sing Tenor in three groups here. Thanks to Mr. Dave Hearn at Belt Jr High, and Mrs. Pauline Holcomb at Wheaton. Especially Dave Hearn...The one who exposed me to choral singing and just what fun, challenging, and rewarding it can be. Not to mention to entice me to continue to singing in the choirs at school he pointed out the ratio of "girls to boys" there was in choir. Yep...that was all I needed !!!! The highlight of participating in choir was being selected (As was Bruce Cameron, Barbara Butcher, Glenda Harrison, Patti Collett) to the Maryland All State Choir, going to Baltimore to join the other selected kids from Maryland for massive choir. Directing this choir was Richard Dirksen, Choirmaster at The National Cathedral. The man was AMAZING. One of the pieces we performed was a composition of his, "A Child My Choice". Probably the most beautiful Christmas Carol you haven't heard. Probably the BEST memory of that Baltimore trip was the "late night pizza". We had a curfew, and about 30 minutes before curfew we decided to run out, get a pizza and make it back before we turned into pumpkins. We did it too..with just a couple of minutes to spare !!!! Damn we were sweating that we wouldn't make it back. Breaking curfew was enough to send a person home. My biggest regret is I didn't have the money to pay for the LP that was made of the concert. I'd give anything, well almost, to get a copy. Another high point was singing in the musicals at Wheaton, Brigadoon, Carousel, and Bye Bye Birdie (and the next year I performed in Bye Bye Birdie at MJC)...the cast parties were a blast..usually held at Wiley's Ice Cream in College Park. Almost forgot..what a pleasure it was to be a member of "The Wheatonaires", the all male vocal group. We'd perform alone and sometimes join in singing with Knightengales, the all female vocal group. This experience stays with me to this day...singing Madrigals. I sing with two Madrigal groups here in San Diego..love singing a cappella. When voices blend, it's like magic. Ok. This brings me to another "thing". I have never been able to figure out how, or why I was voted "Most Talented" of our class. HUH??? There were so many others that were so much more talented, Bruce Cameron, Patti Collett, Harriet Payne all amazing pianists. I was constantly "begging" Bruce to play "Hearts and Flowers" before or after choir...Barbara Butcher who had, probably still does, the voice of an angel. Her voice brought me to tears a few times. She could sing..damn she could sing, Willie Whittaker who could play the organ, trombone like nobody else could.
I've never been able to figure the most talented thing out.
Cars. They were an important thing back then. As a male they kind of defined you and what you were ..I had two..1958 Ford Custom 300 my father bought for me from Brown Brothers ($50.00 !!!!!) in Kensington (anyone remember gasoline alley in Kensington???) ...2 door (no one wanted the family 4 door car) six banger, "three on the tree" (remember that??? . Went to Norbeck Junkyard and got a complete white rolled and pleated interior out of a 57 Ford and put it in my 58. Got into a "drag race" with Ray Gordon and his Chevy...thought it had a 6 banger, but it had a 283..got my butt kicked! In my senior year, my father took the 58, traded it in on a Mustang...did I get the Mustang??? NO! I was "given" the family car, 1964 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon. I could have died.. UGH, the family car !!!!. BUT it had the 390, 335HP, solid lifters, three on the tree. That car could scoot. Could do 60 in first gear...fooled a lot of people...so the performance of this car made up for it being the family car... it really was a "sleeper".
Charlie Lake, (I don't have to tell anyone who he was, or what he was), gave me my first ticket for doing 50MPH on Viers MIll Road in front of St Catherine's. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr...but I deserved it. Oh...and can't forget my summer job...it too revolved around cars...as a student teacher, driver's ed...working with Mr. Simonds. Those cars with the two break pedals. Was REALLY scary at times.
While I'm at it, Jobs...I had a few..Started out as a bus boy at Hot Shoppes in Wheaton, made $1.25 an hour, minimum wage. Ended u...Expand for more
p as curb service manager. But this job paid for my Hagstrom 1, and Gretsch Tennessean guitars. Both I still have. I also worked at Wheaton Shell.Never a dull moment there. I remember going out to a car stuck in the snow...I get there and looking over the car, a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado, I saw right away why he couldn't go anywhere. It was a front wheel drive car, (something VERY NEW at that time), and he had chains on the rear wheels, which is where 99.99% of the cars of that time would have them. I helped him swap the chains, rear wheels to front wheels.That was just funny.
Places that were "important" to me..must have been a hundred, but, to name a few, The Hot Shoppes, (cruising there) How many miles did I drive while driving around, and around the curb service area??? Pumphery's (Wheaton Rec Center), Glenmont Rec Center, listening to the Motown records that Andy Moran brought there and played..when most of us wanted to listen to rock and roll, and the British invasion music. Dickerson Quarry, scary as hell place to swim, but really fun. Congressional Roller Rink...both as a roller rink, and before that a general aviation airport. Congressional Airport where a friend of my father's was the airport manager there. Gifford's Ice Cream, Wiley's Ice Cream (always open to argument, which had the better ice cream). Jerry's Subs. I think the thing that made them great was listening to Jerry and his wife argue, constantly...and ashes from Jerry's cigar dropping onto the sub, and Jerry never stopping..so ya got the sub, ashes and all. Pop's Pizza. The BEST no two ways about it. Don't try to tell me Marchone's was better. I'm deaf on that subject. Bowling Alleys..Tuffy's and Triangle..miss Duckpins here in San Diego. Don't know if I went there to bowl or play the pinball games, both were a great way to kill a Saturday. I'd be on a roll with a pinball game, and Willie Whittaker would smack the pinball game hard enough to cause a "Tilt"...ending the game. That would just really torque me off. Theaters, Viers Mill and Rockville Drive In...climbing out of a cars' trunk at Rockville Drive In... HA !!!! Radio station WDON. THE only radio station that any self respecting teenager would listen to...I think it was the only radio station in the area that played rock and roll. Became friends with one of the DJs there. Fred Grey. On Saturdays Willie Whittaker and a couple of the other "guys" and I would go to the studio on Georgia Ave. stop off at the Dunkin Donuts, just a few doors away, pick up a dozen and hang out in the studio with Fred. If you heard Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue", being played on a Saturday morning, you have me to thank for that. I would pester, badger Fred until he'd play it, (still one of my favorites). Fred had a Sunbeam Alpine...a somewhat exotic car at that time. The minute I got behind the wheel to drive it, I knew I was hooked on Brit sport cars until the day I die...and I still am. Lastly, but certainly not the least, The Wheaton Youth Center. What a place. It saddens me to know that shortly it's going to have a date with a wrecking ball. The concerts I saw there, (I'm not even going to get into the Led Zeppelin "thing"..did they or did they not play there? To me, until someone comes up with a photo that proves the Zep played there, a ticket something I just don't believe it. And isn't it amazing that no one will admit to being there for the Zep...people will say, "No, I wasn't there, but my sister's cousin was there", it's always something like that...someone who know's someone who knows someone that was there). And the times a band that I was a member of, The Rhythm Masters, The Citadels, The Magic Touch played there. Awesome, unforgettable times. I have a tape that my father made of The Rhythm Masters, (Mike Dunnigan on guitar, Gary Pape on bass and Ralph Booth on drums and I playing Buddy Holly's "Well Alright" in the living room of the Edwin St. house.
And most importantly the friends I had growing up. So many, some of whom I've kept in touch with, some I regret losing touch with. Facebook has been an important way to reconnect with old, lost, out of touch friends.
I hate to make a list as I'm sure I'll forget a few...and I don't mean to cause any ill will...but here goes, right off the top of my head, some of the "guys", Willie Whittaker, Doug Bartholow, Bruce Cameron, Larry and Rick Minovich, Wayne Widmayer, Bill Vandenberg, Jason Smith, Roy Stein, Don Mattingly, Alan Jones, Harry Cornfield, Jeff Taksey, Jeff Biron, Rick Rowe, Gene Krauss, Andy Moran, Ed Marsh, Steve Edney, Tim Doran, Gene Krauss, Doug Bartho;ow, Robert Lovell, Harry Cornfield, Paula Cornfield, Rick Marcus, Roger Kelpy, Steve Rosenthal, Michael Brechner...some of the "girls", Christine Meyers, Judy Hogentogler, Nancy Goodson, Harriet Payne, Patti Collett, Glenda Harrison, Barbara Butcher, Donna Holtz, Donna Hansborough, Merrie Melander, Linda McCory, Jeanne Hauschildt, Kathy Lorick, Janet McCauley...and some that are really special, to me...Karen Hrast, Mary Plumbstead, Barb Kostowski, Hope Whittaker, Madeline Seidner, and Ann Lescalleet.
Ok...so if you've read this far, you really need to find a Hobby !! Find something to do. Yeah, I know this was supposed to be a profile, whatever that is. Not some ramblings, lamenting of days, times gone by. But it's been fun, for me, anyway. Hope ya had fun reading it...as I had fun writing it.
The following are quotes attributed to a real hero of mine, Sir Winston Churchill:
"A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him.
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.
I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.
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