Joe Pettigrew:  

After spending most of my Sr. year homeless (I got tired of being beat up at home), I decided to "take my chances" on the streets. I spent many a night sleeping by the fence at the Old San Jose Speedway....burr it was cold and then to still try to make it to school each morning without leading on, that was a challenge!!! I sometimes stayed with my brother who lived out by Hwy 17 & the Alemeda, and walked to school, or if I found a dime, I'd take the bus. Sometimes I'd stay with friends, but not always!!! When I ran away for the last time, I swore that however my life would turn out, it would be of my own making, that I would not be a "Victim" and carry around all of that pain and trauma, that I would put down "that bag of bricks" and be responsible for my future self. After graduation, I joined the ARMY, I had lots of opportunities, but partied instead. 2 years later, I got out and "bummed around" Silicon Valley for a couple of years before getting a job at "The Rocket Ranch" (United Technologies) back behind Evergreen. I spent 27 years there working my way up from the bottom to working as a Sr. Test Engineer in the Test Group testing Solid Rocket motors until they closed the site in 2004. I completed my BS in Business Management while there. Aerojet in Sacr...Expand for more