John Gomperts:
CLASS OF 1965
Woodside High SchoolClass of 1965
Woodside, CA
Oregon State UniversityClass of 1980
Corvallis, OR
San Carlos High SchoolClass of 1967
San carlos, CA
Goodwin Junior High SchoolClass of 1961
Redwood city, CA
Encinal Middle SchoolClass of 1959
Menlo park, CA
John's Story
Life
Well, I have a lot less hair now than in high school. No rugs for this guy. Life has been interesting up til now.
I tried independence but found out I was too young and immature to handle it. The draft caught up with me. Two weeks before the Army could snag me, I enlisted in the Navy. Spent 2 years at the Naval Air Station in Memphis and married Vicky (big mistake). Then a tour of Nam on the USS Enterprise. Discharged December '69. Came home to a run-around wife. Isn't it usually the guy who is unfaithful? Divorced her.
Went to work for dad in his camera business in Menlo Park. 5 years later I decided to do something more challenging and meaningful.
Spent 2 years at Canada College and left with an AS in Botany. Transferred to Oregon State University in '77 and graduated with a BS in Forestry in '80.
Remarried in '80. Terry became ill 11 years later and I got more interference from the mother-in-law than I could handle. We parted ways and remain friends.
Worked for Boise Cascade and Champion International in Washington & Oregon before the timber industry died.
Moved back to the Bay Area in '81 to work for NCR Corp. in silicon valley. I started as a mechanical tech, earned a certificate in electronics and moved up to an electronic tech; promoted to Quality Assurance supervisor, then department manager. Promoted to quality engineer in the Manufacturing Engineering department. Became principal engineer in '90 and divided my time between engineering projects and world-wide troubleshooting. What the field service guys couldn't resolve became an opportunity for me. Money was great but living out of a suitcase got old after a while. I sometimes came home from an extended trip, only to leave again the same or next day. The best part of the trips was all the great restaurants at company expense!
I decided to return to Oregon in 1994. Couldn't get the trees, mountains, rain, and snow out of my system. My folks had retired in Grants Pass in '82 and were getting on in years. This gave me the opportunity to have some quality time with them.
I took a management position at PayLess stores in Ashland and Medford. Great fun.
There's lots of culture: The Oregon Shakespear Festival, Britt, Ginger Rogers Theater, and more. I love to fish, boat, and water ski on the many lakes and rivers.
Dad passed away in '96, 2 days after their 60th anniversary. We looked after mom til she passed away in '01.
Met and married a wonderful lady with 3 boys shortly after returning to Orego...Expand for more
n. Cathy is a lovely Christian lady. I was a client at her bank and one Valentine's day she asked me out to lunch. How could I refuse. We tied the knot on Valentine's day a year later. This way I won't forget! Chris is 26 and an Ensign in the Navy. Craig is 23 and just graduated in Construction Engineering Management from Oregon State (Go Beavs!). Casey is 20 and thinking about college. U of O. They are all fine boys!
I retired in 2001 and got bored. Began a landscape maintenance business. I work 4-5 hours daily and have all the business I can handle. So much for boredom. Cathy and I purchased 7 1/2 acres of timberland on the Applegate River and built our dream home. We moved in 4th of July weekend, 2003. It is near Applegate Lake, in southern Oregon, and 18 miles from the nearest town (Jacksonville). Lots of trout, salmon, and steelhead fishing. BLM owns the land on 3 sides of us and we have just one neighbor. God has certainly blessed us.
Last year we became legal guardians of a 16-year-old girl and are giving her a stable home environment. She is doing well in high school and turning her life around. Having a girl in the house is a lot different than boys!
Cathy plans to continue working (she's a bank branch officer). I have yet to decide how long I will stay in business. I leave my future in the hands of the good Lord. God bless.
Workplace
After 4 years in the Navy, I worked for dad in Menlo Park, became BORED, moved to Oregon & got my BS in forestry. worked for Boise Cascade and Champion until the timber industry died. I came back to the Bay Area in 1981 to work for NCR Micrographics. Went back to college for a degree in electronics and worked my way up to middle level corporate management in quality assurance. The division was bought out in 1988 and I returned to production in a management capacity. Picked up a position in manufacturing engineering in 1990 and became principle engineer in 1992. Got layed off in 1994, just before the company folded. Moved back to Oregon. Became state certified in landscape maintenance in 1995 and took a management position with PayLess Drugs. Quit in 1998 and took a quality assurance job with Commercial Printing in Medford, OR. Retired in 2001, got bored, and started Redwood Landscape Maintenance. Don't need the money but I love being outdoors. Still doing it and loving it! My wife and I are also building our retirement home in the Applegate River Valley. It's on the Applegate River and 4 miles from Applegate Lake. Watch out fish!
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