Larry Hawk:  

After graduation from CHS, I attended one year at Abilene Christian College, Abilene, Texas (now "University") on a track scholarship. After one year at ACC, I enlisted in the USMC for four years running track and driving the athletic bus to track meets all over the east coast. I extended for two years to get US Embassy duty, graduating first and chose the embassy in Sweden. I learned the language and married a lovely Swedish girl, Birgitta Wendelius. We had three children-Alexander killed in an accident two days before his 17th birthday-7/81 in Brea, CA; Kristina-48 with her husband, Ken and four children live in Wilton, Connecticut; Erik-40 is living & working in Stockholm, Sweden. Erik has degrees as a Make-up Artist & European Specialty Foods Chef. Birgitta and I divorced after 16 years, she moved back to Sweden. I earned Associate and Bachelor degrees in Illinois while we were married and worked for Honeywell, General Electric, Chicago Motor Club and started my own Insurance brokerage office during the 60's and 70's. I held various commercial licenses for real estate, insurance and securities in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and California. I moved to California in 1978 from Illinois in an effort to save the marriage with Birgitta. I was "born again" during this move on May 23rd in Lasalle-Peru, IL. While working and trying to stave off our impending divorce, I attended several Bible colleges & seminaries becoming ordained as a Christian Evangelist. The divorce was finalized in 1979 with two brief marriages/divorces following and numerous occupations, including Asst. Pastor of a Methodist church in Rosemead, CA for six years while working at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Eventually retiring from teaching Special Education at Centinela Valley UHSD in Lawndale, CA in 2004. In 1989, I moved back to Columbus, IN when mom had her second stroke. Mom, Reva Whittington, died in 1996 at age 80. Dad had died in 1964 at age 51. Three of my four grandparents died before I was born. Only my mother's mom lived to be 78. Reva's mother, Valley Lee Whittington died while I was stationed in Sweden in 1963. In Columbus, I held four jobs in three years but met my current wife, Theresa, in 1989 and we were married six weeks after we met, 5/6/89, on Kentucky Derby day in Bedford, KY. We celebrate two anniversaries each year, Derby Day and May 6th. Our honeymoon was in Madison, IN; a small town on the Ohio...Expand for more