Layne Sanders:
CLASS OF 1981
Western Hills High SchoolClass of 1981
Ft. worth, TX
Layne's Story
Life
Where to begin? After h.s. I attended UTA for a couple of semesters but realized that more school just wasn't for me. Got a job with American Airlines in 1985 and worked in the reservations office near DFW until 1987 when I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to work w/American at San Francisco Int'l Airport. Stayed w/American working in baggage service (if you lost a bag on a flight, you talked to me - yeah, GREAT job - NOT!!!) until I couldn't stand it anymore and left in 1990 when they went through cutbacks and were going to cut me from 'full' to part-time. But since I was technically 'laid off' I was eligible for unemployment benefits.
Had a really nice 6 months of not working and was able to focus on an issue that had become a problem, namely my drinking. I'd stopped drinking in January 1989, did the whole AA/out-patient rehab thing and life seemed to get 'back on track'.
1991 saw me living and 'temping' in San Francisco. During the course of my job duties I was buying office supplies and met the man who would become my partner (Stephen) in the stationary store where I was standing in line to purchase said office supplies. I was working as a long term temp at Pacific Gas & Electric Co. as a workers' compensation claims assistant. This led to a permanent job w/another company in the workers' comp arena in 1992, when I also moved into Stephen condo in Oakland. After 5 L O N G years in workers' comp, I left that company and kind of fell into a job managing a dental office.
In about 1996, after encouragement from Stephen, I began exploring 'the path not taken' when I started studying acting and performing in various local community theater productions. I even won a 'supporting actor' award for my first role! I continued studying and moved on to...Expand for more
a teacher who worked with on-camera techniques in the hopes of moving into commercials. Stephen and I began to discuss the possibility of my trying my luck in the Los Angeles market. We moved from Stephen's condo and purchased a house in 1999.
After being at the dental office for a couple of years, the opportunity arose for me to actually move to L.A. where I gave it my best shot at being a 'real' actor, but after three years I missed Stephen, my house and dogs, plus I didn't want to turn 40 alone in L.A. So it was time to go home.
For the last 2 years that I'd been in L.A., my 'day job' had been at UCLA. With the help of the doctors I worked for there, I was able to establish a link w/one of the doctors at UCSF and began working as the academic assistant to the Director of Sports Medicine in 2003. I'm still at UCSF and, though I'm currently looking for a position in a different department, will probably try to stay w/in the UC system for the forseeable future.
My current outside interest is my involvement as Executive Director for the Miss Oakland Scholarship Pageant, a preliminary to Miss California and Miss America. I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend the last Miss America Pageant to be held in Atlantic City, as well as the most recent pageant in Las Vegas.
That's pretty much it for now. My Mom, Dad and my Brother are still in Ft. Worth. Mom and Dad are still in the house near WHHS and Mark has an apartment in the Ridgmar area (if it's still called that). I don't get back very often. Stephen and I were at Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving (2006) and before that, the last time I was there was in 2000 for the passing of my last surviving Grandparent.
If you're planning on being in the Bay Area, drop me a note and let's get together!
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