Louis Balicki:
CLASS OF 1965
Mundelein High SchoolClass of 1965
Mundelein, IL
Pepperdine UniversityClass of 1987
Malibu, CA
University of IowaClass of 1973
Iowa city, IA
Libertyville High SchoolClass of 1968
Libertyville, IL
Santa Maria Del Popolo SchoolClass of 1961
Mundelein, IL
Louis's Story
Life
More than fifty years since I left MHS, so much has happened to me (as it has to all of us) that it is really impossible to capture it all.
I spent a good many years just learning how to put one foot in front of the other & NOT fall down so much on the road thru life. I have had too many friends & some family for that matter, that never got that lesson down well.
I live in Southern California & have since the mid-’70s. Married for a second time (the first time was one of those missteps mentioned above) & am happy & in love. Three kids (well, 'kids' is pushing it as the youngest is 39 & there is a grandson here too. Bottom line: it is a good life!
High School
I really didn't accomplish much in high school, liked choir, hated trig, liked track & history. I made some friends & have even caught up with a few recently. I do miss some friends, especially those that are long gone....
As for teachers, I remember Messrs. Storbeck, Green, & Helphinstine. These gentlemen taught me how to think. In fact, Paul Storbeck is on my personal list of the top 5 teachers I have ever had. I also fondly remember Ms. Mitchell & Coach Graham, they taught me how to act as a person, at least they tried.
Military
After graduating from MHS & working in a factory in Mundelein, it wasn't too long before the Selective Service said "Greetings...." I was sent to Ft. Campbell, Ky., for Army Basic Training & there I developed both a deep sense of doom & had a life 'epiphany.' That, basically, was the realization that if I had to go thru all this, then I was going to make the very best of it & get the most out of it. Oh, & yes, stay alive!
With that in mind, & after I finished Advanced Infantry Training in Califonia with its MOS of 11B10 (Infantry), I started volunteering for anything & everything. I was lucky & I ended up in an Officer Candidate School. After 6 months of OCS & an extreme amount of BS, I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Now, that didn't keep me out of Vietnam, in fact, it significantly enhanced the probability, but it gave me a leg up in a lot of areas. Of course, when I was commissioned, I had to agree to more time in service, but by then I was drinking so much government-issued Kool-Aid, I just said "Sure! Where do...Expand for more
I sign?"
I deployed to Vietnam at the end of October 1968. Spending a year there in multiple areas & situations (more extreme BS) I came home & was released from active duty at the end of 1969. Two months later I entered a Midwest university as a freshman, thanks in part to the GI Bill.
In my Army service, I was blessed with one of those occupational specialties that was considered important. So, every two to three years, I would get reactivated for one day just for a physical, just in case they needed me. You can imagine my surprise then in 1971 when this long-haired peacenik got military orders in the mail. Now try to imagine the surprise of the Army Reception Station medical staff when someone vaguely resembling Abbie Hoffman showed up for a health check & he was an officer to boot! Weird times - but funny stories now.
College
I attended a university after my time in the military. It was good to do it then as I couldn't learn or do or LIVE enough. I took many semesters with 20+ hours & graduated in three years in spite of the parties, booze, & occasional episodes of 'altered perspective.' I also started a lifelong artistic passion for still photography.
Workplace
After college, I moved to California & tried to get a job involving my passion for photography, but cashflow became a very tiresome issue so I ended up in the financial services industry. Over time, I got into computer operations & application development to the point I was the chief technology officer for a regional insurance company.
During this time I went back to school & earned an MBA at a West Coast university. I seem to be a perennial student as I keep going back to classes in either art, photography, or practical computer science.
Now
I & my wife retired in 2014 & we are enjoying life. Until the pandemic, we traveled & enjoyed our time in the California High Country. It would be better If I could stay out of a hospital for a while. Nothing serious, just old bones & a couple of issues from some bad habits. Probably not unlike most of us now in our 70’s. Other than my brother passing tragically last year, our family has been lucky, both with the virus & even with the economy. As I said in the beginning, bottom line: it's been a good life!
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