Mario Obejas:
CLASS OF 1976
Rogers High SchoolClass of 1976
Michigan city, IN
Wabash CollegeClass of 1980
Crawfordsville, IN
Mario's Story
I think we were really lucky to have a very good spectrum of people in our high school . We grew up in a time when we stretched boundaries but mostly showed respect for each other as well as adults. I have very good memories of our 5, 10, 15, and 20 year reunions but I moved and was out of touch for the 25 and 30. I still keep in touch with some folks, (e.g., Larry Imes, Tim Gangwer) but miss many many more dear friends.
After high school, I went to Wabash and got a BA in Math. I sent out 210 letters using the college mainframe and landed a job at Hughes Aircraft in Southern California. My first job was programming an air defense radar network for a project that spanned 1980-1985. During that time, I got my Master's while at work, then went to the Middle East and installed and tested the radars - sometimes in a war zone.
I met my future wife there, while hiking a canyon by the Dead Sea. I also traveled every weekend with a coworker to historical sites, occasionally naively venturing into dangerous places. After that assignment, I took a 3 month leave of absence and traveled all over Europe with a backpack, before heading back to the States. I worked on Air Traffic Control systems after that. I switched groups and since 1997, I primarily work with and support chip designers. Lately, I'm involved with promoting open source use as well...Expand for more
as computer security.
I bought a house in Huntington Beach and lived there for 15 years before moving to Los Angeles County and building a house on a hill.
My two sons were born in the 90's and we have been secular homeschoolers to them for most of their lives. That's probably the thing that surprises me most, something I never saw myself doing. My oldest completed his high school requirements a year early, and started community college a year early. My youngest started playing guitar a year ago and is also a video editing wizard. They like political discussions as well. We regularly watch the Daily Show together, as well as Bill Maher on Fridays.
I'm still into Music, and try to go to a few concerts a year. My kids and I turn each other onto music all the time. We have a growing iTunes collection with the attendant discussions about why we differed rating songs. It's heartwarming to see my kids appreciate music I grew up with - and sometimes dissing my faves. Thankfully, they mostly agree with my political views, but it leads to spirited discussions.
For exercise I like to walk places (I live in hilly area), the gym, and I go do a 24 mile round trip bicycle commute to work during the spring and summer. I work way too many hours and I look forward to early retirement in about 5 years, and "not being in a hurry" for anything.
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