Michael Prine:  

Life After graduation in 1973, I immediately went to work for the Marine Corps Finance Center for the summer, then returned to school at CMSU Residence Center in Independence, then to Penn Valley and UMKC. While in college, I worked for Commerce Bank for the Jackson County Tax Assessment Office, and at Waddell & Reed in the Records and Customer Tax Departments. I went to work for the Federal Government again in October 1978 for the US Army Corps of Engineers, where I have been for the past 29 years. I have worked in the Contracting, Real Estate, Emergency Management, Engineering & Construction, and Equal Employment Opportunity arenas. I have lived in several parts of the metropolitan KC area, but have settled again in my boyhood home in Independence. I lost my father in 1976 to a stroke, and my mother in 2001 to complications associated to Alzheimers. My father was 64, and my mother 85. My mother was in a nursing home in Liberty for several years, and "graduated" to a facility in Nashua, where she passed. I've remodeled the house and grounds, bringing them back to Cape Cod/Craftsman beauty. Sanded hardwood floors, repainted, enclosed the front porch and made a 4-season room, koi pond, large outdoor living space, pergolas, privacy fencing, etc. The next stage is to convert the stand-alone garage into "mother-in-law's quarters". I have been fortunate enough to have travelled to 30 of the 50 states, and DC (including Maui & Oahu in Hawaii), as well as being well travelled in the Caribbean. I've taken 8 cruises in past years, and highly recommend them. Have been as far south as Caracas, Venezuela. Have travelled the following cruise lines: Cape Canaveral, Celebrity, Costa, Holland America, Princess and Royal Ca...Expand for more