Robert Anderson:  

... You wouldn't believe it if I told you, but it has been no ordinary 9 to 5, 30 and out existence. I have had the previdge of some incredible experiences; from catching tropy bass up in the wilderness of Michgans' upper peninsula, to working in the high dessert of Nevada, to playing hockey at Joe Louis Arena, to surfing in Hawaii. And there have been plenty of trails and not-so-good experiences as well, but even they have had their silver linings too, just not as bright as I might have liked sometimes. But these hardships have shown me that I am much stronger than I (or anyone else for that matter) ever gave myself credit for. So where have the years gone?? They seem to pass more quickly with each successive year. High school was pretty painful for me, with a crummy home life, and all the cliquey bulls***t that seemed to dominate our graduating class, as I am sure it was for others. I only began to 'bloom' during college. I went to Michigan Tech after school, only to get hit by a car my second year. This was a near-death experience that changed my life in more ways than one, and ironically the first of two, with the other happening years later. I wound up dropping out, and eventually lost my dream of graduating as an Electrical engineer. Life has a strange way of taking the best laid plans and laying them to waste. I did work my way up through the engineering world the hard way, and probably doing better for it, but corporate politics as it is, I was limited by NOT having the degree. Not having a degree did afford me some amazing work experiences in engineering and beyond! I have been lucky to have navigated the turbulence of the economy with a number of different careers and founding my own business (and selling it at the right time too!!). Sure, it was a lot less secure and tougher than working for the same company 'till I retired, but more rewarding. Back in '98 I started skiing out west on mini 4 day vacations. That season, I seized the opportunity to go in January, February, March, and April. I fell in love with the area not realizing it would eventually become my home. I didn't have a lot of friends in high school, but many of these have become life-long friends. I would love to hear from some of the friends I had back in high school, in addition to the ones I already keep in touch with. The cliques, smart-asses, bullies, and all the snobs; ...now what happened to them?? I do remember some VERY influential teachers from school; elementary to high school. I looked up an number of them when I was still in MI to thank them for how vital their influence was on me. Even some of the more outwardly stern teachers got a bit misty eyed!! The funniest thing for me and the reason I can see how my stories might have affected these teachers is just how significant simple acts of decency, kindness, and compassion gave me the strength to carry on when times were REALLY tough for me. So here is to you Miss Pippin (3rd grade), Mr. McBrian (Elementary school), Mr. Jones (Junior High), Mr. Dolan (Junior High), Mr. Finn (Junior High), Mr. Stewart (Junior High), Ms. Webb (Junior High), Mr. May (Junior High) Mrs. Petrocella (Junior High), Ms. McCall (Elementary and Junior High), Mrs. Fetsco (High School), Mr. Engh (High school), Mr. Cichecki (High School), and the others I am sure I am not recalling now... THANK YOU! I keep thinking of Mr. Engh's Electronics class; I always knew I would be working in and around electricity someday, but NEVER thought I would go from 13.8 VDC to 500,000 VAC!! Thanks for the encouragement, Mr...Expand for more