Ronald Rissel:
CLASS OF 1971
Loyalsock High SchoolClass of 1971
Williamsport, PA
Ronald's Story
After graduating Loyalsock High School in 1971, I went to Penn State University in State College, where I majored in Electronic Engineering. I received my BS degree in that field in May 1975, but we were in the middle of a recession/depression at that time, and I couldn't find a job in that field. About the same time, I received a card from a recruiter from the USAF that said, "Join the Air Force and become an Officer!" So I did! I went to Officer Training School in Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, and 90 days later came out as a 2nd Lieutenant (and later pormoted to a 1st Lieutenant). I was stationed at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio for my whole 4-year tenure.
While I was in the Air Force, I got married to Kathy Zondory (from Williamsport HS) in 1977. After 4 years of being in the Air Force, the economy had turned completely around, and industry was screaming for engineers, so I got out and went to work for Sperry Microwave Systems in Clearwater, Florida for a couple of years. Then, in 1982, I had an opportunity to move to Prescott AZ and go to work as a software engineer for a company called Global Systems (which later became Global-Wulfsburg Systems). I was there until 1997, wh...Expand for more
en Allied Signal bought them out and then shut them down in 1999! So then, I started working for Honeywell in Phoenix until shortly after the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001. Honeywell in Arizona laid off about 1000 people (including me), and closed the building where I worked, and moved the software operations to India. After that, I was not able to find another software job, but instead, started working for Sears as an in-home TV and appliance repairman. Fortunately, this was a secondary skill that I learned a long time ago, working at my dad's store - Rissel's TV and Appliance! It was something that I always kept up-to-date by fixing electronic items on the side.
On the personal side, I was married to Kathy for 25 years, and had 2 children, a boy named James, and a girl named Rachel. James is now 31 years of age, still single, and living in Denver CO. Rachel is now 26 years old, single, but she does have a daughter (my only grandchild, so far), named Tearny-Jade (or TJ for short). Kathy and I got divorced in 2003. I later got re-married to a girl from VietNam in 2007. Her name is Hanh. And we are living in a nice, little 3-bedroom house in Peoria, AZ (a city on the outskirts of Phoenix).
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