Steve Bowden:
CLASS OF 1971
Raton High SchoolClass of 1971
Raton, NM
Steve's Story
I'll tell ya,....my life since Raton HS after 1971 has certainly been one with its share of ups & downs & it really all depended on how you looked at it. I mean going to WAR in less than 8 months after graduation & experiencing raw nature of how a civilization initiating bloodbaths with the anger, rage & most important,...how to do your duties & stay alive to eventually get back home. After Vietnam I was stationed in W. Germany & met Gary Hershberger at the base in Fliegerhorst Kaserne in Hanau, Germany. He was fortunate to not go to war. (oh yeah, Gary graduated from Raton HS in 72'). After my discharge from US Army in 76' my folks were living in Taos, NM. so wound up there but not too many oportunities open for work so Kansas City, Mo. was my choice & to join up once again with an Army buddie & his wife since we discussed this before we both were disharged. This fella was more to me than my own brothers & been thru a lot of crap together & always found that ole' Terry & I could overwhelm any obstacle in our way. I lived in KC, Mo. for less than 2 years working at a steel factory that really became a pain in the butt & the responsibilities were far too much & the pay wasn't worth it.
I then located back to New Mex. to Farmington then hired quickly by the City Street Dept.,....an excellent job for a 9am to 5pm, 5 days a week plus on call 24 hrs to draw over...Expand for more
time. My Family was residing in Bloomfield (9 miles away) & my Father was still a Game Warden assigned there to the San Juan Cty. District thus is how I settled in the 4-corners area almost 8 yrs (off & on).
Classmate of 1971-----Steve DeWight Bowden
I always wanted to be a heavy equipment operator when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a positive idea. As it turns out, they were impressed when I finished training 3rd in my class & was hired by a Const. Co. in Farmington, NM..
Always had a Rock band since 1972 thru 1995 so when tension was building & stress was getting there, I'd spend 45 to 120 minutes pound'n skins learning new riffs. After Vietnam & during my US Army service (72'-76') firing weapons became a rush & realized the power of having the advantage is a relief valve.
If I'm going to work somewhere, I need to have a brisk shower , 3 to 5 cups of java, and time to settle in before starting my tasks to be able to deal with the day-to-day.
I guess one man who really started a different way of looking at the World & how things weren't to promising in World Peace was RONALD REAGAN & how he kept a firm grip on Soviet "antics". He would NOT tolerate Socialists Domination. When he got before the whole world & demanded to tear down the "WALL" (Berlin Wall) to Mr Gorbechav then less than 4 months after that it came down!!!!
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Reunions
Photos
