Steve Starking:
CLASS OF 1976
Lapeer West High SchoolClass of 1976
Lapeer, MI
Lapeer (Thru 1976) High SchoolClass of 1976
Lapeer, MI
Mayfield Elementary SchoolClass of 1969
Lapeer, MI
Farnsworth - One Room SchoolClass of 1964
Lapeer, MI
Steve's Story
Life
After skipping a LOT of class my senior year, I graduated on time, but not without some stress that last year. Seems I got "stuck" with an English class called Library Science...like I was going to become a librarian!! In conversation with my counselor I learned I didn't need that English credit..so I didn't go often. A bit before graduation the counselor called me into his office and dropped a bomb on me...I needed that credit to graduate. I term-papered my butt off in hopes of graduating with the rest of the class.
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I remember our graduation ceremony on the football field. The geese flew over us. The weather was great. My name was called, and I proudly went to the stage and got my diploma....or so I thought. IT WAS EMPTY!! No one told me (or more likely), I didn't pay attention when they told us we had to go up to the gym to get the actual piece of paper. Holy Crap Batman! I thought I hadn't graduated. All was better when I got my hands on that diploma! (And my folks never knew)
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After graduation I continued to work in the construction field, framing houses and some finish work. Dad was a builder, so it was a natural thing to do.
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I am the youngest person Deputized in Lapeer County. I put a badge on the day I turned 18. WOW, you find out who your friends are in a hurry. I was on the reserve department for about a year....at the time I was working days and playing bass guitar in a band in the bars at night. Something had to give, so I dropped the department. It was great, and I made some lifelong friends there.
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Oh yeah, music.
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Music has been a big part of my life since junior high. I remember playing music with Joe Scramlin, Paul Dorland, Tim Stimson, Kelvin Rutherford, Stu Tucker...and others....I just can't remember who!
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I met my first wife playing in the band for a Miss Lapeer Pageant. She was a contestant in the pageant, and her talent was classical piano. Debbie Barber, Tom Conner and I played...not sure if there was anybody else or not.
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I replaced Joe Scramlin as the bass player in Twilight Express in 1976 and stayed until 1983. From there I got into a trio in 1984, which turned into a four-piece group with the addition of my soon to be wife. We played in Essence and then Spectacle until our divorce in 1989. 1989 was also the birth of Impulse, a band ...Expand for more
I was with for 4 or 5 years with several personal changes. It wasn't until hooking up with some other old-timers in 1996 or 7 that I played regularly again. This time the band was called The Barry Adams Band and I stayed until 2001, dropped out and started Stride with most of the Barry Adams people in 2005, I think. As of 12-2007, I am putting a new group together with Bob Clark, who was with me in Twilight and Barry Adams. It should be good!
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I got into my current profession sorta by accident. My above mentioned ex-wife opened a small jewelry store in the 80's. After a couple of weeks I quit my job to help her and the irony is that while she no longer is in the same line of work, I am. The divorce led to the demise of the original business, but I opened my store in 1998. We have a staff of four consultants, two bench jewelers, an office manager and myself. We do custom computer-aided design, tons of repair work and provide the community with an inventory of traditional and contemporary finished jewelry.
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In 2003, I was so very fortunate to be re-introduced to Joanie Germani!!! We had both been married previously, but were both single again when we ran into each other grocery shopping at the Meijer store in Lapeer on Friday, October 17th. We went out for our first date the next day, (It was Sweetest Day) and have been together since. We got married March 30, 2007 and look forward to building our dream house on a piece of property I bought in 2005. I had been trying to acquire this little slice 'o heaven for about ten years. It is the piece of my grandparents farm that held their house, barn and pasture. I grew up right next door. We have since built a pole building there, put in the well and septic, are constantly improving the land and we are there just about every day gardening.
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Joanie and I love to travel the country via motorcycle. On our first extended trip together, we rode 580 miles the first day! She's a trooper! We have been through Ohio, Kentucky, Tenessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. We have visited some of those States several times, but one of our trips covered all of those States! Hopefully, we will be headed East to Cape Breton Island and Nova Scotia in 2008!
School
I sure wish I could locate Mr. Lieber from Zemmer Junior High!
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Reunions
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