Vicki Palatas:
CLASS OF 1976
Jefferson City High SchoolClass of 1976
Jefferson city, MO
Vicki's Story
I was that girl - you know, the one whose parents were busy working by day and running community organizations by night, so she stayed busy doing just about anything she could at school - like student council, honor society, pep club, Chorale, choir accompanist, French club, yearbook, homecoming parade chair, and operetta! Makes me tired now just thinking about it.
College was completely different by choice. I immersed myself in studies to get my degree in Accountancy. After graduation I worked for 2 years as an auditor at Deloitte-Touche (then Touche-Ross and Co). Disenchanted with everything about those 2 years, I accepted a job with Commerce Bank in Kansas City as an operations analyst for their investment banking operations. I was soon promoted to middle management which spring-boarded me to a similar but bigger job in San Francisco with Wells Fargo Bank's corporate offices.
It was in San Francisco where I met, dated, and married the love of my life, Mike Palatas. He was a Navy officer on a nuclear cruiser based out of Alameda Naval Base just across the Bay Bridge. Over the ensuing 12 years we moved to Washington DC, Cambridge, Mass; Virginia Beach, VA; Dahlgren, VA; San Diego, CA; San Pedro (South Los Angeles), CA; Newport RI; Yokosuka, Japan; and Monterey, CA, where he retired from the Navy.
After he retired we planned to return to our house in Virginia Beach, but God wanted us in Kansas City, MO, so there we landed for 7 years. Our 3 sons - then 11, 9, and 6 - were thrilled to finally settle in to one location! However we providentially landed in a national Walmart/Sony PS2 commercial and the boys were bitten by the acting bug. So after a few years of training, stage productions, and some print work, we headed to NY for a talent competition. The agents LOVED the boys and told us to pick either NY or LA and they would sign them. Of course we chose LA!! Once again, in 2006, we packed out goods and headed west to Burbank, CA.
The boys were incredibly blessed with their acting. Our ol...Expand for more
dest, Nick, landed the role of Shaggy in the two most recent live-action Scooby-Doo movies. Our "second number one son" Phillip booked a national T-Mobile commercial almost immediately. Our "third number one son", Cameron, has been in a variety of films and television shows and is considered part of "young Hollywood". If you want to read about them, just go to IMDB.com.
Phillip fulfilled his lifelong dream to be in the Army right out of high school (he also got married then, which was part of the same dream!). He was a star combat MP in Afghanistan for a year, mostly in Jalalabad and a FOB in the Kunar province, When he finally returned home, it was abundantly clear that he had sustained a traumatic brain injury and PTSD was a major issue. Now, 2 years later, he is finally getting the care that he needs with the VA and our prayers for healing appear to start being answered despite his being in the middle of a divorce. Most women can't handle the results of those injuries. He has 3 beautiful young children.
Nick is married to a beautiful young lady. They have the sweetest, prettiest little girl who is 20 months old. (I know we grandparents understand all this!) He is currently selling cars until he lands a more sustainable acting role.
Mike runs an metal finishing company in Gardena, about 45 miles from where we live; miserable commute. They process mostly aerospace and military equipment.
My father died of Parkinson's disease in November 2008. We moved my mother in with us in 2009 for 5 years, but she became too much for me to care for her, so I moved her into a wonderful home within a mile of us. I am her POA and deeply involved with her care. She is 89, in the final stage of Alzheimer's now.
As for me, I went from Wells Fargo to becoming a full-time mom and Navy officer's wife to stage-mom and now I am a film and television producer. God takes you amazing places if you'll just follow.
Most of all, we work hard, love Jesus, and love people. That's all we really need to do, right?!
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