Brian O'Dell:
CLASS OF 1975
Pequannock Township High SchoolClass of 1975
Pompton plains, NJ
Rutgers University Class of 2001
Newark, NJ
Fashion Institute of TechnologyClass of 1998
New york, NY
Pequannock Valley Middle SchoolClass of 1971
Pompton plains, NJ
Brian's Story
I always wanted to be a actor when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a unrealistic career choice idea. As it turns out, they were mostly correct, though I did spend one year of my life post-HS in a small traveling Christian acting company, "Covenant Players" and got to see the pacific northwest and Ontario, Canada.
After my stint with acting, I moved to NYC where my first (lousy!) real job was sorting mail for a direct mail house (ugh!). Then I got an entry level job for Charles Marchant LTD, lacquering gift items and small furniture... clearly my now warped sense of humor is due to the fumes! I actually worked myself up in the company and then started my Bachelor's Degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Fashion Merchandising, while then switch gears at my paying job (same company) restoring vintage Art Deco crystal jewelry, and then becoming a designer for said firm. The company went through various economic and owner upheavals and finally went bankrupt. Now I have my own (struggling!) design firm and do a variety of consulting work for other firms involving jewelry and the decorative arts.
I like to relax by being a 'couch potato' and listening to big band vocal music, reading, or watching an old b/w screwball comedy from the 1930's or 1940's.
The wildest thing I ever did in H.S.? Probably play a fey bodyguard in the One-Act Play Competition (which our class won by the way, in no small part due to my performance! LOL)
If I'm going to work somewhere, I need to have coffee, and more coffee, and be totally awake and fuctional to be able to deal with the day-to-day.
I would have to say that my second (late) partner, TJ Hock, was/is my hero. We only had 6 months together, but it was the best six months of my life to date. He was the most loving, generous, and caring man I ever knew... willing to give the coat off his back - literally - to friend or stranger alike. He died suddenly of a heart attack at age 52 (this tall, slim guy in the 'picture of health' able to take stairs two at a time). I guess when you're time is up, it is up. He is most certainly God's lead accountant in Heaven... and now gets to hear Karen Carpenter sing live every day. <sigh> TJ is certainly the on...Expand for more
e person I'd most like to see again (and plan to see again) in time immortal.
I have one pet, an all-black short-hair cat, named Joey (when he's being nice) and Catzilla (when he's being an absolute monster!)
How do I hope old friends remember me? Well, hmmm, I really didn't have many friends in HS - the few I did have all were involved with either the literary magazine and the yearbook (and we all hung out - or cut class! - by hanging out in the publications office, which I guess was our clubhouse! LOL I wonder where folks like Doug Dencker, Pam Burms, Mary Bersch (sp?) and other who I can't remember their name, are at now... as I had/have a fondness for them.
I really have stayed close to NJ in where I've lived... from 1976 to 1998 I lived in various parts of Manhattan, and from 1999 to present I've lived in Cliffside Park, NJ.
If I had to pick one teacher from HS to see again, it would be probably Eileen Heary or William Cromie.
Hmmm... to be truly happy I'd be in rural New Hampshire, making a happy home with Russell Crowe.
My current age is 52. When I was 12, I thought that people my age were 'old-fashion and square'. I was so completely correct, in comparison to anyone 12 years old. Modern technology just changes so quickly that it is hard for an old-fashioned guy like me to keep up!
My first crush? Hmmm, don't want to revisit that.
My best friend would tell you that I have a sly and wicked sense of humor, but those who don't know me, or know me only from HS days would say that I was the 'quiet guy' who they never really knew much about.
Yes, I still dress the same way as in HS: Levis, T-Shirts and Flannel Shirts in colder weather. Major difference: no more long 'dirty-blond' hair, as grey looks better in a buzz cut!
A life do-over: I wish that I had decided to go into teaching... I think I'd be a good grade or middle school teacher.
In 10 years, I hope to be ALIVE. I'm going to get there by taking better care of my health and losing weight (started dieting on 2/1/09 and have lost 36lbs, and now at 209lbs... need to lose 35lbs more... but getting there.
What would surprise everyone at our HS Reunion... I suppose that I'll be thinnner (hopefully) and much more social than in HS!
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