DON GILLMAN:
CLASS OF 1969
Hoover High SchoolClass of 1969
North canton, OH
Clearmount Elementary SchoolClass of 1969
North canton, OH
Portage Street SchoolClass of 1969
North canton, OH
North Canton Junior-Senior High SchoolClass of 1969
North canton, OH
DON's Story
Life
OK _ take a deeep breath - there are no periods to rest ...
After high school:
< I worked my way through college at Republic Steel and the Y
< Joined the Air Force Reserve in 1970
< Married in 1972
< Graduated KSU 1974 with a BS Ed. Speech Pathology and Audiology
......No Jobs for Speech Therapists in Stark County
< Returned to Republic Steel Full-Time
< My Son, Kevin, was born June 1975 (Formerly a DJ at Mix94.1 mostly on overnights. Still looking for work in this horrible economy.)
< Laid Off from Republic Steel July 1975 (What timing, huh? - a month after he was born!!)
< April 1976 became a full-time Air Force Reserve Recruiter in Youngstown
< In 1978, divorced my in-laws, got my real estate license - Realtor and Sales Manager for Carano Realty in Youngstown and then sold for Cutler in North Canton
< From 82 - 84: Speech Therapist at Indian River School in Massillon (15-18 year old murderers, rapists, and burglars)
< 84 - 92: Information Management Technician for the Air Force as a civilian in Columbus, then Atlanta, then back to Columbus
<Feb 91 - Sep 91: Reserve Unit activated for Desert Storm - spent the time in Germany in the Command and Control Center located in a fortress built 50 feet underground. Had some time to tour Germany and northern France (was surprised how much French I remembered!! Merci Mssr Spalding!
< 92 - 95: Financial Systems Analyst at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) in Columbus [Retired from the Air Force Reserve in June, 1993]
< 95 - Offered and accepted an "early-out" from DFAS and moved to Fort Lauderdale in December to escape Winter
< After 6 months of job hunting, I ended up at American Express as a Secretary, then as a Systems Analyst, then a cost benefit analyst
< On Jan 7, 2002, I was one of 14,000 whose positions were "outsourced" to India, the Phillipines, and Mexico and put out to pasture (three Indians now do what I did in Bombay)[Looks like I cost accounted myself out of a job]
< Mar 2002: Founded J. D. McGill, Inc. (a mail order company) and worked part-time from home as a program analyst for a foreign currency exchange firm headquartered in New Jersey. Telecommuting is the BOMB - no shirt or tie or anything else if the tide swings that way!!!
<Oct 2005 to May 2008: New chapter started. Becamethe full-time Property Manager for an 18-story, 64 unit Condominium Building on the Fort Lauderdale Beach...Expand for more
. Had to pass a state exam for this job! Not an easy task at my age, but whoever says you can't teach a flabby old fart new tricks - needs new material! Three weeks on the job - then - BAM - Hurricane Wilma!!!! What a welcome present she was! Nice initiation to storm damage, insurance coverage, and Florida contractors.
<In May 2008, I joined The Continental Group, a property management company and am now managing a 25-story, 124 unit condo on the beach. I really enjoy the work.
I still try to stay young, though - I have the theme song from the Smurfs as my ringtone on the cell!!!! Still sing the duet (yes both parts) between Ruth and Frederick from the Pirates of Penzance (Kathy and Tom)... "Oh False One, You have deceived me ... I have deceived you? ... Yes, Deceived me ... OK enuff. And who can forget Mabel's duet with Frederick (Diane and Tom) - "Oh here is love and here is truth ... (reprised at the Spring Sing by McLinden and VanValkenburg) and Poor Wandering One ..."
(May Tom Tuckey rest in peace - he had a very rough time the last few months of his life. He is sorely missed and was much loved.)
Those were the happiest days for me - the Choir performances - if only I could sing!!! Am desperately trying to rekindle my French and learn Italian.
Fort Lauderdale is the "paradise" I've searched for all my life. Kitzmiller said I wouldn't have any trouble getting abroad but Florida is the place for me! The up-side: there are so many things to do and so many wonderful people from all over the world to meet. The downside: horrible traffic with totally insane drivers and a super-high cost of living. I guess there are always trade-offs for what one loves the best, though. We do have hurricanes, but at least we have several days warning before they hit unlike earthquakes or tornados. Now, when I win the lotto, I can have my house on the beach!!
After 22 years in the Fort Lauderdale area, I finally retired and moved back to North Canton. Bought a house just a few blocks from my childhood home. Seems weird to drive past it everyday, though. North Canton is still a very conservative, backwards thinking city, but it is home and it's good to be home again!
Still awake - cross-eyed? Now that I have bored you - it's your turn!!!! Start Writing and if you had Janet Way for 7th grade English - make sure it is grammatically correct!! Take a breath, now!
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