John Christopher:
CLASS OF 1946
Albuquerque High SchoolClass of 1946
Albuquerque, NM
Washington Middle SchoolClass of 1942
Albuquerque, NM
Lew Wallace Elementary SchoolClass of 1939
Albuquerque, NM
John's Story
Life
I got the flu in January of 1946 and was out of class for about three weeks. It felt pretty good so I stayed out for three more. When I checked into Home Room I had a message to go to the office. Mr. Ream told me that since I apparently didn't like to go to school, he had some good news for me - I didn't have to go anymore because I was now officially expelled. I was devastated.. I bit my lip until I got out in the parking lot and then cried like a baby. Someone - I have no idea who - went to bat for me and got me back in Summer School with the proviso that I was not to miss any classes and essentially told to work my butt off! I did and graduated in June of 1946. That was a good lesson for me and I have carried that with me throughout my career.
I went to work at Sandia Laboratory in 1948. My first full month paycheck was for $152.52 - way too much for a single guy! So I married a chick I had been working with at the old Rio Theatre, Polly McClain, on April 2, 1948. We had two boys and two girls who all married and had children. We now have seven grandkids and six great-grandkids. They are all exceptional! I retired from Sandia in 1984 after 36+ years of servi...Expand for more
ce at the age of 55. I worked with some wonderful people there and still hear from some of them after all these years. I was supposed to die early since longevity was not a family trait, but Polly has not allowed me to do that and I am now 77. I try to slow down - practicing for when I get old, because I heard that when you get old you slow down. We used to go to Laughlin about every other month for video poker but traffic on
I-40 has gotten so heavy that we only drop in on our way to California to visit our two boys and their families at Thanksgiving.
I remember the pretty girls at Washington Jr. High more than I do at AHS. Betty Jo Ange, Betty Threkheld, Frances Meehan, Margaret Valliant, Betty Lou Hardin, (?) Bernadette, and others. Marcie Samuelson was my secretary at Sandia when I retired.
You oldtimers will remember that we were training under Major Goss to go into the service when we got out of school. My best friend, Bill Wylie, who graduated in 1945 and joined the navy, now lives in Washington State and we had a fun reunion there a couple of years ago. Unfortunately his wife Shirley died not too long ago.
I would enjoy hearing from old classmates!
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