John McDermott:
CLASS OF 1992
Cold Spring Harbor High SchoolClass of 1992
Cold spring harbor, NY
NOVA Southeastern UniversityClass of 1996
Davie, FL
John's Story
College
I attended college in Davie, Florida (outside Ft. Lauderdale) called Nova College. While attending an optional, midsummer orientation, I met my closest friend and eventual roommate, Rob DelaRosa, from Roselle Park, NJ. We were instant friends, bonding the first night of orientation. At the end of the summer I headed back south to pursue my dream of becoming a marine biologist.
Our freshman year was marked by both the typical and atypical. My introduction to most of my building came just a couple of days into my time at Nova, as we were all forced to sleep in the hallways of the dorm. Hurricane Andrew was bearing down on South Florida, and nobody was sure where the eye would make landfall. Fortunately for us, the storm passed close to us, but the brunt of the damage was felt in Dade County communities to the south of us like Homestead. We all got to know each other really fast as a result of the storm. Nova was such a small school, that all of the on-campus undergrads lived in our building. The Andrew experience kind of drew our class together (at least for one year), and we all had a great time together that year.
The rest of college was pretty typical as well. As so many young people discover, I learned that my dream of a career in marine biology wasn't really my dream anymore, and I switched my major to elementary education. Little Nova College merged a medical school in Miami called Southeastern University. Hence, Nova Southeastern University was born. I had some awesome roommates (Rob and Rouen, two of the greatest guys who have ever lived), and one awesomely strange roommate (Rich...I don't really know how else to categorize him...nice guy, just really...strange). I served on the campus volunteer board for a few years and had my regular Saturday night radio show on WNKR radio (later WNSU). I graduated in four years.
The major event from college that I haven't discussed is far and away the most important, defining event that happened to me. It was away south at NSU that I met the love of my life, Laureen McGlynn. Funny thing is that at first, we all thought that she hated us because she was never exceptionally friendly when we would greet her around campus. Turns out she was just really shy. The first time I met her was actually in the studio at the radi...Expand for more
o station on the night of the Homecoming Dance my Sophomore Year. She was going with a friend of mine, and I was on the radio all night.
We were reintroduced around Halloween by our mutual friend, Wendy. We played some billiards together. Then we went our separate ways. We didn't really start to get close until after Christmas break. We became very close friends, doing everything together. I remember talking about music, and lots of laughing and deep discussions, many coming at 3 AM. Around late February, we discussed becoming a couple (I officially asked her out). Strangely enough, we didn't actually start dating until March 25th, 2004.
Here we are 13 years later...still going strong. We were married in 2001 in what was...until recently...my happiest moment. We have been through a lot together, and we have only grown closer over the years. On July 13, 2005, our daughter, Erin Margaret, was born...the happiest day to date for either of us.
We still talk about all our old friends, many of whom we've lost touch with. We'd love to hear from people. Space constraints prevent me from mentioning everyone, but we are looking for Rusty, Wendy, Pat & Colleen, Maria & Tom, James, Jay Matthews, & anyone else that would like to catch up. Hope to hear from you soon.
Workplace
I have had a wide-ranging list of jobs in my life. Mt earliest jobs were pretty run-of-the-mill for a 14 year old kid...cutting lawns, baby-sitting, nothing steady. My first regular job was working with Marcus Gardega on Sundays for Mr. Valdemar Jacobsen, who was an antiques dealer in Cold Spring Harbor. I've been a counselor at a camp for blind children, a telemarketer (unfortunately), a file clerk, a resident advisor, and a sales associate for numerous retailers. After college, I came back to Long Island, and while I was waiting to take my teacher certification exam, I took a part-time job working in a local Ace Hardware store. This part-time, temporary position quickly turned into a management position, which in turn led me to a position with the Ace Hardware Corporation in Lumberton, NJ. In 2005, I was transferred back to the Essex County area of NJ, where I still live and work. I left the Corporation in 2006 when my store was sold to a pair of local investors, and I now work for them.
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