John McBride:
CLASS OF 1975

Mt. Eden High SchoolClass of 1975
Hayward, CA
Oakland High SchoolClass of 1975
Oakland, CA
Bret Harte Junior High SchoolClass of 1972
Oakland, CA
Fruitvale Elementary SchoolClass of 1969
Oakland, CA
Laurel Elementary SchoolClass of 1969
Oakland, CA
John's Story
Life
The years have offered me a wide variety of experiences and I am satisfied with who I am. I am a widower (since January, 2001) and the father of a wonderful son (born November, 1998). I moved around a bit and now live in Cheyenne, WY. I also have a non-biological daughter (born December, 1989) that taught me how to give and accept unconditional love again. I worked in offices and the computer industry for about 20 years, then changed career paths to become a truck driver in 2001. I currently drive in the western states and am buying my own truck soon. I enjoy the slower pace of living in a small city and feel I am raising my son in a fairly safe place. I have been married 4 times, each having their own stories behind them, and I learned much from each of them. Oh, to know then what I know now and all of that stuff. It would have been great to have the knowledge to work out the rough parts in my first marriage and live my dream of one marriage lasting a lifetime but I know I wouldn't have learned other lessons. Life has its obstacles and opportunities. I'm single now and hope to marry again.
School
The best memories I have of my years at Bret Harte Jr High and Oakland High are of singing in the choirs at each school and performing solo and choir pieces. Mrs. Harriett Cartaso and Mr. Friedman were definitely great at inspiring me to do m...Expand for more
y best musically. Anita Williams and Donna Pridemore each have a warm place in my heart and I was honored to take Donna to my Junior Prom at Mt Eden High.
At Mt Eden High, the best times for me were the many times Y&T (then called Yesterday & Today) and other local bands played lunchtime concerts in the quad. Ms. Calandri and J. Lynn kept me alive when I was at my lowest points. I have a long list of students I owe debts of gratitude to and/or admiration for but I will pare the list down to Benny LeBarge, Tom Purdy, Jerry Ferguson, Larz Dameron and Kelly Cooke. The funniest thing is that I found out that Lydia Guadican is my aunt by marriage (her brother married my aunt) after we graduated.
Military
All I can say is that I never should have turned down that full commission to West Point. But being a Military Policeman taught many many lessons that have stuck with me through my life, both good and bad. I spent all of my enlistment in and around Kaiserlautern, Germany. I pulled a lot of guard duty, patrolled K-Town, did Customs duty during REFORGER and hunted for terrorists before most Americans really knew what they were. And I experienced the joys of married life with the first love of my life, Shirley Smart, and laughed at the absurdity of living with her in a studio apartment in a building that had been originally built to be a whorehouse.
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