John Walters:
CLASS OF 1970
South Hagerstown High SchoolClass of 1970
Hagerstown, MD
Emma K. Doub Elementary SchoolClass of 1975
Hagerstown, MD
Frostburg State UniversityClass of 1974
Frostburg, MD
Moravian PreparatoryClass of 1970
Bethlehem, PA
North Potomac Middle SchoolClass of 1966
Hagerstown, MD
John's Story
Life
Age
My current age is 21, with 40+ years of experience. When I was 10, I thought that people my age now would be dead. I was so completely relieved to see that I was wrong about that!
First Job
My first job was at the Venice pool in Hagerstown as a lifeguard, where I got paid $2.25 an hour to get a really nice tan. What I remember most about it is that girls liked to talk with the lifeguards.
Best Summer Job
Summer cop in OC. 10 days of training, here's your gun, now go out and have some fun. What I remember most is that girls liked to talk with the cops.
Other Jobs
I flew jets in the Navy and then became a Special Agent with Naval Intelligence. Because of the Secrets Act I can't tell you what I did, or maybe, I just can't remember. After that I was a Police Agent in Baltimore for a number of years. I can say "You're under arrest." in five different languages. After playing cops and robbers, I entered commercial real estate management.
My Kids
My son Dan graduated from Auburn University with close to a 4.0 average. ( I think I graduated from Frostburg with a 2.5 GPA.) He recently resigned as a captain in the Army having been an Airborne Ranger with a tour in Afghanistan. He then earned a JD and a MBA simultaneously at the University of Alabama, where he now works. I'm looking forward to seeing some "Bama football games..
My daughter Elaine graduated from Millersville University and served in the PA National Guard. That's why Pennsylvania has not been attacked. She is currently in the medical field which makes me feel good as she can take care of me when I'm old and feeble.
Grand Kids
My son and his wife have given me my first grandchild, Samuel. I'm not sure how someone like myself who is only 21+ can have a grandchild. I'm looking forward to when he becomes older and we can hang together. I'll teach him how to toilet paper houses and conduct ghost tours of the Antietam Battlefield tower at night; not that I have any experience in either one of these. They also have given me my granddaughter Monroe, who I will be spoiling and teaching self defense tactics plus how to shoot a gun.
My daughter has also presented me with a grandson, Calvin. He also will learn the science of toilet papering houses and exploring Cunningham Falls.
A Bump In The Road
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer about several years ago. Wow, cancer sucks. I decided to receive radiation therapy; my rationale was that I only lived two miles away from Three Mile Island so I figured what's a little more radiation? I have evidently kicked cancer's a** , so I am now a survivor.
Another Bump In The Road
There I was minding my own business when all of a sudden I needed to see a cardiologist. So he gives me an EKG and says, "Something's just not right." He brings me in for a stress test. If you've never had one, just picture yourself running on a treadmill up the side of Mt. Everest, while glowing from the radioactive medicine that they made you drink.
So after running up the side of Everest for what seemed an eternity, but, was really eight minutes, you are scanned and the test is over. No one says "Go to the hospital", "Hey, we're calling an ambulance for you!"; no, it's just go home and the doctor will give you the results. Maybe scheduling the follow up for three weeks later wasn't the smartest thing to do as during the follow up appointment the doctor says, "You've had a heart attack." At some point I had one and didn't know it.
W...Expand for more
ell, the next thing is to do a cardiac catherization. This is a fun event where you go to the hospital, put on the gown with the missing back and are wheeled into a dark room with a large screen TV. The program about to watch? It's called "Watch This As We Slide A Wire Up Your Artery And Into Your Heart!" Not quite a Ken Burns PBS special.
You do experience this while you're fully awake and can see it all on the big screen, but sadly, without any popcorn. Well during this procedure the doctor says "That's not good" twice; followed by one "That's very, very bad!" Then he tells you that he can't proceed any further. He points out to me that I have 95% blockage in one artery, 95% blockage in another and 100% blockage in a third. Great, the only time in my life where I've consistently scored at 95% or better and it's not going to be an "A"! Oh, and while he's telling me all of this, he also exclaims that he doesn't see why I didn't die on his treadmill during the stress test. Comforting.
He then asks me "How do you feel about bypass surgery?" Hmm, now let me see, I'm already in the hospital, wearing the gown which is missing two yards of material in the back, and in an operating room with three out of four coronary arteries blocked. "Well gee doc, what a novel idea! Can we do it today?" Of course not. Three more days in the hospital. This is worse than any detention hall and grounding.
Long story short, I had a five way bypass surgery. They call it 5x CABG. What an interesting term. Oh, and this all starts with being in a gown and being wheeled into Pre-Op and then greeted by; "Hi, I'm Bob. I'm one of the volunteers here." Then Bob starts sticking needles into me along with an IV. "Hey, wait, doesn't my healthcare coverage provide professionals who do this?" It was interesting that during the procedure your body goes from 98.6 degrees to 32 degrees, yep a human popsicle. It stays that way for 105 minutes until the procedure is finished.
I've been asked what the most difficult part was and it's coughing. You're given an expectorant and you're forced to cough. Not easy to do with a chest that was split open and sewn back up.
Old Friends
I hope that old friends do remember me as being only 21 with a lot of experience at it. But I really hope that old friends can remember their name, where they live, and to take their meds and not become the subject of a silver alert.
Reunion
If you're still reading this then you're probably aware of the fiftieth (plus two) reunion which just occurred. It was a great adventure. Scaling the hill leading to the front door of the Beaver Creek Country Club. And I for one, appreciate all of the work and effort given by the reunion committee, to direct me to the event by placing the "Caution, Old Age Ahead" sign, along with an indicator arrow to point the way.
As I approached the check-in table, I thought I was signing up for Medicare. I was greatly relieved that it was only to write your name on a name tag. Kudos to my fellow classmates who made their name tag lettering large and bold! And for those who wrote their names small, now you know why I may have been staring so closely at your chest. I wasn't being a pervert, I just couldn't see your name!
Both evenings were great as I caught up with old classmates and friends. By the end of both evenings all of the grey which accumulated over the years disappeared; being replaced with smiles and laughter ending in a good time.
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