Ronald Thomasson:  

Life After graduation: I worked in Building Trades and a weekend musician. In the fall of '72, I attended Johns Hopkins U...did well, however my heart wasn't in it. I took a break. Spent the summer of '73 driving/hiking cross-country. I managed to set foot in every state in the lower 48 (plus Mexico and Canada). One highlight was an overnight stay with the Ukiah, Ca. Sheriff's Department for hitchhiking on a restricted highway :-). In all seriousness, I was not in a proper, mental state to be hiking at the time and not realized I'd been "dropped off" in the middle of nowhere by my last ride :-) (God intervenes in the ignorance and stupidity of youth) I got a hot, cot and in the morning the Sheriff gave me a lift 40 miles down the road to a truck stop and hooked me up with a ride with a trucker to my next destination. Oh...and he also wrote me out a $5.00 ticket for hitchhiking on a restricted highway...Not bad for five bucks! Afterwards, I returned to the D.C. area, played gigs in a few bands, and then joined the Navy to "see the world" (After all, the draft was still on, I was out of college, my # was in the 30s and it was a matter of time before I received that tell-tale notice...). The coursework at Hopkins, was a good start for a Hospital/Medical Corps career path...so Hospital Corpsman it was: Throughout my Naval career, I received training as a Cardiovascular ICU Tech,, Emergency Medical Tech-Advanced, Radiology Equipment and Bio-Medical Electronics Engineering Specialist. The best perc was earning a few degrees along the way.. I've met many wonderful individuals across the states and around the world. I wouldn't trade anything for any of it; I've worked as a Field Engineer, taught Engineering at the collegiate...Expand for more