Steve Buchina:  

We all know the popular line from Forrest Gump -"Life is like a box of chocolates ... you never know what you're gonna get." Looking back, I think poker game might be the better metaphor. Some hands we had to fold, but most we played to the end and we're better for it. We were and still are a special breed. After High School: Munich was a blast that first semester (1964). So much so, I was told to sit out the second (academic suspension). I returned to Munich in '65 and managed to hang on into early '66. In March of that year, my father suffered a fatal heart attack and my family returned to the states for his burial. From late 1966 to early 1968, I divided my time either working, bumming around or taking some more college courses (e.g., U. of Maryland, College Park). Except for the cross-county road trips, much of this time was wasted. I was a lost shoe without my dad - I had no direction. In the fall of 1968, I applied and was admitted to the U. of Alabama (Birmingham Campus, UAB). I soon found comfort and a purpose in this place. It was much like Munich - without the beer. The whole school was contained in one building on the outer edge of the University of Alabama Medical Center. Large classes had 30-35 students - most had less than 20. With the friendship and guidance of one professor (Thomas St.Pierre, Ph.D.), I received my B.S. degree (chemistry) in 1970. Later, I added M.S. (chemistry) and Ph.D. (biochemistry) to the resume. 1968 is also the year I met my future and current wife of 39 years - LaJuana (Holtzclaw). She caught my eye on the first day of a physics class. Being in a small group, it wasn't long before we engaged in conversations outside the realm of physics. Amazingly, we soon discovered that we were both military brats (Air Force) and had even lived on the same street in Wiesbaden (missed each other by a month). LaJuana left Wiesbaden in 1963 when her father was transferred to Athens, Greece (Class of 1965). Then to California (Vandenberg A.F.B.) in 1966, where her father retired. LaJuana came to UAB only because it offered a degree program in physical therapy. What are the chances of this? It had to have been written down somewhere. Looking back, life has been good to us. Trying at ti...Expand for more