Thomas Spencer (Stark):
CLASS OF 1966
Crescenta Valley High SchoolClass of 1966
La crescenta, CA
Clark Junior High SchoolClass of 1963
La crescenta, CA
Valley View Elementary SchoolClass of 1960
La crescenta, CA
Dunsmore Elementary SchoolClass of 1960
La crescenta montrose, CA
Blue Mountain SchoolClass of 1959
Cottage grove, OR
Thomas's Story
Hi CVHS '66 Classmates. Okay, here's a nearly 60 years bio:
After HS I attended GCC for 1 1/2-years before I dropped out to pursue a career in the US Forest Service (FS) the National Forests (NF). I joined the Oak Grove Hot Shots 5/68. Joined LA Co Fire Dept at Camp 2 in the winter of 68-69 (FS off-season), returning permanently to the FS in '69. Married my fiancee Karen Schewe (CVHS '69), moved to a FS cabin deep in the San Gabriel Mtns. We had one son, Tom Jr, whom we raised at the Chilao Ranger Station until we relocated with the FS to Diamond Lake Oregon in '76.
Q. What about Bob (Stark). A. Bob was my step-bother, from my Moms second marriage. Our parents divorced shortly after we moved to LaCrescenta in '58, but Bob elected to stay with my mom, his sister, and me. So we attended grade school (Dunsmore & Valley View), Clark J-HS and CVHS together. The family broke-up after high school, and Bob and I have lost track of one another. Last known address for him was near Blue Lake, CA, near Arcata.
Q. Why the name change from Stark (my surname in HS) to Spencer? A. I was legally adopted by Bob's father in '57, and my name was changed from Spencer to Stark. I was reunited with my natural father in my early 20's. Since I no longer had a connection to the name Stark, while living in Oregon I petitioned to have my birth-name (Spencer) restored.
I worked for the Forest Service at Diamond Lake for almost 12-years. My job at Diamond Lake focused on recreation and resource planning and operations, as the District Recreation Officer. This was a great assignment from a career perspective. Diamond Lake, in spite of the millions of annual visits, was another remote outpost, which partially explains why my first marriage dissolved. Karen moved back to SoCal, but I eventually was able to raise Tom Jr with me at Diamond Lake. JR attended two two-room school houses until 8th grade (Chilao & Diamond Lake) where he got his rural America perspective on life.
I took a promotional reassignment with the FS in '88 back to SoCal, as District Recreation & Resource Officer for the Mt. Baldy Ranger District, Angeles National Forest (now renamed the San Gabriel River Ranger District). The headquarters office is located in a historic FS office in Glendora CA. This was another great assignment, but full of many memorable challenges. The Angeles NF (San Gabriel Mountain range) provides the back-drop for the skylines of LA and Pasadena, and as such is highly political, yet severely under funded considering the extreme social and resource pressures that play out there.
While assigned in SoCal, my second marriage f...Expand for more
ailed. But I still have contact with one of my step-daughters (Michelle) and her family, who live in Medford Oregon. I have two grand kids (Dylan & Hope) thru Michelle and her husband Andy. My son Tom (nicknamed JR by his step-sisters) lives in Milwaukie Oregon. I have one grand daughter (Taylor) thru JR and his wife Tracy. Taylor graduated from Seattle University in (2016) with a double-major in engineering and photography. My Mom had moved from SoCal to Oregon, she passed in September 2016 (91-years old!).
After the second marriage, I began a relationship with Gina Thompson. Gina was a District Recreation Officer for the Los Padres National Forest. I was driving up the central coast to Pismo Beach every week for nearly 3 years to see her. Finally, Gina was able to transfer to the Big Bear Lake Ranger District in 2001, and we were able to be together fulltime from then on. We've been together now for more than 25 years.
My career with the Forest Service has been unique by some accounts. I was blessed to become one of the last of the "Jacks-of-all-trades". Now most FS employees have specialized career assignments. I started out as a Hot Shot fire-fighter, and retired as a Forest Planner assigned to the San Bernardino National Forest (2008). During my 40 years - 2 months career, I:
> fought nearly 200 wildland fires, attaining qualifications as Division Supervisor and Operations Section Chief
> Emergency Medical Technician for 12 years
> Level III Law Enforcement Officer and Investigator
> Advanced Fallers certification (unlimited size tree falling)
> Avalanche Assessment & Control Certification
> Recreation Planning Certification
As you can see from the list above, I had a wide-ranging career background, which was full of many eventful challenges. My final assignment was to the San Bernardino National Forest as Program Planner/Manager for the National Forest Adventure Pass. Though the Adventure Pass program has been greatly downsized by congress and the Forest Service, during its heyday ('97-'08) it brought in nearly $35 million for the Southern California National Forests. I'm proud of that accomplishment. For a time the extra funding and partnership support helped stall the degradation of these highly impacted landscapes in Southern California.
Gina took a promotional transfer with the Forest Service to Lake Tahoe in 2007. After my retirement in 2008 I joined Gina at Lake Tahoe where we own a home together.
It was fun to see some of you at the CVHS reunion of 1966 alums in April 2023. Hopefully our class will have another reunion in the near future. Life is good! Tom
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