Classmate Bios
Pam Hidaka
Karen Anderson Bertram
After high school, with no real aspirations in mind, I spent a couple years at Shoreline CC and had fun partying and sailing with friends. Took a mindless job for a year that motivated me to find an aspiration other than settling down. Attended North Seattle CC for a bit and then transferred to the UW where I crafted a B.S. degree through the General Studies program. I called my degree Science Communication. Had a nice ring to it and thought I’d work as a science writer, but jobs were scarce and the pay was lousy. Ended up in tech and spent the next 37 years writing about business system software. The subject matter never thrilled me but the people were smart, funny, and usually kind, and the pay was good.
Over the five decades I’ve had nine jobs (lots of turnover in tech!), one marriage, two daughters (my brightest lights), and three cats. Lost both parents but thankfully still have my sister and brother, and their families.
In 2017 I moved to Kingston to get more space for my gardening hobby. On my half acre I have 30-some blueberry bushes, 7 apple trees, 9 quince trees, 2 cherry trees, raspberries, and raised beds for vegetables. Gardening consumes a lot of my time in spring and summer, but year round I have other interests (cooking, reading, needlecrafts) and am active in a club called North Sound Sea Kayaking Association. Over the past 10 years I’ve paddled in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, on the west and east sides of Vancouver Island, and on rivers here and in Montana, Oregon, and Utah. On the day of the reunion I’m returning from the Broughton Archipelago in BC, so I may not make the event, which saddens me because I’d like to catch up with the girls from the golf team!
Another activity that takes up my time is being on my community's HOA board. My daughters liken this to being a character in Parks & Recreation. A more fun activity is getting together with locals and playing bluegrass tunes every week. We call ourselves Elderberry Jam. Lol.
I don’t think much in terms of feeling proud about things. Instead I find myself reflecting on the lessons life has given me and how to live better. A few hard lessons were tough but I like to think I’m a better person for them. Like the tee shirts say, life is good!
Mike Anderson
I went to Montana State University and was a member of the 1976 Division II National Championship Football team. I was about to flunk out but was given a second chance. The Dean asked me if I had a good time in high school and I responded with “a great time”. He asked me if I wanted to go back to high school as a teacher and coach. I taught biology, PE and coached football for 40 years and gave “second chances” throughout my career.
I have 3 adult kids; Matthew, Lollie and Randy. Two grandchildren so far with more on the way. Married to the love of my life who also believes in second chances.
My passions other than family include guitar, travel and fishing for salmon. Always looking for fishing buddies so if you are interested let me know.
I live in Goodyear Arizona and fish PNW in the Summer to escape the heat.
Looking forward to reconnecting with everyone at out 50th reunion.
Kendall Baer Flanders
In my late 20's I was a travel agent and had the opportunity to experience a 7-day cruise in the Caribbean. I met my husband, Denny on that cruise. He likes to say that he's been paying for that cruise ever since. We married 9months later and lived in Anaheim for our first year and then moved up to the Seattle area after that to start a family. We moved about every 3-4 years. We would take a house and fix it up the way we liked and then another boy would come along, and the house was too small, so we would move again. We had 4 boys, and they kept us very busy with school, scouts, and sports! After they grew up a bit, I went back to work as a Church receptionist for a good 5 years, and then as a care giver for 4 elderly people over a period of 7 years.
Fast forward to today - Our boys are married and between them all, we have 10 grandchildren: ranging in age from 3 to 15 yrs. They are smart, funny, noisy, and a delight. We currently live in Marysville - never thought that would happen, but here we are and hopefully in our forever home. We have found a great church, and we are involved with their various ministries. At home, I like working in the yard, growing vegetables and flowers. My newest passion is dahlias - I have about 30 different kinds. We have been able to travel a bit over the years. Denny is from the Battle Creek area of Michigan, and we try to go back every three years. We've also have taken many cruises: Caribbean, Alaska, Pacific Coast, Panama Canal, and a cruise from Sydney, Australia to Seattle with a few stops in New Zealand and Tahiti. We hope to travel more in the future until we can't and then we can look at pictures and reminisce.
Janet Balcom Whitlock
Earned my Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees, both in voice performance, and later a professional diploma in acting. Performed leading roles in operettas, musicals, and plays in the Cleveland, OH and Seattle areas, while working as a medical receptionist and appointment secretary. Sang in a piano/vocal duo aboard Princess Cruise Line to Alaska. Performed for years with the Northwest Recital Singers at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Have served as a soloist and soprano section leader of the Sanctuary Choir at Seattle First Baptist Church since 1998, and as co-chair and master of ceremonies for Seattle Jazz Vespers monthly concert series for the past twenty seasons.
Taught private voice lessons in my own studio for sixteen years, serving three school districts and Orcas Island. Selected as a vocal adjudicator for four regional solo/ensemble competitions. Employed as a 1:1 special needs paraeducator in the public schools since 2009. I’ve been married for over three decades and have three children (including one with a doctorate and one writing a Ph.D. dissertation), one grandchild, and three “grandpets”. Served as an elected Democratic Precinct Committee Officer for ten years and as co-chair of our church peacemakers group. I’m an avid fan of the Seahawks and Huskies, figure skating, and “Jeopardy”. Studied French, German, Italian, and Signed Exact English. Enjoyed travelling to Riga, Latvia in 2017, (my first trip to Europe since our NH Swing Choir tour in the summer of 1973!)
Randy Beighle
Marriage – I was married to Cheryl Kakalia from 1981-1995, and I have been happily married to Stefanie (Brown) Beighle since 1996. Stefanie is fun, charming and the love of my life; her parents were educators in Port Angeles, and we met through work.
Children – I have three daughters. Brianna 33, lives in Napa, CA where she has been a winemaker and currently is the general manager of the Patz & Hall winery in Sonoma. Kendra 25, lives in Portland, OR where she is a senior marketing coordinator (Advanced Energy) for TRC Companies. Brecklyn 23, lives in Portland, OR where she is a research assistant in the Neuroscience Laboratory at Oregon Health Science University.
Where I’ve lived – I’ve lived in the same house in Bellevue since 1989. Going back prior to that, I lived in Seattle (Ravenna), Los Angeles (West LA), Walnut Creek CA and Berkeley CA.
Hobbies – Cooking and wine; hiking and camping (we currently have a travel trailer); gardening; golf (since 2021); astronomy; watching soccer.
Involvements in sports etc. – I was a volunteer soccer coach for ten years, a volunteer basketball coach for five years, and on the board and an officer of our local soccer club (Issaquah SC Gunners) for almost ten years. I served on the board of the Seattle Children’s Museum for five years. I still downhill ski and cross-country ski at our vacation home outside Leavenworth.
Career – I graduated from UC Berkeley in 1978 (Phi Beta Kappa) and UCLA Law School in 1983 (Order of the Coif). I was fortunate to be hired at Lane Powell (big Seattle law firm) in 1983, where I was a shareholder until I retired in February 2020 (right before COVID!). I was a business litigator my entire career where I was incredibly fortunate to work directly with two colleagues who went on to be appointed federal district court judges in Seattle (Tom Zilly and Jim Robart). I was interviewed by the FBI for both of their Senate confirmations. I did a variety of business litigation, from contract disputes to franchising and intellectual property, and represented great companies and individuals, such as Chevron, Shell, Texaco, Nordstrom, Starbucks, and numerous small companies and individuals (including 1974 NHHS grad Kevin Swett and his companies). I served in various leadership roles at Lane Powell, and for my last five years I was the firm’s General Counsel. I volunteered with the Washington State Bar Association and served five years on the executive committee of the Bar Examiners.
I’m proud of my daughters! They are amazing and I love spending time with them. Their growth has been so incredible to watch and be part of. All three did great at college, two have MBAs (UC Berkeley and Willamette Univ) and all three were stellar college athletes (Brianna did Crew at UC Davis, won nationals as a sophomore, Kendra and Brecklyn ran track and played soccer at Lewis & Clark in Portland, where they were both soccer team captains, and Brecklyn was a regional D3 All-American).
Fun/weird stuff – I like to sing Aretha Franklin for karaoke. I’m an ardent Arsenal FC supporter (Go Gunners!). I was able to see the Ramones live three times. John Von Lossow (NHHS ’74) tried to teach me golf in high school, but I sucked and stopped when I went to college. Fast forward, my wife and I took up golf three years ago and play as much as possible. I still suck pretty much but I remember John’s putting lessons. I worked with Darrell Leitzke’s (NHHS ’74) brother Randy Leitzke (NHHS ’76) at Lane Powell, where he was our Executive Director and my friend. It took us a couple of years to realize the connection. My brother-in-law has dated and is friends with Patti Izzard-Dodd (NHHS ’74).
Travel – I’ve been very lucky in my career and have traveled quite a bit, both with my wife and with our whole family. Our most recent trips including taking our family to Croatia and Slovenia, Stefanie and I went New Orlean for Mardi Gras, family went to Ecuador/Peru (Galapagos Islands, Cusco and Machu Pichu), Stefanie and I went to France in 2023 for five weeks to watch the Rugby World Cup and tour, we took our trailer to Long Beach CA for a reggae festival, and Stefanie and I went to Mazatlán in April for the total solar eclipse.
email: beighle@comcast.net
phone: 206-849-9303
Jennifer Beaton Shong
After college, I worked for Airborne Express from 1976 until they closed in 2004, 28.5 years.
I married Lisle Lafond, in 1984. We had two children, Joey (38) and Delaney (35). Lisle passed away in 2003 after fighting cancer for 3.5 years. He was a wonderful man. (And he is on the faculty page of our Senior year annual)!
In 2007, I ran into Paul Shong at a summer party at Ed & Dawn Maylor’s home. We started dating and got married in 2009! We traveled, retired and opened up Rowdy Dog Antique Lighting in LaConner in 2021. Paul restored beautiful antique lighting fixtures! We had our 15th wedding anniversary this year, June 20th. Paul also battled the Big C for 7 years and passed away June 29. He had been a heavy machinist welder for 43 years prior to retiring. Such a great guy as so many of you remember.
Both Joey (Lena) and Delaney (Chris) had Covid weddings in 2021 and married wonderful humans!
Joey & Lena gave us our first grandson in October of 2023. Hard to believe, but he is perfect!
My beautiful mother is 94 and going strong living independently in Edmonds. I wish Paul and I had had many more years together but what we had was blissful and so much fun. I’m sad he didn’t make it to our 50 year reunion. He’s with us in spirit!
Cheryl Blanchard DeShon
I’m retired after 45+ years of being an OB RN specializing in perinatal loss and adoption which I did for several years before loosing a baby of my own and adopting 2 more from SouthKorea. My (second) husband of 40 years was also a Hale grad in ’76. We met doing music atchurch (long before I was married the first time) and we did lots of weddings and funerals until we both graduated from college and got ‘real’ jobs. Also had two more kids I gave birth to but lost my oldest son suddenly in 2010 from an infection. We remain connected to his wife and 3 children as well as to her new husband (my son’s best friend) and the 2 more kids they added to their family. I have 10 grandchildren and have been at all of their births. Some were pretty stressful! All are a blessing.
I like to sew, knit, create and read. I love my French Bulldog and keep busy most all the time! I inherited a house and sold it ‘as is’ then got SUED 2 years later because they had to fix stuff (after their remodeler messed stuff up)! We won but I found out there is nothing ‘just’ about our ‘justice system’. It cost me a fortune. I’m still hoping to find time to write a couple
of books some day. I have really enjoyed working on the reunion committee and looking forward to seeing everyone!
Jim Burbach
I spent around 28 years in the Wine industry in the Seattle area. Moved to San Diego to own/operate a number of small businesses.for 10 years. Then retired and moved with my girlfriend to a small surf town (Sayulita) in Mexico. Now I play golf and have Margaritas on the beach. I have a son and granddaughter in SF. And will not admit to anything I'm not proud of.
Jim Burtt
During my senior year at Hale, I joined Junior Achievement which transformed my life and which employed me for three years as a Center Manager. After graduating from Hale, I attended the UW and graduated in business. Having joined AIESEC, I was fortunate to be awarded an auditing traineeship in London which lasted for eight months and exposed me to British culture and real ale. Thereafter, I joined two bus-loads of Aussies and Kiwis as we toured Europe for ten weeks, venturing as far as Istanbul.
Back in Seattle, I was working for Foster & Marshall as a Dividend Clerk when a Kiwi lass I had met in Paris showed up in Seattle, looking to settle down on a tourist visa. I fell in love with San Francisco as I dropped her off at SFO for her flight back to New Zealand.
I lived in SF for seven years and fell in love with a beautiful Hong Kong woman. We married in ’85, but she left me for another guy in ’87. Heartbroken, I quit my job and bought a 23-ticket flight package and backpacked around the world for 15 months.
Back again in SF, I met an aspiring marketing professional, and we married in ’91. Katherine convinced me to go back to school and get my MBA, so I attended U. Chicago from ’91-’93. Upon our return to the Bay Area, we bought a house in San Carlos, and I began a new career in corporate finance at high tech companies such as Cisco. We were blessed with two children soon thereafter. In 2004, I switched careers to Business Systems, and I specialized in equipping start-ups with automated systems & processes so they could go public. I continued doing that until I retired in 2022.
Katherine returned to work in 2012 and is still at the same small company. Our son, David, attended Stonybrook U. and is a post-doctorate at NASA Goddard near Washington D.C., working on the Mars mission. Our daughter, Carolyn, graduated from Tufts and is a nurse at Boston Children's Hospital.
In 2023, I spent 3 ½ months traveling around the world, visiting friends in Perth, Cairo, and Seville. I love jogging and hiking in the beautiful Bay Area. I am searching for an organization to join where I can give something back.
Please feel free to drop me a note at jdburtt@gmail.com.
email: jdburtt@gmail.com
Joan Carlson Reynolds
After graduating I put my Nathan Hale Business Dept skills to work as a secretary with a customs broker office in downtown Seattle for 5 years. In 1980 I married Kevin Twohy (Blanchette class of '71) and we moved to Portland, OR for two years. I graduated from Portland State University in '82 in Fine Art. We moved to Helena, MT for 7 years where I graduated from Carroll College in Education. I taught elementary school in Helena while working on my Masters in Education from University of Montana in Missoula. In 1989 we moved to Berkeley, CA where I taught in Piedmont for 18 years. Kevin passed away in 1999. I met Ted Reynolds in 2006 and moved to Alaska to teach in "the bush" above the Arctic Circle in a village of only 250 native Eskimos for 13 years. An incredible experience! I taught a total of 37 years and am proud to have played a strong role in the lives of so many young people. It was it an honor and a privilege. We retired in 2019 and are living in our Happy Place in southwest Montana, raising bees and chickens, quilting, fishing, hunting, hauling hay & feeding cows for local ranchers. Life is good!
Colleen Cheever Smith
Looking back on the last 50 years of my life, I’m grateful and blessed for the many different adventures I’ve had! After college, I entered a radio show contest, and found myself spending the summer riding my bike from Anchorage to Southern California. Along the way, I met a man who was on his own solo bike adventure from Montana to San Francisco, and we hit it off right away. After a year of long distance dating, we decided to take a chance and I moved to the Bay Area to make a go of it. So far so good! Doug and I have been married for 40 years, and have three children: Kelly (34), Cooper (32), and Leah (31). We have also become grandparents, and we find such joy in spending time with our 3-year-old granddaughter, and her 2-month-old twin siblings!
Throughout my life, I’ve had many jobs. From being a Mechanical Drafter, a Health Club Manager, Trainer and Aerobic Instructor (I kinda miss those leg warmers ;)). Continuing in health care, I worked as a Dental Assistant and Dental Office Manager. My most enriching position was that of a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster children. It was such an honor to be in their corner, making sure they received plenty of love and care.
These days, my husband and I live in a retirement community in Lincoln, California. We love that there are a wide range of activities and clubs to join. I enjoy pickleball, gardening, walking, photography, travel, a book club, and quality time with our family. I’m especially drawn to photographing flowers, and most recently went to Tuscany for a photography workshop. My adventures look a little bit different today than they did when I was graduating from Nathan Hale, but I wouldn’t change a thing!
Vern Cohrs
After graduating from Pacific Lutheran University, I spent 10 years as a high school and college basketball coach including stops at Idaho State University and Southern Methodist University. In 1990, I returned to Seattle and started working for my Dad in his insurance brokerage. In 1998, I purchased the brokerage from him and ran the business until the end of 2023 when I sold it to a long time employee. I have five wonderful nieces and nephews that I enjoy very much. I live in Snohomish and look forward to a great back nine of life.
Margaret Cook Hart
One marriage and today is our 46th wedding anniversary. Like a lot of things, it's been an adventure, and we have two amazing daughters who still love to spend time with us. We lived in Florida for a period of time but mostly here in the Kent area and still love the weather, sense of community and wonderful friendships we've made. Career, I've been in banking my entire working career and except for a few hic ups, loved what I do and who I work with. I've made good friends at work and lucky to have kept them throughout the years. Something I'm proud of, that's easy....my closest and dearest friends are from my junior and senior high school years. We still get together, maybe not as often as life is busy, but we count each other as dear and true-blue friends. I'm very proud and truly thankful for their friendship. Not so proud of....a few really bone head decisions that I will not go into detail about, but we all have a few which makes me appreciate more good decisions than bad. All I did was lose money but kept my integrity, morals and values but the money really hurt.
Thanks for putting this together for us and I look forward to seeing many of our classmates.
Dean Cotton
What can happen in 50 years! So much!
Currently married going on 14 years and living right up the hill from Seahawks headquarters over on the Eastside. So many hobbies and interests - golf (in the spring/summer) bowling (in the fall/winter). Been doing this for over 35 years. Since high school I played professionally in a 70's classic rock band and still to this day play in my home studio.
As for my career, I am currently a Sales Director at DACO Corporation. It is a material handling company and I manage a team of structural engineers who build elaborate racking solutions for the big warehouses throughout the US and Canada. We also specialize in automation i.e. conveyor systems as well. If you go to Costco/Boeing or any large company and look at the racking that holds product, we probably have designed it.
Something I am proud of - as you get up in years, health is so important. I have hired a professional workout coach and nutritionist in a program that has shown incredible results. A sedentary lifestyle isn't for me. I lift weights daily in a structured program and eat like I should have been eating years ago. I have trimmed and tightened up! The results are crazy good.
No longer am I the soft spoken guy from high school. I'm about as extroverted as it gets.
Traveled in business extensively around the country. On the personal side, my wife and I play once a year in Las Vegas (love the pool time) and have traveled to Hawaii on numerous occasions.
Something lucky - blessed with good health and still working hard at 68 young years old. Still enjoy the hunt in business and being around new people.
Cheryl Cronander Sizov
Born in Los Angeles, raised in Seattle, and still living here, in the Ballard neighborhood as of about 1993! I have been married since 1998 to husband Andrei and we have one daughter, Katya, age 23, who is the light of my life. I left a 30-year career as an urban planner in 2012 in order to homeschool Katya and travel with her through her middle school years. When she entered high school, I ventured in some new directions--freelance writing, tutoring, and went back to school myself for an interior design degree. I love travel and all things related to design, history, and art, often posting observations and photos of my adventures on Instagram. Other than that, I enjoy our home, reading with my book group, walking our little dog Belka, and all the creative pursuits I can get my hands on (painting, needlework, drawing, architectural design, photography, gardening, cooking...). The older I get, the more I realize I still have to learn--and that's a good thing because I love to learn! It keeps me young in spirit and interested in life. Life after 60 has had some "bumps in the road" but has also been a great opportunity to refine my priorities. I am grateful for a good life.
Darcy Danielson
Darcy moved to Mt. Hood CC on a Journalism scholarship. Dave Riggs RIP was recruited too. Slid over to the Music Dept. Paul Kessler was there too. Played piano, sang vocal jazz, did productions of "Follies" and "Pippin". Came back up to attend Cornish. Sang with "Grandma's Cookies" and married the sax man, Dean Mochizuki, a Franklin grad.
After a few years of law office work then divorce, it was back to OR for 28 years of theatre in Ashland. Musical direction, score notation, coaching singers, more gigs and antics than you can imagine. Dated a comic then a drummer. No kids, lots of house repair, squeaking by with an arts career.
"Good times and bum times ... I'm Still Here" - Sondheim
email: pianofemme@gmail.com
Mark DeMonbrun
After graduation I served in the Army from 1974-1977 and was stationed in Germany. After returning home I worked for Seattle Public Schools from 1977-2005. I worked as a custodian, served as a principal officer in the union, ending my time with the School district as Custodial Supervisor. After I retired in 2005, I worked for Northwest Center from 2005-2009 and then at Service Alternatives from 2010-2020, supporting adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
I married my wife Chris in 1981 and together we had 5 children; daughter Cali was born in 1984, daughter Cara was born in 1986, son Chase was born in 1988, daughter Cami was born in 1990, and son Chaz was born in 1991. I now have 7 grandchildren…and counting. My wife passed away in July 2023, just 3 months before our 42nd wedding anniversary.
I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico, Italy, and Greece and all over the United States while volunteering for Trips Inc., a company that provides travel opportunities for travelers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I took a total of 42 amazing trips.
From October through December, you will find me in my red suit, spreading holiday cheer as Santa. In 2015 I embraced the resemblance and volunteered for a foster family holiday celebration. Now I work with numerous non-profit organizations, local chambers of commerce, small businesses, large corporations, private photographers and doing home visits all season long. I am a member of the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, NORPAC Santas and I received my Associate and Bachelor’s degrees of SantaClausOlogy from the International University of Santa Claus. Known as The Real Santa Mark
Ann Eggertsen Stanton
You may have taken Nathan Hale’s Environmental Horticulture class with Mr. Gomness. I did, and it sent me on a new trajectory that lasted all my life. I spent much of my Nathan Hale years in the outdoors; hiking, sailing, scuba diving, search and rescue, tennis, igloo-building, and skiing on both water and snow; everything outdoors. The time spent in the Nathan Hale greenhouse encouraged me to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture, become a registered landscape architect and spend thirty-plus years fully engaged in building dozens of parks and trails for Puget Sound cities. I was blessed by a career that I loved.
Life seems to have come to me in pairs: two parents, two stepparents, two children, two husbands (one at a time), president of two homeowners associations. Now, two homes, which is how it can work when you marry the second time to someone with a home in the mountains.
After experiencing my second father-in-law’s aging into his nineties, I downsized from my one- and-a-half-acre horse property to a one-story in town. We have been happily splitting our time between the two places ever since. As a puppy, our beloved eight-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback introduced us to owners of another Ridgeback when the two tiny pups met at our veterinary clinic. They have become some of our closest friends (and reliable dog sitters, too.) Never before has a dog made our friends for us, but she chose well. Most recently, I finally realized a long-held dream to take drum lessons; this has turned out to be more fun than I ever imagined.
Al Fox
I went to the "U" and USC after high school, taking some time in the middle of it to travel across the US and Canada. After finishing with a degree in business and a dozen years at work, I left the world of business management and became a teacher. I've had the honor of working with about 1000 kids.
I've lived in California and Alaska. My wife, Alice, and I now live in Port Townsend and enjoy traveling, camping, helping others, and spending time with family. I also enjoy reading, woodworking, and gardening. Short mission trips have been formative and spiritual growth remains a focus for me. My email is aefabf@gmail.com.
Douglas Paul Frechin
Married to Karen Marie Webber Frechin, 1976 Roosevelt grad, 06/27/1976, 48 years ago. Lived in Edmonds home since 12/1/1981. 34 years retired Teamster, 12 years retired King County Metro Transit Operator. Cancer survivor, cancer free since 08/2021. No children.
Luanne Gates Atwood
I feel truly blessed to be in contact with some of the people from our class. They are loving, kind and wonderful people. I am a Christian who has not been a great example. I was married for 35 years and it ended in 2012. I have 3 children and 4 grandchildren and 1 great-granddaughter. I also have a couple of grand birdies and a grandpup (I know some might think this is silly, but they're cute critters!) I live with my 95 year old mom and 2 kitties, Buster and Sissy. I had recorded a few YouTube videos of me singing which was fun. I've done karaoke and sung in church and loved it. I've lived in Australia, near Adelaide, winter in Arizona with mom and mostly stay in Seattle in the home I grew up in since 1969 (even my same childhood bedroom!) I feel so extremely lucky to be with my mom. She's spry and with-it and silly. We have laughter, tears and have a very close relationship. Every day is a gift!
Through the work experience coordinator I started working after school in the credit office of a men’s clothing company. Continued to work there through my time at the UW. When it came time to pin down my major I couldn’t decide so I quit and went to work full time at the clothing store. Learned to ‘keypunch’ then was hired to the accounting office doing sales analysis for 10 years.
1978 started Bible college ending in 1982 with a degree in religious education. In 1980 spent a week in Bethel Alaska to help with vacation Bible school.
1982 was the best traveling I’ve done. Smuggled Bibles into China. A couple days in Hong Kong for the group leader to finish making contacts. The security getting into China from Hong Kong was nerve-racking. I was so nervous going thru baggage check that they didn’t even look through my bags nor the bags of two young men of the group who had their bags on the same cart. Twenty days in tourist towns and rural towns clear up to Beijing. Passing bags off like shown in the movies, one person sets a briefcase or such down and another picks it up. Beautiful country. Then back to Hong Kong for two days. I was the only one out of fifteen who did not get sick. Wouldn’t trade that trip for anything and would go back in a flash.
Started working for a small publishing company of Christian tracts as a bookkeeper until it closed because of threats. In 1984 I married a great man I met while at the clothing company. We have two children. Evan will be 39 in November and repairs arcade games of all sorts. He loves and is a hands-on person. Merideth, 36, has been a pharmacy technician for over 10 years. Merideth’s birth was scary and we both almost died. We decided not to have any more kids. Took about two years for my body to recover. Both kids graduated from Nathan Hale, and, had Mr. Case.
We just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. For 36 of the those our annual ‘mecca’ was to Bakersfield California where my husband is from. Our theme song is ‘On the Road Again’ by Willie Nelson. I can drive most any stick-shift because our trips were always in his Alpha Romero and mostly down the coast. My husband had a stroke/brain aneurysm in 2011 so we’re still working through that. He’s had a wide variety of caregivers from 30 to 76 years old, Fiji, Philippines, Canada, some worked out, some not. We have one who’s been with us 12 years and watched her two boys grow into fine young men who also graduated from Hale.
For over 50 years I’ve taught nearly all age groups of Sunday School as well as being children’s church director, vacation Bible school director. I’ve been a choir member, choir director, pianist, worship leader, secretary/treasurer and leader of several interest groups. Took the choir to Union Gospel Mission and retirement homes. The residents loved us coming and always sang along.
I’ve never had to look for a job as I’ve always been recommended by someone I worked with. Never quit nor got fired – the businesses closed. Hm, a trend? Worked for a CPA firm for 29 years. The newest principles were not nice to work for so between that and technology taking over 80% of my job I was not useful to them so they let me go in 2019. Never been unemployed so it was a very hard adjustment mentally and financially and losing all benefits. Had to pay over $800/month out of pocket for medical when I only went for the annual physicals. I was extremely excited when I could enroll in Medicare! Since 2020 I’ve been the administrator of a small construction company that installs/repairs stucco, plaster, ornamental plaster and such. I love it. Great company and employees. I’m hoping to work only another year and finally retire . I think 70 is enough, but who knows and it depends on my husband’s health. Starting to look for replacements for me and our bookkeeper who’s already 70. If you know of anyone, refer them to me.
Phyllis Goodell Adkins
email: phyadkins@comcast.net
phone: 206.484.6669
David Gordon
Graduated early and hitch-hiked around Europe alone. Went to college, taking a year off to do construction work. Taught math in Africa in the Peace Corps. Became a software engineer for Bellevue companies. Sister committed suicide—40 years ago and it still hurts. Fell in love with a wonderful hospice nurse, married, worked for Mother Theresa in India, then construction again. Recruited by the Human Genome Project where my software was needed. Had a daughter and became very involved in parenting. Bounced back and forth between Seattle and Port Townsend. Now our dream house in Port Townsend. Tried and didn’t like retirement so got a part-time remote job in computational genetics. Have always devoted part of every week to peace and justice, now Gaza. Hiking and still running. Hobbies include construction work (e.g., digging and wiring), learning violin, studying Chinese, 2 book groups. Still in love with my wife. No grandchildren yet but that will be the next adventure.
email: dgordon562@gmail.com
David Groninger
What I have done since high school?
I attended Reed College in Portland Oregon, then moved to Los Angeles California for about 15 years, worked in sales, marketing and advertising. I started and managed my own cosmetics business. And to escape the LA smog, I came back to the Pacific Northwest to enjoy the fresh air, and natural beauty. I worked in a variety of sales jobs, including working as a real estate investor, which I'm still active in.
Most of my life I have maintained the values and interest of continuing education and learning, health and fitness ( I'm a bicycle enthusiast), travel and exploration, self growth , self-understanding, composing and performing music for piano, writing poetry and writing articles mainly on the topics of history, psychology and self-help.
I currently reside in Greensboro North Carolina and often travel to the northwest to partake in the natural beauty of the water, mountains and forests, and the ever-evolving and diverse and rich culture of the Seattle area.
I am grateful to have grown up in Seattle because it gave me a good standard for quality of life that I have attempted to meet wherever I lived.
This 50th reunion will be my first class reunion I've attended, and I'm looking forward to it very much. In retrospect, I really have missed out by not going to the other reunions and not staying in touch with the many fine people I knew at school. I feel very fortunate to have attended the Nathan Hale High School, especially for the hard-working yet well-rounded students, excellent and caring teachers, high spirited athletics and sport activities, and the many extracurricular programs like the Nathan Hale radio station, social groups, and the many outdoor recreational activities. I am very proud to be a Raider alumni !
Mike Hall
My wife Becky and I will celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary this August. We met at the University of Washington while living in the dorms. Becky went to high school in Puyallup.
I started my career as an engineer with CH2M-HILL where I developed capital improvement plans for municipal water systems like Port Angeles, Mercer Island and Valdez, Alaska. Becky has her degree in accounting and started her career working for Arthur Anderson as an auditor.
We were married in 1980 and moved to Boston in 1981 so I would get an MBA. We returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1983 and two years later I started my own management consulting practice. I provided advice to closely held engineering firms and architects on how they could incrementally sell ownership in their firms to key employees. This helps a firm to retain its key staff and allows the founder of a practice to ultimately retire by selling their ownership to the next generation of owner/employees. This consulting often involved establishing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and business valuations. Today, I still provide consulting on this topic to long standing clients that have as much trouble letting go as I do.
Becky and I moved to Indianola WA on the Kitsap Peninsula in 1993. Becky has served as a treasurer of the local food bank for 15 years and I am a board member for the local land conservancy trust.
Our daughter Sara is now 36 years old and is a LNP Midwife at St Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma. Sara and Keven were married in 2022 and we now have a granddaughter that just turned one last week. Our son Chris is now 34 and has a final year of study for an MBA at Georgetown University and is finishing up his summer internship at the Federal Reserve.
In addition to management consulting, I started selling professional liability insurance to engineers and architects in 1991. This part of the business grew steadily and incrementally over the next thirty years to ultimately employ 50 staff. I sold the business to a private equity backed acquisitions firm in 2016, ran the business for three years for them and then retired.
Retired life includes skiing, hiking, biking, fishing, golfing and travel. I just returned from Botswana a few weeks ago.
email: mike.hall@millerbay.email
Lori Henley Judd
My husband Pete and I will celebrate our 46th anniversary this Decenber. We have one daughter (his) and two sons. They are all happily married. We have four grandchildren. They are age 7 through nineteen. We moved out of Seattle 34 years ago. We bought six acres in Elma, WA. We love living in the country. We belonged to a motorcycle club until we had our first son. We then started sailing. My favorite place to be is out on the water. We love to travel. I have been to 45 states, Northwest territories in canada and Mexico. We went to Australia twice. If you ever get a chance to go, do it. Now we are retired. We spend our winters at our place in Mohave Valley AZ and the rest of the year here in Elma with our two dogs Mr, Bo Jangles and Rusty. I look forward to seeing what everyone has been up to.
Steve Henry
This feels like a eulogy. I went to Shoreline CC after high school, transferred to the UW, and got a double degree in Psychology and Sociology. I entered the Special Education Master’s program and in 1980 began teaching. I taught at Lincoln HS and McIlveigh MS in Tacoma for about 10 years. Married and had 2 children. During that time our children were sexually abused at their day care. We “lost” the trial and chose to move away, to Enumclaw. We raised 3 children in Enumclaw, where I taught, and my wife later taught in White River SD. I coached tennis, basketball, and soccer. After breast cancer, my wife became a Crossfit athlete and competed in the Crossfit Games. Our children attended UPS and Gonzaga. Our marriage ended during COVID, as did my career. We have 5 grandchildren that I adore. I moved back to Enumclaw and have a few wonderful God-fearing friends. I am grateful and thankful for every day that I can hike or watch a soccer game on TV with my Vizsla, Ginger
Pam Hidaka
Here’s my nutshell summary of the past 50 years without writing a novel!
EDUCATION
BA – UW, Art History, Russian language & area studies
Burnley School of Art
M Arch – UW
Studies abroad:
London, UK
Kobe, Japan
A FEW CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Graphic designer, Creative/Design Project manager: Microsoft, Amazon, Expedia
Architectural Designer – Seattle School District, WPSFA, KPG, VH & VH
Licensed Massage Therapist
FAVORITE ADVENTURES
Flyfishing in Montana & Japan
Back country XC skiing in Montana
Taking a quarter off from undergrad studies to travel through Europe
Traveling to Hong Kong & mainland China pre-1997
FAVORITE ACHIEVEMENT
Dog trainer, breeder of Vizslas, multiple show champions and performance titles, 47 years and counting!
HOME
Renovated barn in rural King County
NEXT ADVENTURE
Retirement?
MISC
NHHS ’74 Reunion looks like an opportunity for a Spazmo Reunion!
(Jane Addams Jr High – Heather, Ann, Jennifer, Mike, Don)
Don Iverson
After graduating from Hale and “The Don Iverson Show” at KNHC (pg. 92 of our annual), I continued to work part-time in radio as a producer at a Seattle talk-radio station while attending college. I graduated from the UW in ’78 with a BSME (mechanical engineering) and started work at a mechanical contracting firm. I was assigned to hospital projects that eventually lead to a specialty in healthcare facilities.
After a couple years in contracting, I joined a consulting engineering firm (Coffman Engineers, Seattle office) and remained there until 1989. I then formed my own firm (Iverson Elder, Inc.) with a Coffman colleague and specialized in the engineering/design of mechanical systems in hospitals. Coffman convinced us to merge our companies in 1999 and I remained a principal, but in a much larger firm. I have served as the engineer-of-record for hundreds of projects ranging from Southern California to northern Alaska. I retired in 2021 and love being able to be more active in my community. I’m in Rotary and just finished my term as president of the Lake Stevens club.
On the personal side, Diana Eggleston :-(an Ingram Ram) and I married in our early 20’s and had two children, a girl, and a boy. We raised them in Edmonds. That marriage proved not to be a good fit and we divorced when the kids reached adulthood. I went on to meet Eve Stern, also in the healthcare industry, and we married in 2003. Eve, a NYC transplant, has proved to be a far better match than my Ingram Ram and we’re going strong into our third decade together.
Eve also has a daughter and son who are the same ages as my children. They were young adults when we married and easily bonded as one big family. Each daughter always wanted a sister, same with our sons. The four of them went on to produce seven grandchildren, all happy cousins living nearby.
We live on the western shore of Lake Stevens which means we get overrun with family and friends during the summer months making wonderful memories. We have decided, however, to get away for a few months in winter and have a “snowbird” home under construction (almost complete) in the city of Maricopa, south of Phoenix. I’ve held off on committing to attending the reunion as we need to go to AZ to accept and move into our second home about the same time. We’ve been pushing to have our final inspection and acceptance after the reunion as it would be fun to see everyone.
Natalie Juhl Nesvig
I grew up in Edina, MN, and our family moved to Seattle in 1968. I attended PLU from 1974-79. In 1976-77, I attended Elverum Folkehøgskule in Norway. I became fluent in Norwegian during that year. I have been married to Philip Nesvig, a Lutheran pastor, for 43 years. We have 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren. Our family has lived in Seattle, Milton-Freewater, OR, Port Angeles, Boise, Stavanger Norway, and Tacoma. My career involved being an RN in Walla Walla, Port Angeles, and Tacoma.
Brian Kramer
I worked as a bookkeeper off and on from December 1976 to November 2015. I worked for a ridiculously wide variety of companies. Restaurants, car repair shop, car stereos, symphony hall concessions, law firms, a gym, pest control (YUK!).
My favorite job was at Benaroya Hall in the days after 9/11. The work was seasonal, busy during the Seattle Symphony season, slow during late summer. It was grand listening to the symphony practice on the way to a free lunch in the lobby on 3rd Avenue. Oh, that was the life.
After living in Burien during the eighties and early nineties, I moved back to my parent's home on 30th Avenue and helped with cooking and housework until my parents passed away in 2008 and 2010. My sisters and I shut down the family home and sold it in May 2011. I'm now living in SHA housing in Pinehurst. I play Bingo and Monopoly with my newfound friends.
I've spent the last five years listening to political parody songs on YOUTUBE. Feel free to ask me for recommendations, I've got a great deal of knowledge on the subject. Check out Randy Rainbow, Shirley Serban and Don Caron. They're the most prolific. I hope to make it to the reunion.
Teresa Lagerberg Adams
After High School I headed to Western, where I graduated with a degree in Biology in a tight economy. I ended up at Weyerhaeuser where I was pulled into IT to help on a project. For the next 35 years I worked in IT as an application developer, trainer, project manager - I really enjoyed being involved in the whole lifecycle of a project. I worked part time when we had kids, so I was able to get the best of both worlds for me - as a Mom and being in the workplace. I volunteered in the classrooms, Science Fairs and eventually took on the head of the Music Boosters at Nathan Hale! I spent 27 years on the steering committee and volunteering in elementary schools with the Seattle Audubon, taking small groups of students out on their school grounds to explore nature. When my husband started his construction company, I used my IT skills to help develop the software and processes that the company uses today. I supported my parents in their last years, which is an emotional time that I know others have been through.
I've run or swam since high school and now have added weight training. I've participated in 5 or 6 Hood to Coast Relays and other team triathlon events and runs, however these days an untimed run/walk is just fine with me.
I'm a member of a book group (15 years), trying to keep up with my vegetable garden, loving being "Ama" to my grandkids, learning about Group B water systems and how to manage ours as a community, casually learning Spanish and now that my husband has retired, we are feeling out this thing called "retirement" and trying to figure out what that means to us.
I've been married for almost 44 years. We have three children, three grandchildren and an enthusiastic chocolate lab!
Bonnie Lambers Ecker
"Mushrooms, motorcycles, thimbles and kites, that's where I am in this stage of my life. As writing enters the scene, look for me under Bonnie Jean." Writing hasn't happened yet (ha, what time?!). Was prez of the Snohomish Co Mycological Soc. Am member of PacNW Key Council and So Sound Mushroom Club. I haven't been on the bike in a LONG time, but the 6 of them hang out in our outbuilding. I head up The Seattle Thimble Society and am a member of Thimble Collectors International. Conventions every other year somewhere around the U.S.A. South Africa holds a small one, too. Dan and I are long-time board members (treas & sec) of the Washington Kitefliers Assoc (check out our website at wka-kitefliers.org). This is where my passion truly resides. After NH, I worked 6 yrs for Westin Hotels as their Retirement Plan Administrator. Then was self employed under my company BJ's Temporary Service. 1980s I attended/graduated with a B.S. Nat'r Resources degree from the U of Idaho. Was a Park Ranger & Outdoor Recreation Planner/Natural Resource Specialist for 31 yrs with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, retiring 2016. Dan/I bought 5 ac and moved south of Spanaway with a peek-a-boo view of Mt Rainier only 40 mi away. I plan to run a Bed & Brunch called Fly the Coop (because of our chickens and kiteflying)...someday. I DO stay very busy!
email: whrlwind@comcast.net
Brian Lee
The Summer after HS my great friend, Paul Shong and I did some road trips to eastern WA including Expo 74 in Spokane, Lake Chelan and Sun Lakes. I was able to see Paul a couple of times this last year or so in his and Jennifers lamp store in LaConner. We were able to reminisce about the exploits and his van that we covered from top to bottom in carpet we obtained through dumpster diving...who knew this would still be a thing! It was great to catch up with him and the universe will miss him.
During HS, I started working at The Seattle Times, schlepping papers into stores and vending machines...fast forward thirty+ years and I was able to retire at 48 with a full pension...thank you Teamsters. To my surprise, there were 3 other Hale graduates (not our year) working there. The Times provided the resources to buy my first house in 1977 and obtain my real estate license, which I still hold. I was also able to do some special projects along the way, one of which was to be the ST loaned executive to The United Way when I was given sports and recreation businesses to solicit. Got to meet Bill Gates Sr., Steve Largent and a bunch of other Seahawks as well as other sports and TV personalities.
The Times was the vehicle that enabled me to attend the UW. Even though tuition then was only $188 per quarter, I was on my own and had all of those other living expenses. I not sure how it happened, but I got on a fraternity solicitation list. Paul and I took full advantage of those summer party opportunities. Paul wasn't planning on the UW and I knew nothing about fraternities but soon found out the they made college living expenses very affordable...clearly a need for me. I benefited from affordable living expenses which included 3 meals a day (freshman 20!) as well as lifelong friends...and there may have been a beer or two along the way.
After a short stint living in Hawaii, my soon-to-be wife and I bought a home in Shoreline and had two kids. Hard to believe Brooke will be 41 and Erik 36 this month. I know many of my classmates have kids as old or older but that 40-year-old realization was a bit more challenging than I thought...kind of snuck up on me, where did all of those years go? Spent almost 30 years in that house but it has lasted longer that the marriage! Moved to Mukilteo in 2007 with a new wife, Laura, who has incredible patience to put up with me as well as an awesome stepdaughter Seneca.
My love of sports continued after HS. While at the UW, the fraternity had teams in several sports and I even played with the UW rugby club for a bit. Played a ton of flag football, baseball and softball but after 3 knee surgeries, I felt softball was probably the safest moving forward. I finally retired my glove at 60 but not before I was able to play with my son for a couple of years. I also had the privilege of youth coaching for years as well. Started with t-ball and finished at Shorewood HS where I coached baseball and girls' basketball.
In 2007, I turned my passion for sports and fitness into a new career. My coaching was coming to an end due to budget issues and I found a way to put my certified personal training to good use by buying a business. Body Fat Test (yep, that's exactly what we do!) is a national company than has mobile clinics that preform hydrostatic body composition tests. It's been a very interesting career highlighted by the daily thought of "I didn't see that one coming!"...every day is different. I've been scaling back since covid and preparing an exit strategy after 17 years of "dunking" people.
We love to travel, usually to concerts, Husky football games or to Dallas where both daughters live. Puerto Vallarta is a favorite spot as well, usually spending a week or two around Thanksgiving.
We just started the process of building on Camano Island which we hope to retire to soon.
Kathy Lanthorn-Cardenas
I always knew I wanted to be a teacher and I did teach junior high and high school Spanish and history for 8 years. I also taught undergrad and graduate courses in psychology after getting my master's in behavioral sciences. I have a doctorate in education and have worked in the mental health field for 30 years. I have a private practice where I provide counseling parttime but I mostly conduct forensic mental health evaluations for various types of court cases. I love the work and am not ready to retire. After being single for many years, I reconnected with a man I met in Mexico when I was an exchange student there in the 1970's after 40 years of no communication. We married in 2019 and when Covid hit we were in the middle of the immigration process that would allow him to enter the US legally. I made a lot of trips to Mexico between 2017 and 2021. I had a heart attack in late 2020 and due to the medical condition, the government gave him an appointment to process his paperwork in Feb of 2021. I joined him in Ciudad Juarez and we spent a week navigating the appointments, interviews etc. It was grueling but he was awarded his US passport and we got on a plane to the US to start our life together. It still seems unreal but on that flight he died in the restroom. He could not be resuscitated. Two months later, my adult son and I met his grown children and other relatives to spread his ashes in the bay near Mazatlan, where he was born and raised, where we met the first time, and where we married in our 60's. Today, I run my business and continue to travel. Acceptance of reality is still a work in progress. Kathy Lanthorn Cardenas, kathylanthorn@gmail.com
email: kathylanthorn@gmail.com
Eric Lard
Following HS graduation and my desire to play in the NBA, I attended Edmonds CC and Central Washington University where I continued to play the game basketball. Following my basketball adventure, I began my working career in consolidation & logistics to Alaska. During my working career, I married twice, my first wife and I had 4 kids, 3 boys & 1 daughters. My current wife and I have been married for 35 years and we have 2 daughters. Between my 6 kids, I have 17 grandkids ranging in age from 22 to 4 years old. I retired in 2020 following a 38-year career with a company (Golden State Foods/Quality Custom Distribution) that performed distribution and manufacturing to McDonalds and distribution to Starbucks. Prior to my retirement, we purchased a home outside of Phoenix AZ close to where I grew up as a kid, and now I just travel to and from Phoenix & Seattle whenever I feel like it or for special occasions. I now love to play pickleball, mountain & road biking, hiking, golfing, and family get-togethers. I’ve had a lot of things to be proud of and a lot to not be proud of. I’m just happy with my life and excited to continue the journey until the wheels fall off…..
Sue Lindley Mitchell
Rick and I have been married 49 years come November, and have two sons and 3 grandkids. Three years ago we moved from our home of 43 years in Lynnwood to a little rambler 35 miles north in Arlington. We are enjoying retirement amongst the evergreens and wildlife that surround us. We volunteer at a Foodbank one day a week, and manage to keep very busy with assorted crafts and house projects. Spending time with family and friends is important, as is eating ice cream at our favorite local spot!
Troy Linnell
Married to my wife Sue for 49 years. Two children Josh 45 and Desiree 43.
Five Grandchildren AJ 18 freshman at Central WA U, Olivia 17 senior, Daniel 16 Junior, Lucia 11 middle school and Ella 10 last year grade school.
Spent my career in the Truck industry worked for most dealerships in the area. Kenworth, Peterbilt, Volvo and International. I always worked in the parts department as parts manager. My wife is an accountant.
2011 contracted Leukemia AML and was given 6 months to live. Beat the disease.
We live in Algona which is just south of Auburn. Ran for a city Council position in 2015 and won. Sat at on the council for seven years. My last year I was appointed Mayor due to our Mayor retiring. Last year ran for office and won my election.
Best thing is that the families all live in different houses next to each other.
Retired in 2021, I should say I retired from the truck industry.
Heather Lockman
I was a lousy debater in high school, but Miss Bloom—just out of college then and barely older than the students she coached—let me stay on the NH debate team because she liked me, and because I was pretty good at the competitive speaking event called "oral interpretation," which is essentially reading literature aloud. I liked the out-of-town tournaments, but I loved the geeky, funny, utterly uncool, smarty-pants kids who hung out in the debate classroom. Some of them are my friends for life, others check in sporadically, and one of them, Craig Bartlett (NH Class of '72) married me 41 years ago. I read aloud at our wedding. Oral interpretation in a satin Gunne Sax dress.
Before that I earned a degree in History and English from the UW, bounced back and forth between Seattle and London, and launched a freelance writing career, working mostly for magazines. (You remember magazines, yes?) Craig's job as a newspaper copy editor (you remember newspapers?) took us to Anchorage, Alaska, which is pretty much the opposite of London. We returned to Seattle without jobs in 1986, lived for a year in my mother's basement, and inexplicably helped drive a donated school bus from Seattle through Mexico and Guatemala to an orphanage in El Salvador in the midst of a civil war.
In 1987 we landed in Olympia, which turned out to be a really great town. We bought a 1920 Craftsman bungalow near the state capitol, restored it ourselves, and stayed. One marriage, one house, three dogs (one at a time), no kids.
My writing gradually shifted toward history and historic preservation, away from magazines to museum exhibits, documentary videos and outdoor interpretive markers. I'm one of those rare writers who's actually seen her words cast in bronze. Eventually I surprised myself by writing two novels, one that found an agent and a publisher and one that lives in a cardboard box but both of which were worth writing. Miss Bloom, who is Barbara Rumppe now, has read and critiqued them both.
Doug McGifford
I joined the US Army in the fall of 1974 with a 3 year enlistment. After a year training in electronics (and teletype machines!), I was assigned to the White House Communications Agency, serving a year each with the Ford and Carter administrations. Returning to Seattle, I took electronics/computer courses at North Seattle CC, before taking a job with John Fluke Manufacturing in Everett.
Looking for a change of pace, in 1983 I joined the US Department of State, starting a 30+ year career in the communications field as a Foreign Service specialist supporting embassies and consulates. Various assignments took me to Pakistan, Austria, Egypt, India, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Guatemala, with intermittent postings to the Washington DC area.
While passing through Cairo in 1986, I reconnected with Katherine McIntosh (NH ’77) who was teaching at an Egyptian Girl’s School. We married in Seattle in 1988, celebrating our 36th anniversary this August. Daughter Jessica was born in Vienna, Austria in 1989 and son Scott was born in Woodbridge, Virginia in 1992. Katherine accompanied me on several tours before joining the State Department herself in 2001. It was sometimes difficult to find assignment together, but we made it work, while getting our kids through schooling overseas.
We’re both retired now and have settled in the woods around Greenwater, WA, just north of Mt. Rainier. We enjoy hiking, biking and exploring the National Parks and attractions of the USA.
Jens McManama
After leaving Hale I attended Cleveland Institute of Music for a year after which I became principal horn at La Scalia Opera in Milan, Italy. Four years later I joined the Pierre Boulez contemporary ensemble (l’Ensemble Intercontemporain) based in Paris, where I played for 45 years retiring last year. While in Paris I also was named professor of chamber music at the Paris Conservatory and taught there for 30 years retiring also last year.
Unfortunately I won’t be attending the reunion but please send my regards if you think of it. As you succinctly expressed in your previous email, after living abroad for 50 years I know few other alumni and will be back in Paris during that time.
Betty McRae Brennan
After high school I graduated from UW with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography. I still love maps. Then I worked for ten years in bookstores in Seattle and Boston. I still love to read. Then I graduated from Simmons College, Boston with a Master’s in Library Science. Moved back to Seattle and added a Teachers Certification from Seattle Pacific University.
I worked as a Public School Librarian for 32 years and retired in 2022. Married Mark Brennan from Mpls, MN and we have 2 adult children; we are all living in the Seattle area. I am active in a local church and since retiring I have done a bit more traveling, reading, sewing and library volunteering.
I am very grateful for all that I have. Thank you for being on the journey with me back in the 70s at Nathan Hale.
Patty McRae Protzeller
After graduation I did some traveling to the Midwest with Louise Van Poll (NH'75) then we both enrolled at North Seattle Community college a year later. While at school I also worked all different types of restaurants/hotel jobs. After 1 1/2 years of schooling I quit to worked full time.
Then I got married (Kevin Protzeller) and had my 3 kids and ran a day care in my home in Ballard. I got hired with King County Solid Waste, using all my customer service skills. We then had a house built in Purdy, outside of Gig Harbor.
After my spouse passed away from cancer and kids did college and were on their own, all living in the Puget Sound area. I got into volunteering at my church and with Girl Scouts. I moved back to the city, Renton.
After 31 years I retired, more traveling, more Scout campouts and many short term missions work in different countries.
Today I have 5 grandkids, knitting, sewing quilts, reading books (some that Betty recommends), go to the YMCA, work with the church youth group and enjoy being able to spend time with friends and family.
I'm blessed to be healthy and active.
Yes I'm still in touch with Louise.
Jeremy Metz
When I arrived at Harvard, I was reasonably well prepared academically, and not at all socially, which anyone who remembers me would likely find quite believable. When I wasn't in the library, on weekends, I climbed and cross country skied with the Harvard Mountaineering Club. I took a year off at the U between my sophomore and junior years, climbing in the Cascades and Yosemite and taking French, German, and Latin, in preparation for my senior thesis. I spent a rather happy fellowship year at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris after college, where I got a bit off the rails (though at least I was speaking French while I did so), after which I got a masters and then was a consultant for a bit over a year, before I was hired by a client to start the U.S. subsidiary of a French company that, after several permutations over many years, was acquired by a largeish company in Everett, of all places. I realized then, that despite the success of my company, seeing it dismantled and almost all of my employees (not to mention me) sent packing, that I should have gone into academics rather than business after college. I spent nine years getting a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Maryland, and teaching freshmen and sophomores--I loved those days that flew by in my tiny study carrel in the main library. Part of my dissertation was based on field research in Haiti, understanding how authors had written about the traumatic 2010 earthquake. I was, by then, too old to get a tenure track job and ended up as a high school English teacher, from which I've just retired after nine happy years during which I think I made a difference to some of my students. (I don't think I appreciated our teachers nearly enough, nor realized how hard some teachers work.) Yes, I helped coach the debate team, but my passion (in addition to teaching ethics) was advising the newspaper, which ultimately sparked my departure, perhaps a year or two before I anticipated. (Administrators will always try to suppress stories they don't like and advisors will, sometimes, decline to submit.) My retirement dream, for the moment, is to buy a full-size SUV when I'm in Seattle next week, drive up to Crystal or one of the Colorado areas on Ikon before a storm closes the road, sleep in the back, and be on the first chair. I also hike, mountain bike, and kayak (last summer, a memorable trip to Desolation Sound). I live in the Washington DC area, but am planning to spend a fair amount of time with my mom, in the same house on Lakeshore Blvd., carefully following the weather reports. I'll be glad to reconnect with old friends at the reunion and meet new ones. Please feel free to drop me a note at jeremymetzdc@gmail.com.
email: jeremymetzdc@gmail.com
Rick Mitchell
After graduation I was tired of the city life, government, and so on. I moved to the mountains and became a goat farmer, lived off the land and off the grid. Just me, my sheep and my small cabin. Had no contact with anyone for years, I think. I had no calendar. Just the marks on the wall where I counted days. My mom and dad would come and see me once a year on my birthday. They would take eggs home. I had plenty. A soccer ball became my best friend. His name was “Scooter”.
NAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
In 1975 Sue Lindley and I got married. We lived in Lynnwood WA for 43 years. We now live in Arlington WA, we love it here. We have 2 sons, both married, and 3 grandkids, 2 girls and 1 boy. David is a professor at CalPoly in CA and Conrad is an engineer at Boeing here in WA.
While our kids were in school I coached their soccer and little league. Had fun doing both. I also was part of the Lunch Buddy Program in the Mukilteo School District. I did this for many years. I followed my Buddy to a different school district even though they did not have that program. I received Volunteer of the Year from that school.
Before retiring I worked for Boeing 37 years on both the Commercial and Military Programs. I liked the Military programs. Learned a lot and it was much more fun.
When I’m not sitting in my recliner I like riding my Harley (I’ve ridden since I was 11), putzing around in the gardens, and SLOWLY doing projects in my wood shop.
Michele Ohge
Whisper words of wisdom
What I’ve Learned
That everything I learned in Kindergarten is still applicable.
That I am very resilient – something that I never thought about; who in their youth or even before 50, thinks that they will need resiliency.
That everything that I thought was turning out wrong or bad (and there have been numerous); was just the brick wall, door, or root that I was tripping over that kept me from things far worse. And when the time was right, something even better came into my life; that made me more patient (a skill I still work on,) stronger, happier, that I had built more skills, and became more appreciative of the people and things in my life.
That I write and deliver great eulogies; loosing parents when they are 90 is expected, but loosing a sibling at 51 and before our parents is not.
That my love for and being loved by cats is as strong as when I was born and that I never want to live without one or two.
That I love learning and want to continue to learn new things (the piano and lessons are a couple of years out), increase my skills and joy I get of doing my hobbies (there are many! The top 5 being: gardening and garden design; crafting – especially card making and knitting; woodworking; antique shopping; photography. )
That I am stubborn - always have been; but now I proudly make the declaration and can see the times it benefited me and the times I should have backed down (didn’t always learn “the lesson” that first time or the nth time.)
That not all the things I learned in High School or for my 2 degrees, would I ever need to use again (queue the song “Kodachrome” by Paul Simon.)
That I am blessed with and by great family and friends – and I love making new friends.
That I am far more likely to need duct tape, glues and clamps, screws, and bolts, than I am to need WD-40.
Darcy Petersen
I lived in Seattle until 2020, when I moved to Brier. Went to Shoreline CC, got a degree in Law Enforcement. Then worked as a civilian for the Seattle Police Department for 10 years in Records, Identification & Special Activities. I have 2 great sons (Brett is in Spokane, getting his teaching certificate from WSU and Ben owns Athletic Awards in South Lake Union) and 1 granddaughter. Went into bookkeeping for 35 years, still working very part-time. Played softball for many years, for Goofy’s, The Oar House and The University Tower Hotel. Then switched to tennis, playing various leagues (mostly doubles). Loved both!! Was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) in 2012, treated at Swedish Cancer Institute. Happy to say, cancer free!! Today my leisure activities are enjoying our off-grid cabin in The Cascades, meeting up with family & friends for dinners, cards and games, playing Mahjongg and poker tournaments, as well as reading and traveling. 50 years ago, I graduated from high school??? No way, I’m not that old…………
Gary Pingrey
After high school graduation, I drove ambulance for a Seattle ambulance company while going to Seattle Pacific University. After graduation, I moved to Kansas City Missouri, where I completed four years of medical school under a contract with the Navy. Following medical school, I completed a family practice medicine training program in Bremerton, Washington interspersed with a couple of years at Sea as the medical officer board aircraft carrier USS constellation. Was transferred to California where I was a family practice doctor on a Naval Air Station concentrating mainly on obstetrics and pediatrics and care of active duty families. Left the Navy in 1988 and opened a family practice in Gig Harbor Washington with a focus on obstetrics , women’s health and pediatrics. As my practice was building, I worked as a physician at the women’s correctional facility in Gig Harbor, doing General obstetrics and general healthcare. While in private practice, I developed an interest in aviation medicine and after retiring from private practice in 2014 I have maintained a small practice to certify pilots for operating aircraft under the auspices of the FAA. My son Jordan, lives in Hawaii where he is an Hawaiian airline pilot. My wife Lana and I live part time in Hawaii as well. Our main recreation is doing anything around the water , boating, hiking, and just hanging out near the water.
Donald Piper
Hello Classmates! How to sum up 50 years in a paragraph or two? Here we go! I graduated from WSU (B.A. English) in 1978. Attended graduate school at Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln for one year (hated it). Returned to Seattle in 1979 and was hired by PNB (phone company) as a long distance operator. Transferred to a clerical job in Bell Plaza and then again to Pacific Bell in San Francisco in May 1983. Met my one and only partner, Melvin Burgess, just a few months after my arrival in SF and we were together until his unexpected death in June 1986. After grieving for a year I decided a change of scenery was in order so I moved to Los Angeles in May 1987 and worked at AT&T as a legal secretary. Returned to school and received a paralegal certificate from Cal State LA in 1988. I have worked as a paralegal for many different law firms in LA over the years and today I am Senior Paralegal at Pasich LLP, a small firm in the Westwood area (near UCLA), which handles insurance coverage matters. At NHHS I had no athletic talent (Mr. Case gave me a “C” in P.E.) but I always loved sports. A friend I met at one of the law firms I worked at here in LA (he played in high school and college) started an AAU basketball team in 2000 and he needed some help so I assisted him for several years. I had important duties like driving the team van to tournaments and carrying the water bottles and supplies to and from the gym. Our team, the LA Paladins, played against LeBron James’ AAU team, the Oakland Soldiers, when he was a junior. A couple of years later I was hired as an assistant coach at LACES High School for two years, ending in 2009. It was a trip to be referred to as “Coach Don” by all these players, but I was constantly fighting bouts of “imposter syndrome” because I had no athletic background and thus no credibility to be a coach. In spite of my insecurities, it was a very rewarding experience and a thrill to see many of the guys continue their hoops careers into college and, yes, a couple of them made the NBA, too. Some of you may also remember my interest in music, although I give up playing the French Horn back in high school. In the late 80’s I took up the hobby of collecting vinyl records and over the course of 20+ years I had amassed about 7,500 of them. I primarily collected records of R&B/Soul artists from our days (60’s and 70’s) with particular interest on Sam Cooke. I have become an expert of sorts on Sam’s life, having done extensive reading and research on him and meeting many of his family members and contemporaries at fan club events. My “claim to fame,” as it were, is that I sat for interviews for two documentaries on Sam’s life and death (he was shot in a motel in LA in 1964), one for a production company in Germany and the other for a program that I believe is still available on Netflix. In 2014, I jumped into international travel for the first time and went to Ghana in West Africa. Over the prior years I had made many friends in Ghana through social media so this trip turned into a “family reunion.” I enjoyed it so much that I have made trips there nearly every year since (only missing the Covid 2020 year). My dearest friend in Ghana paid me the ultimate honor of naming his first-born son after me. We pray that Don Jr. will grow up to be a great soccer talent who will play for the national team, the Black Stars, at the World Cup. To conclude, I am single, in good health, and looking forward to retirement soon.
Stacey Rank Mayer
Hello, everybody! After marrying my sweetheart, Phil Mayer, in 1996, we were blessed with four wonderful daughters and one amazing grandson, Benjamin. My passion for art has taken us on quite the journey—starting in Seattle, where I first launched AWhiteHorse.com™ in 1996. This site became a global favorite for equine art and coloring pages. Over the years, my art has been featured in galleries across Europe and in international magazines. I even worked with Google in Washington, curating World Events on their maps platform. Now, we're settled in Central Texas, where I continue creating art, focusing on both traditional and digital mediums. Life here is filled with creativity, family, and hope as we support Benjamin, who is bravely facing a rare pediatric cardiopulmonary disease. Phil and I are active in local Latter Day Saint church activites and are grateful to have shared 48 wonderful years together. You can read about my recent art activites on StaceyMayer.com.
Pam Reinken Wallace
I am currently living in Goodyear, AZ and love it here. My husband and I moved 17 years ago to an active adult community. Very active pickle ball and tennis player besides hobbies like knitting, card making, bridge. etc. I have a 42-year old son that lives 30 minutes away and am proud grandma of 5 grandkids who I love to have over to spend the.night (ages 4-13). I lost the love of my life 3 years ago. We were married 35 years and he is missed daily by me. I am very active in my church and also volunteer with youth (middle and high school) so that keeps me on my toes. After working 30 years in the legal field as a secretary (which I loved) I moved to Arizona and work at a financial company. Just started my semi-retirement life and am loving it. Might have to think about full time retirement soon.
Liz Roys Madisetti
Looking forward to seeing old friends and acquaintances and meeting some new people..Hard to believe it has been 50 years and I have to admit my memory is not all that great!
Right after graduation from U of W in science education, I landed a job at a little boarding school in Salzburg, Austria. I met my first husband there and a few years later we both taught at an American School in Athens, Greece. We split up, and I returned to teaching at Forest Ridge in Bellevue for a few years. Then I joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Dominica as a science education consultant. There I took a scuba diving course and got pregnant totally by accident at age 37. It was the best accident of my life! I went back to Seattle, gave birth to my amazing son and returned to Dominica where I eventually married his dad, my scuba instructor. My son is working on his PhD at John Hopkins in mechanical engineering. My second husband and I split up in 2017 a few months before Hurricane Maria, category 5, hit Dominica. That was a tough year. At that point I was the principal of a small secondary school and I am proud to say that we were the first school to open after the storm, just a month later. I retired in 2019, but decided to return to teaching by joining the Peace Corps again in 2022. I have just finished my service in Ghana and plan to return to Dominica to dive, snorkel, hike and garden for my second retirement.
Karen Schultz Johnson
Currently living in DFW area with my husband Lowell. I am lucky to have my daughter Christine with her family living nearby and I have lots of "Noni" time with my two adorable grandsons! My son Alex leads the carillon program at University of Chicago where he plays, teaches and is involved in community outreach. After HS I attended UW and completed my MBA which lead to a 28-year career with GTE/Verizon in Finance. Job transfers took me to Connecticut, California and finally Texas. We have been fortunate to travel a lot in the US and internationally (Kenya, Peru, Australia, Europe). Soon I will retire (again) from a second career as a real estate agent, which I love but want more time to visit extended family and travel. I stay active with tennis (actually…a lot of tennis!), walking, hiking and an occasional bike ride. Texas is nice for year-round outdoor activities, but I miss the mountains and ocean so head to those places for vacations. My heart will always be in the beautiful NW! I can be reached at kmjohnson56@yahoo.com and would love to hear from y’all!
email: kmjohnson56@yahoo.com
Brian Scott
I met Bernadette, the love of my life, in 1980. We married and have three wonderful children ages 28, 33, and 34. Our three kids are the greatest accomplishment of my entire life. They all grew up on our small farm near Wilsonville Oregon learning important life skills raising sheep, horses, hogs and poultry, birthing lambs, shearing sheep, and tending a vegetable garden. Despite all of that quality 4H experience none of them are in agricultural careers! We have one business/marketing MBA daughter, one Washington State forester daughter, and a Montana wildlife biologist son. No farmers.
Bernadette and I share a love of water – we have sailed, fished, rafted, and boated all over. I spent most of my career as a trial attorney trying jury cases throughout Oregon and Washington. That matured into running a Portland law office for a midwest insurance company. Managing lawyers was like herding cats (although I came to love those cats!) Add in a pandemic that had us all working remotely and . . . I retired in 2022.
In my early years music, particularly the violin, played a huge role in my life. Despite all that symphony and orchestra time the most fun I ever had as a musician was being the fiddler in a bluegrass band in my 20's (pic). I also played a little mandolin back then, but my attention strayed from music as family, career, and home life got busier. I do plan to pick up that fiddle again, it just hasn't happened yet. Maybe when I'm older and slow down!
I don't know if we'll make it to the reunion. If I'm not there in person I'll be there in spirit! Feel free to reach out to me by email: Brisket60@gmail.com .
email: brisket60@gmail.com
Glen Scott
Still married to my sweetheart Kristen, an architect. Dad to Maren (28, London) and Jamie (23, Seattle). Retired in 2015 after a career managing investment real estate for pension funds and life insurance companies. Still in touch with a number of Raiders, some of whom I golf and ski with. Focused on travel these days; just back from Japan, headed to Italy. Also gardening and woodworking. It has been a great ride, no complaints. That said, I am dispirited by how our society has become so polarized and I hope events like our reunion will serve as a reminder to us all that we really do need each other. I appreciate the efforts of Sue et al in putting it on.
David Shield
Larry Adams was my most influential NHHS teacher. He taught us Electronics and Radio - KNHC - but above all, taught us students to undertake our responsibilities as adults. I loved radio but decided to pursue the electronics side. Shortly after graduation, I headed to Phoenix AZ to study electronics. Two big things happened: I thought I'd be in broadcasting, until Intel Corp. was recruiting on campus. And I met Robin.
By 1977 I was at Intel in Santa Clara, designing microprocessor chips. Robin and I married in 1978, and in 1979 we headed back to Arizona to help start the Intel Chandler operation.
I'll speed through the rest of the career - I was fortunate enough to lead engineering teams in Arizona, Tsukuba Japan, Penang Malaysia, Copenhagen, and Costa Rica. I worked alongside a lot of people who are much smarter than me. Other than brief stints at startups, I retired from Intel 2 years ago, with 4 patents in semiconductors.
Robin passed away in 1993. Our two sons remind me of her daily, in one way or another. James lives on Capitol Hill with his wife and two children. Jon lives near me in Loomis CA, and has a wonderful daughter.
The personal journey since 1993 included a brief remarriage, and has taught me a lot about keeping standards, including my personal standards, high.
I've stayed in touch with several of you, and am looking forward to seeing the rest of you NHHS '74 friends.
What's next? I've stayed involved with C89.5 (looking forward to the station tour!) and recently I've become very involved with KVMR-FM, community radio in Nevada City CA. You might catch me on air now and then.
See you all in September.
Kyle Skartvedt Woodhouse
Less than a month after graduation, I started a 43 year career with the phone company (PNB, USWest, Qwest, CenturyLink). My first position was Staff Clerk in the Data Systems Training Center (now called IT). I fell in love with computers and began working on the goal of becoming a Software Engineer. It took me 10 years of work but I finally achieved my dream. For the next 30+ years I developed code and wrote detailed designs for Application changes needed. I retired in June of 2018.
In April of 1979 I married my husband, Steve "Woody". We have two children, Justin 42 and Lindsey 37. The years of raising our children were busy, joyful, included lots of baseball/softball and very rewarding! My son played soccer starting in kindergarten and so when my daughter was that age I decided to coach her team, with the motivation of convincing my brother and sister to let their daughters play on the team (all 3 girls born in Winter/Spring '87). It was a gas and both my nieces went on to play select and varsity soccer. Both my kids stuck with baseball/softball and so our summers were spent traveling for tournaments. I loved it! We did have time for vacations in Lake Chelan, Hawaii trips (a couple with the kids) and an Alaska cruise (I had won $10,000 on a lottery ticket).
We now have two granddaughters - Zoey age 8 3/4 and Sydney age 3 1/2. We are very fortunate that they live in Snohomish and we get to see them at least once a week. It is so much fun being a grandmother and they are a big part of my retirement plan. I also have six siblings that live within 5 miles of me (we had 9 but have lost 3 over the years) that get together throughout the year. Thanks to You Tube and Google, I have become domesticated. I have learned machine embroidery, quilting, baking and how to use an Instant Pot (thanks Meryll!). As a member of the reunion committee I have gotten back into technology and am having so much fun learning and developing/maintaining the website. My other pastime is my Quest 3 VR headset.....I love Beat Saber, Real VR Fishing, VR Poker and Immersed.
Since I have no kids living at home I proudly identify as a childless cat lady!
email: kwoodho@frontier.com
Ruthann Snyder
In looking back over the last fifty years I find that on the surface I have nothing really remarkable to highlight but have lived a life made up of mostly ordinary events. I married for the first time in 1976 and had three children. My first husband died in 2003, and I was single for seven years before I met and married my current husband in 2011. I moved away from Seattle in 1988 and have lived in eight different states from California to Minnesota. For many years I worked in the insurance industry and retired a year ago. During my single years I moved to Estes Park, Colorado and managed a coffee shop for two years. That was an adventure! I have traveled a bit through all the western states, Japan and Italy and been on three Alaskan cruises. I have three granddaughters. When I married the second time I moved to Idaho, and we live quite peacefully in the Boise area. I never graduated college or had any stellar accomplishments but through it all I have emerged as a strong survivor. There have been many heartaches along the way including recovering from severe childhood abuse and trauma. Everyone has a story, and it may not be evident when relating a list of life events and accomplishments, but I imagine that in a graduating class of our size there are many tales to be told if one gets below the surface. I am grateful for the peace and stability I have found in my later years. My Christian faith has sustained me through it all. Currently my focus is on improving my health so I can be around for many years to come. Like so many of us I can't figure out how fifty years went by so quickly. We are all blessed to still be here as many of our classmates never got the privilege of growing old. If you have a tale you would like to tell, come find me at the reunion!
Larry Taylor
I spent 41 years in public education, retiring two years ago. The majority of that time was teaching middle school math and coaching basketball at a middle school in Snohomish. The BEST part of that gig was that I met my wife there and we taught together in the same building for over 20 years. We have since moved to South Carolina and are enjoying retirement just outside of Charleston. My four children (and grandkids) all signed off on the move, and love coming out to visit.
Donna Vandeboe
-joined ADPi sorority and made lifelong friends
-graduated from UW with major in Sociology and teaching degree
-married Martin in 1980
-first daughter 1982 (graduate of Western)
-second daughter 1984 (graduate of UW)
-both daughters graduated from Nathan Hale
-masters degree from SPU in Education 1992
-hobby during these years was entering contests. Wins included cruises to the South Pacific, Caribbean and Alaska as well as trips to Vancouver and Victoria Canada, Baltimore and Cooperstown NY with Dave Niehaus and Rick Rizz
-worked as a part time waitress in order to be a stay at home mom during the day and liked it so continued on, enjoyed waiting on many of our classmates parents throughout the years
-2nd daughter finally popped out our only grandchild 8 years ago, what a joy
-mom is 90 and mother-in-law is 100 and both are in good health
-Martin and I both retired 4 years ago
-Martin enjoys cooking and baking bread
-I enjoy eating Martin’s meals, playing poker tournaments,and Mah Jong, book club (which turns into a poker game) and our visits to the ocean, Palm Springs and Las Vegas
-I’m a big failure at vegetable gardening but I try
-I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up
Victoria Vandervlugt Chase
marriages: too many to mention but friends with most of them.
your children: My beautiful boy Matthew 32, Mill Creek. He fished in Alaska and met his partner there 7 years ago. Engineer on Wa State Ferry after graduation from Central Washington University.
where you have lived: Left Seattle right before my 30th birthday, moved to Maine, New Hampshire, Washington DC area, Mexican jungle and then back to Seattle after 4 years of being away.
hobbies you’ve developed: I’ve always been creative and opened a yarn shop (Village Yarn and Tea Shop) 2004-2010. This was an amazing experience and created such a great community of other creative types.
involvement in sports, spirituality, or politics: I’ve danced, had a scholarship to modern dance after high school. I went on to dance in a jazz troupe but have enjoyed all styles of dance.
I started running in 1985 after watching my baby brother run marathons for the military. I would run 10k’s never a marathon. One time running the Nordstrom Beat the Bridge my brother ran behind me to support my run when he could have done the race in half my time.
I have traveled a bit and most trips were either Mexico or Bali, Indonesia and South East Asia. On my 60th I took a trip to Paris and Italy. Some of my future trips I dream about is Denmark, Estonia, Portugal, Spain.
I live in Bend, Oregon but winter in Baja, Mexico.
your career: I worked for over 30 years (with several breaks in between for adventures) for Nordstrom Inc in the Financial Division, IT, Privacy/Security. I met and worked with so many great teachers, friends, leaders which really contributed in my continued successful IT career outside of Nordy’s. My last position before retirement was working in the IT department for the ski resort at Mt Bachelor in Oregon. Super fun hard work with great perks.
something you are are proud of: Stepping off the grid and living in the Mexican jungle village outside of Puerto Vallarta, at this time no electricity or running water or phone. Always loved the Swiss Family Robinson movie and lived in a Palapa in Yelapa.
I went to school in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to study Spanish for a month. Loved this town.
(if you are really brave) something you are not proud of: see the first line above.
trips you’ve taken (or other adventures at home): My mom had a home in Bali, Indonesia and getting to know the people in her village, the Hinduism that they practiced and the traditions was a highlight of my life for sure.
something lucky/something unlucky: I’m recovering from my first broken bone from a mishap with my mountain bike.
My partner Michael has been an amazing athlete on the snow and on the water for his entire life so being able to have a partner that is healthy and active makes life so fun and keeps me moving as well, not at his level but we find a middle ground to play together.
Pete Welch
I have lived on Vashon Island since moving from the north end of Seattle 24 years ago. I am engaged to be married in August of 2025 to the love of my life. I've got one son (Dylan) and two step-kids (17 & 19). I am Co-Director of Vashon Events and have more than 20 years of experience in event management, performing arts production, and booking. My background includes being a Production Manager in the clothing industry for companies like Genera Sportswear and James Jeans. While not a musician, I try to attend every local music event possible, usually with a camera in hand. My candid and concert photography is widely known and almost always is the credit for Facebook profile pictures for many people I know. Along with my partner, we enjoy traveling as much as possible and have homes on Vashon Island, Palm Desert and a small town in Texas.
Ken Wilson
I was too young at 17 to deal with the UW, and so left after a quarter. I held a few jobs, including Jack-in-the-Box on the Ave. My sister was in a horrid car wreck in Sept of '75, and after it was apparent she would survive, I took the opportunity to get distance from the trauma and accepted an invitation to Aspen to be a ski bum for a winter with a job and a place to stay awaiting. Personality differences led me to move into my (unheated)1965 Pontiac Catalina station wagon for the majority of the winter, and I ended up as an underage bar employee. I returned to Seattle in May of 1976, and having had time to process my sisters ICU stay, it became apparent to me that it had been the Respiratory Therapists that had saved her life on a few occasions, so, when my parents asked me if I may know what I wanted to do, it was an obvious choice. I went to RT school at Highline CC in Kent. Upon graduation, I started work at what was then Children's Orthopedic Hospital. After a year of working there and watching the medical students come and go, I thought to myself, "I can do that", and returned to the UW as a part time student and part time RT for about three years. In that time, I realized that I was not going to be able to give the required 100% attention that Medical school would require, mostly because I was too distracted by skiing, and by women. I fell in love with a woman, who subsequently got a study grant in animal research to spend a year in Tanzania. We managed a long distance relationship for a year, and in 1984 I joined her in Tanzania, Kenya, and Zanzibar for 3 months. She chose to stay for another year, and with that we had an amicable parting. I came home to Seattle and fell for a marine biology major, who, after a year, moved to the University of Oregon, and along I went to Eugene. She became a biology teacher. This turned into a 6 year relationship, with two years of marriage, that ended. We did manage to become sort of foster parents to Andre, a teen student of hers. During those years I ran a branch office of a home health care company, specializing in premies. With the end of my marriage I chose to go back to beside RT work, briefly in Portland and Eugene, and settled at Salem Hospital, where I worked for 28 year in Adult and Neonatal ICUs. About that time, I joined the National Ski Patrol and patrolled at our local mountain, Willamette Pass, for 28 years. I met and married my second wife, Rebecca, an RN at Salem Hospital, and we are nearing our 24th anniversary. Somewhere in there, I got hooked on road biking, and it became both addiction, and therapy. There is a yearly week-long ride called Cycle Oregon that is about a 450 mile loop of ever-changing back roads through this amazingly beautiful State, and I rode it 13 times over 16 years. Andre, having become a semi-professional mountain bike racer, joined me for 9 of those rides, showing me in no uncertain terms what 16 year younger legs of a former racer can do. He went on to become a Deputy Sheriff, and we remain great friends. My last obsession has been following the Rolling Stones around. Ever convinced the each current tour would be their last, Rebecca and I followed them to Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Manchester, and Edinburgh, along with many shows on the west coast, including last May in Seattle, and next Wednesday (as I write) in California. I retired from Respiratory Therapy in December of 2021 after 42 years, and spend my time relaxing, reading, skiing, biking, and growing basically a salsa garden. I was fortunate to maintain or restart friendships with a handful of classmates, and consider those some of the treasures of my life. While I have no children, and having lost my parents, I remain very close to many friends, and my three siblings. Cheers to you all.
Sue Wood Voigt
Back in the day when I had endless energy I spent my free time playing on a women’s softball team; running around Greenlake; vacationing to Sunriver; and lots of weekend nights at Astor Park dancing to the Heats, the Impacts, and the Cowboys. Yes, I might be old but I got to see all the cool bands. I loved entering sweepstakes/radio contests. My most memorable win was a trip to the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. I also won a Caribbean cruise, trips to Mazatlan, New York, Canada and a Mariners suite plus lots of cash, concert tickets and prizes. When my two wonderful sons were growing up I helped coach their soccer and baseball teams, volunteered in their school library and ran a middle school girl tech after school program. On Friday evenings we headed to the Eastside where I played coed soccer for many years. I retired three different times. The first time was from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) 1974-2000 and then again 2007-2013. During the interim I wanted to work closer to home for involvement with my kids activities so I got a job at Einstein Middle School as the library tech until returning to the NLRB in 2007 as the Regional Director’s Secretary. Once retired from there in 2013 I subbed for the Shoreline School District mainly in special education and also at Edmonds Goodwill finally hanging it all up on Labor Day a few years ago. Currently I love living a simple life in a one bedroom condo in Edmonds. You can find me volunteering on Wednesdays and Fridays at Edmonds Senior Center Thrift Store, on Thursday afternoons dealing blackjack to seniors at Mountlake Terrace Assisted Living or playing mah jongg on Tuesdays at Edmonds Waterfront Center. I love to play cards/poker/board games with friends and family, book club, puzzles, walks around town, movies and dining out. Whenever I can I take the train to Wenatchee or plane to Denver to visit my two sons and their families and spend time with my four grandkids (2/2). In the interim I get my grandma fix seeing their loving faces pop up on my computerized photo frame. I am a work in progress trying to stay healthy and just enjoying what each day brings.
