To the Class of ’64,
Pat, my wife of 46 years, and I really enjoyed the Class of ’64’s 50th Reunion. It was a joy to see so many classmates at the Happy Hour on Friday and even more so at the Reunion Dinner on Saturday. For months I had been reminiscing in my mind about all the years many of us had known each other. I went to Bird Rock Elementary for K & 1st grade, La Jolla Elementary from 2nd thru 6thgrade, and then La Jolla Jr.-Sr. High School from 7th thru 12th grade.
Everyone at the Reunion looked great! Oh the memories! I have tears in my eyes now as I write this. I remember the good times with many of you. I think we were having fun back then, mostly getting along with each other, many of you studying much harder than I was and many of you participating in lots of school activities; things that I should have been doing instead of riding and racing my 10-speed bicycle all over SD and LA Counties. German was by far my favorite class and subject.
After HS graduation I gave SDSU a try and learned I had not prepared myself for the fast pace of college. I joined the US Marines, became an artillery fire control chief, was sent to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey to study Vietnamese, then to Viet Nam in April 1967 and a battalion of 8 inch howitzers self-propelled. I came home to the “world” in May of 1968 a Sergeant. I am a proud veteran, and was “over there” during the infamous 1968 Tet Offensive. While there were no parades for us, I would do it again. I am very proud of our military today and the job they are being asked to do.
In June of 1968 I met a beautiful young lady, Pat, and we were married in December of that year. I graduated from San Francisco State University in 1972 with a BA in Accounting. In 1995, after two years of night classes, I earned an MBA in Finance from Webster University. All these years I worked for quite a few corporations, public and private. My last eight years were for a huge property management group in San Francisco and I enjoyed it a lot right up until the last day in July 2011, retiring the same week I turned 65. I am a ham radio operator, Amateur Extra class, with call sign AA6SF. I sail RC sailboats on Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park, compete in high power rifle matches in the East Bay and Sacramento and I just got an iPhone 6 to replace my Motorola Razor flip-phone. My son created a website for my radio practice group, 2MeterCriticalMass.com and hasn’t given up trying to teach me how to administer it by myself.
Our son, Daniel, is a Mission Bay HS grad, class of ’95 and varsity baseball letterman. He earned a BFA in Photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Last year I performed the marriage ceremony for Daniel and his beautiful wife Viktoriya. We live near each other in San Francisco. Pat and I are quietly hoping for a grandchild.
My best wishes for the entire Class of ’64.
Fair winds and following seas to all of you.
Peter McElmury
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