50th Reunion
Following my graduation from Amherst, wife Margaret (we had married in Dec '53) and I spent the summer working in Germantown, NY, Marg refinishing antique furniture which she and her sister had bought at area antique auctions and I harvesting fruit and hay at the Hudson Valley plantation of golfing great Gene Sarazen. We were summering prior to my first teaching and coaching job at Deerfield Academy. Recall that because we had not served In the armed forces, employers were reluctant to hire us; but Headmaster Frank Boyden at Deerfield Academy encouraged me to apply for a one.year defennent to teach at the secondary level. My draft board granted the request, and we moved to Deerfield for an eleven-year stay interrupted by a two-year stint in the Army (Aug '55--57).
In January '55 our first child arrived; Patrick Sterling soon was joined by his brother Gregory Tonein April of '56. While we were stationed at White Sands Proving Ground NM ,Debora Meg arrived at 8 Paso's Hotel Dieu Hospital. Because the Army's Beaumont Hospital was so crowded, the Army gave us the choice of delivery at area public hospitals, and we chose Hotel Dieu. The price for delivery = $251; Those nineteen months at WSPG were busy times for us. We lived In a 55' home trailer in a trailer park on the outskirts of El Paso, which meant a 43-mile bus ride (each way) into the base at WSPG. Marg, Pat and Greg joined me in EP late April of '56. My assignment at WS began in Jan.; as soon as I arrived solo at WS, I made the post basketball team which traveled throughout the Southwest and northern Mexico playing the other service bases and frosh teams at UNew Mexico and Texas Tech. Team players were also exempt from KP; but by far the greatest bonus was that Sam Jones (he of Boston Celtic fame) joined our team shortly after I arrived. And was it ever a joy to have that guy as a teammate!!! The highlight of the season was the Fourth Army Tournament held at Ft Hood, Texas.We were in the small installations bracket where we eventually lost in the semifinals. Sam averaged about 37 of 38 points per game (no 3-polnt line), and teams were double and triple teaming him at times - he always found an open teammate in those situations.
Moving on: we returned to Deerfield Academy Sep '57 and stayed until June '67 . With families beginning to go to two wage earners, the need for day care arose; Marg was hired to open a day care program in the Deerfield (village) Community Center, and it began to boom during the '60s. In fact, by the time we had decided that we might make a move to a day schooI environment in '66, the year that I finished my Master's degree program at UMass. Marg was offered two enticing positions. One, as an inspector of arising day care programs in Western Mass - offered by the Mass Department of Health. And, two, Greenfield Community College was establishing an early childhood education department and they wanted her to head the program and write the curriculum. By this second offer, we had decided to move to Tacoma to Charles Wright Academy, a College prep day schooI. I was very willing to stay at DA if she wanted to take either position. By then we had added Garth Brisbane to our family in '59 and Jennifer Lee in '63 - five in all, 3 boys and 2 gals, enuf for a hoop team! We decided to make the move west. We both had enjoyed our DA years immensely. I taught English, ran a dorm, coached hoop, soccer and baseball. Our last 5 years there I coached the varsity team as the youngest coach to do so - at 29.
And I had a run of great kids who were a pleasure to coach. We made oodles of friends at the school and in the village, many with whom we kept in touch. But we all had the yen to Go West and explore the Great Northwest and the day school milieu which would have our family together every evening and weekends. Deerfield was tough to leave, but we returned East the first three summers to teach at the Williams College ABC Program - an OEO program that prepped disadvantaged kids in English, writing, and math for six weeks; most of the boys would go on to private schools in New England and the Midwest.
Our school year got off to a rough start when Patrick (7th grader) broke his leg playing soccer (we wouldn't let him try football) - and off that setback he contracted mononucleosis;but he kept up with assignments and managed to get back into the swing by late November. Marg did not teach that first year. But the next year she taught kindergarten and convinced the school that it should change their K program from half-day to full day with a time in the early aft. The change was made with great success, and two years later she became the administrative assistant for grades K - 3. She continued teaching for 19 years until a nasty staph took her life in January of 1987. Irony: she had a weakened mitral valve resulting from a bout of rheumatic fever and a year later a relapse- at the age of 16. But she learned to live with the valve - walked miles, kept her weight In control, and convinced her cardiologist that she felt fine. The summer before her death she was superbly healthy.
When we arrived at CWA, it was a small school for boys. Our two daughters went to public school until the trustees decided to go co-ed in 1970 - as many single-sex private schools did. The move was eminently successful. I had been hired to teach English and coach three sports in the Upper School. In 1969 our headmaster left, and my good friend Bruce Haertl became the headmaster and asked me to head the Upper School and work with him In the college placement process. I did that plus teach English, coach sports, head the U.S. and direct the college placement program. In 1995 I retired; January '95 I had five heart by-passes,and was doing great recovery -four weeks into rehab,a staph Incubated ln my knee ( where the surgeon had removed a vein from my lower leg to "patch" my dogged arteries). The staph nearly killed me. But I got the best antibiotic at the time and made it thru.
Our five kids graduated from CWA. Pat went to Claremont (CA) Men's College; Greg attended Pitzer College one year and then attended a basic construction program In Bath, ME. He is still building condos and apartments In the Green Lake area of Seattle. (add to Pat - he played defensive back for the Stags (CMC) for two years; he is a general manager of an Anthony's restaurant on the Tacoma waterfront called Harbor Lights.) Debora is in her 22nd year as medical records tech at Olympia's St Peter's Hospital. Garth attended Redlands U. for two years, opted out for two years to work in a cannery on Kodiak Island, AK., then got his degree from Portland State University (OR). Jennifer followed me to Amherst and graduated Magna Cum Laude in the class of '85. She Is a stay-at-home mom of three boys (ages 9, 7, and 3). I have nine grandchildren from this crew - Greg is still a bachelor.
In June '93 Shirley Bakke, for many years a counselor at Portland's David Douglas High School- we met In the early 80's at NACAC meetings and conferences, and I married and together we bought a house in Fircrest WA. She has two sons by a previous marriage and three grandchildren. We have been having a ball in retirement! We've taken Holland-America cruises twice to Alaska, once from Montreal down the St Lawrence R. to the New England coast to NYC where we stayed four days, and another from FL thru Caribbean Isles and the Panama Canal and up the coast of Mexico to San Diego. In '98 Shirl organized a five--week tour of Ireland (12 days), Midlands and Lakes District of England (12 days), and Scotland 10 days) - a fantastic trip - only 2 days of rain. The Irish were great folk very friendly and accommodating. We have been to Hawaii, Maul, Kuala, and Oahu and Whistler,Canada. And we try to keep healthy and keep tabs on 12 grandchildren. Soooo, we shall see you in May '04!!
