Duluth Central High School Class of 1961
Classmates
Edward (Ed) Meister (Deceased)
Comments
Retired
Spouse: Suzanne Haruki (Deceased)
No Children
Information update: 01/17/2019

July 1961 I entered the Air Force and after boot game I went to trade school as a Jet Engine mechanic with a Multi-Engine rating. That means I can work on any plane that has more then 2 engines i.e. B47, KC 135 & B52H. I started out in Texas and then after tech school I went to Whiteman air force base in Missouri. After two years they moved in Minuteman Missile and moved out the B47. They send me to Homestead Air Force base Florida for my last two years of service. Saw other countries but only from the bases, they needed me to fix the engines and then they fly me back to home base.

After my discharge I came back to Duluth to start my life as a citizen. Got a job with Western Electric, which is a company that installs Telecommunication equipment. After almost two years the cold got to me and they also went out on strike. Boeing came to town looking for help, went down and got a job in Renton Washington. I took the train from Duluth to Seattle Washington where I slept in church's and any place I could find till my first check came in. I was a mechanic so my job was to drill holes in wings, tails, and body of various aircraft. I also got a job as a private investigator for a company; it was fun and very boring setting in a car and on a roof as you watch your target. The rain and a strike by the workers at Boeing made the decision to go south to California. Got a job as a private investigator and then got a job back with Western Electric.

I worked on the peninsula of the bay area installing Telecommunication equipment again. That is where I met my wife Suzanne Haruki, it was love at first sight for me. It took her awhile before she said yes to marrying me. She was a college graduate and me only high school. When I was working for the company another company called Nortel Network liked my work and hired me to work for them. I did installation the testing the equipment and put it together by my self. They ask me to become a Engineer and show other how to install equipment. Then they give me a job as a wireless Engineer and I traveled all over engineering equipment for Cell Phones. Because of my Japanese I went to Japan but could not take my wife, to much traveling not enough time at home, so no kids my one regret. We lived in San Jose for 25 years before she died. In January of 2010 my Kidneys collapsed and I was put in the hospital for 4 weeks. I had to move out of my home because I cannot live alone. I now live in Monterey at an assisted living facility. Right now it's a stand off between my kidneys and me.