Melvin Wesley Abramowitz

Matt Clark, 1968-1988

Following graduation, Matt deferred college in order to go to Hawaii to live with his grandparents and plunge into the “John Steinbeck experience” of working on the crew of an ocean-going tugboat that hauled pineapples from Lanai to Honolulu. He loved this experience – the gritty hard work with Samoan and Filipino crew members, as well as weekends spent surfing at Sandy Beach and Waikiki.

Matt entered the Univ of New Hampshire in January, taking the normal freshman courses and trying out for the soccer and ski teams. With his bright eyes and quick smile, he embraced college life and a load of new friends. He launched into the summer with a construction job in Portsmouth and a full slate of plans for enjoying New England summer.

Matt was killed in an accident on the construction site on 9 June 1988.


Matt lived a short life – only 20 short years: born in 1968, he died in 1988. But he lived a full life in terms of experience and the imprints he left on so many others. There is a continuing and heart-rending stream of evidence of how Matt touched so many people and how he lives on in the memories of so many today. The headstone at his grave at West Point is always marked by fresh rocks, flowers, and notes. “Do you remember when …?” letters and stories circulate all the time. These words in the JIO 20th Reunion blog add further depth and color to the meaning of these memories. For this, we all are thankful.

Who was Matt Clark?

• He was an athlete, and played soccer and ski-raced.
• He loved music, and played his trumpet in school jazz concerts.
• He lived life with gusto! He created a ‘buzz’ everywhere with his energy.
• Most of all, he loved people, and he lifted the spirits of strangers as much as he was a “friend’s best friend”. He lifted others with his broad smile, bright eyes, and boundless enthusiasm.
• On the other hand, Matt was no angel. His high energy went in all directions, and he spent more than his share of time being called on the carpet in the Principal’s office.

Matt was a free spirit, the life of the party and one classmate who will sadly be missed at our reunion this August. If anyone would like to share a Matt story, please feel free to under the comments section

Tom Richardson

Wow! Has it really been 20 years??? It seems like only yesterday, huh? What have I been up to??? LOTS! That’s what!!!

During our senior year, I dislocated my shoulder after a flying tackle from Brian Baker during the First Annual Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Memorial Senior Invitational Holiday Bowl Game. That ended any hopes I had of going to Duke on that lacrosse scholarship I had won so I stayed around home and went to Orange County Community College (OCCC) for five years. I decided studying environmental impacts on B-flute 32ECT corrugated box living structures was really my calling. Turns out I didn’t have much of a future there.

In ’89, I was just trying to make some extra money for college. Since I was backpacking in Connecticut, I tried to get small jobs wherever I could find them. When I was camping by this lake, I saw a huge concert getting set up nearby. I kept bugging this guy for any jobs he could send my way and, finally frustrated at my persistence, told me I could clean up backstage during the concert that night as the artists left a real mess on their way out to the stage. Boy! Was he ever right! These two guys on stage (I think they called themselves Billy Vanilla or something dumb like that) left beer cans, towels, and cans of Jerri Curl all over the place! I was sweeping up the huge pile when it all fell onto the sound board and made the record skip over and over. I’ll never forget that: “Girl, you know, girl, you know, girl, you know…” I quickly ran out grabbing my backpack as I knew I’d probably not get paid anyway.

After graduating from OCCC, I moved out to L.A. to seek my fortune. I figured all the cool people would be out there and I could really make a name for myself. Unfortunately, things didn’t get off to a great start.

One week in ’92, I had suffered one of the worst colds I could remember. All week, I had been suffering and I was taking a LOT of cold medicine to try and kick it. I didn’t think I was OK to drive so I asked my friend to pick me up on his way to do his weekly charity work at the soup kitchen. He had some extra time so he said he’d be able to drop me at the Walgreen’s and back at home so I could recover. Well, I guess that cold medicine and the L.A. smog really did something to my head because I started leaning out the window and screaming Liza Minnelli tunes at the top of my voice. Evidently, I was making quite a commotion because I caught the attention of the local cops. As they pulled in behind us, I remembered that I had two outstanding traffic tickets. I begged my friend, Rodney, not to stop but he insisted that it was the right thing to do. When he pulled over, I quickly ran out of the car in my NyQuil-induced haze and out into the night. I later heard that the cops really didn’t care for Liza’s work and let Rodney know about it.

In ’95 I was able to fly back out to Highland Falls for Rob’s wedding. It was great to see all the fellas again but I couldn’t stay long as my goiter kept acting up. In fact, I was only able to sign the register, pop my head in to see what was going on, and then had to run. I was upset that I couldn’t stay long.

My health continued to bother me in L.A. so I tried moving up to Cupertino to see if that would help. It didn’t. I had to get one of my molars fixed as one of the fillings fell out. Boy! Did that smart! Waiting in the lobby, I was showing this guy next to me my really cool new mp3 player. I just got it and loved the concept but it had so many buttons and it was a bit confusing. I told Steve that it would be really cool if the whole thing could be controlled by a wheel like the huge Lifesaver mints they had in the dish right there in the dentist office. When it was time for my appointment, the dentist had to shoot me full of Novocain a couple times over so I was REALLY numb. Since I couldn’t feel the whole right side of my face, I was getting a little frustrated when trying to talk. I tried to say goodbye to my new-found friend, Steve, when the receptionist kept bugging me telling me that my dental insurance premium hadn’t been paid. That wasn’t true as the check went out the week prior and I kept trying to tell her that I paid it already. Unfortunately, instead of coming out “I paid!”, she couldn’t understand me yelling “I pahd! I pahd!” over and over. It must have bothered Steve because he ran out right away and I never saw him again.

Things weren’t getting better in California, so I had to find a BIG change in climate. I also was looking for something to do to REALLY make my mark. There was this great pilot show just starting out where these people would get dropped off on a desert island and have to pass “challenges” to see who could survive the environment and each other longer. I was able to make it through the try-outs for the first sequel and I thought it had a lot of promise. For the “catch”, the creators wanted to try something a little different. Unfortunately, and after several pounds of really gamey moose meat, “Survivor: Yukon!” just didn’t pan out. It never made to it air. Hot chicks (in very little clothing) with frost nip is not as sexy as you might think. Believe me, it isn’t!

When I got back from the “Great White North”, I knew it was time to settle down. I had been “surfing the ‘Net” for a meaningful relationship and found just what I needed. In my favorite “I’ve always been overlooked” chat room, I met the woman of my dreams, Margie. Margie and I hit it off right away; she was a competitive wool spinner/dyer and knitter and could craft a really mean pun without even trying! You’ve never seen fibers fly until you’ve seen Margie spinning! After a whirlwind courtship thanks to our friends at AOL, we finally met in May of 2004 and got married the next day. The next spring, we decided to adopt kids to “jumpstart” our family to help make up for the lost time.

Attached is a picture we took last fall at the county fair during “Hoedown Hijinks Days”. That’s me, Summer, Hyacinth, and Margie really cutting it up in our homemade costumes. We won 2nd place that year because the Godfreys showed up in a show-stopping Abu-Ghraib send-up that I thought was in poor taste. Oh well, the judging has gotten all political now anyway.

I’ve gained a little weight, lost some of my hairline, and grew a mustache since we last saw each other but I’m looking forward to hearing more about the rest of you soon.

Moo!

Tom

Terry Rice

Has it been twenty years? Can we really be getting that old? As I read over the blog entries, I can’t help but think back to our senior year high school musical in which the protagonist, Franklin Shepard, looks back on the preceding twenty-five years of his life and ruminates over the many choices he made along that journey. Fortunately, I haven’t become as jaded and pessimistic as the character I played but in keeping with the Merrily We Roll Along theme, I’ll do my update in reverse chronological order.

My wife, two kids, and I live in Lambertville, NJ. Before anyone even thinks about asking the question, you would take Exit 10 off the NJ Turnpike to get to our place. And no, I do not live next door to Tony Soprano but I think Paulie lives just down the road. Actually we live in far western portion of the state along the Delaware River. For those of you that have only experienced the noxious fumes and incessant backups on the dreaded Turnpike, there is a very different side of NJ.

I work for Johnson & Johnson as a Director of Global Information Security and Continuity. It is a job I thoroughly enjoy since it combines many of the things I love: working with the latest computer technology, defending computers and networks from the latest threats and working in a global environment. The latter of which is probably the most rewarding aspect of the job. I have been able to travel all over the world getting to meet and work with people in many countries and cultures. The travel is very hectic and can try the patience of those with the greatest forbearance; but it has given me the ability to see and do some amazing things. During my last trip to India, I was able to stay and extra couple of days and go camping and white-water rafting in the Himalayas. I ended up with an e-coli infection which caused me to spend a week in bed in the fetal position but the experience was well worth it.

Before moving to NJ, my wife and I lived in the Washington DC area for seven years where I occasionally ran into many O’Neill alums. While there I worked as a consultant, defense contractor, Army reservist, and attended graduate school at GWU. Somehow my wife and I managed to have a second child, Aidan, in the middle of all that. Aidan sounds like he is much like Rob’s daughter: always on the go, running, bouncing, jumping etc. I don’t know how Jamie and Holly do it with more than two kids. I guess I just prefer a 1:1 defense instead of zone coverage. Two is enough for me.

Before DC, I spent six years in the Army doing a lot of great stuff. I jumped out airplanes, rappelled out of helicopters, and spent three years in a unit that was prepared to deploy almost anywhere in the world with little more than 24 hours notice. Fortunately during my time I never had to deploy to an active combat zone. I have the deepest respect for people like Kimball and Holly who have continued to serve under the extremely difficult conditions in which we now find our country. I am proud of them.

While in the Army and stationed at Fort Campbell, KY, I met my wife, Leila, who was working on her PhD at Vanderbilt. Before we got married, I moved to Arizona, Leila moved to DC, and shortly thereafter I went to Korea for a year sans wife. While in Korea, I found out that I would probably going to Bosnia upon my return so I got out. 15 months away from my wife was enough. Shortly thereafter we had our first child, Clara, who is the sweet, quiet, calm one.

Which brings me back to West Point. As has already been mentioned, I had a grand total of four days vacation between graduating from high school and going to college. One of those days was spent trying to recover from a graduation party in Garrison…who’s house it was I can’t recall. I enjoyed my time at West Point and even got to room with Kimball during our senior year. However, at this point in life it is definitely something I would not want to have to do again.... that applies equally to West Point and rooming with Kimball.

Well that’s it. I like to think I am much the same person I was in high school. Maybe a little thicker and a little more mature. But I still am excited and passionate about the same things as I was 20 years ago. I think I have avoided the slide into cynicism characterized by Franklin Shepard in the musical. I look forward to meeting many of you again and hearing about what life has done for you or in a few cases what life has done TO YOU.

Rob Johnson

I was floored to see the entries from my friends, Ken and Kimball. You guys are old (not me!).

I'm writing from my home office in the tiny village of Cross Plains, WI. My beautiful daughters (6 and 9) are playing happily in our new backyard of two months. My brilliant, gorgeous wife, Michelle, is at her part-time job as a cosmetic dentist associate and should be home soon. I'm the corporate "fixer" (if something or someone ain't workin' right, I fix it) for the United Pet Group. We sell Dingo dog bones, Tetra fish food, etc. and I spend about half of my week working from home. I'm living my dream life and couldn't be happier.

How'd I get here? I, too, spent four years at West Point after JIO. I had a pretty good time all things considered. Upon graduation, like Kimball, I joined the Infantry. I was first stationed in California and got to defend Pizza Hut from the Rodney King Fan Club during the '92 LA Riots. When my unit got shut down, I was sent to Colorado Springs where I deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for a few months (I'm not responsible for anything you've ever heard in the news!). Upon my return, I met and married Michelle within six months. Kids, don't try this at home; I am a professional. It'll be twelve years next week and it's been a wonderful time.

Michelle and I next moved up to Alaska for a three year tour where I got to appreciate what COLD really means! We loved it there. I got itchy for a change so we agreed it was time to leave the Army. While in The Last Frontier, our oldest, Samantha, was born. She's got my memory and her mother's talent.

Since I had grown up in the Army, we decided it was best to get me some of that book-larnin' to be able to fit into the business world. We moved to Madison, WI to be close to my family (my folks moved there in '89) while I got one of those MBA's they hand out at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During my second year of grad school, we were joined by the birth of Amanda. She is a pistol! When I'm ready to lose weight, I'm going to go on the Mandy Diet. She is always running, bouncing, or somehow moving.

I started working at the Rayovac Corporation (now Spectrum Brands) after graduation and got stuck in a few nowhere jobs. Finally, after the corporation bought some pet companies, I volunteered for and was hired to work for our Companion Animal company out of Long Island. We were all set to move out (had a leased house and everything) this January but, at/after the last minute, they changed their minds and we stayed here in Wisconsin. We bought a new house and I got this new "fixer" job which is what I wanted all along anyway.

I've had the pleasure of chatting with a handful of you over the past twenty years and would love to catch up again. If you're ever in the area or want to drop me a note (rob.johnson at spectrumbrands.com), I'd love to hear from you.

Hope all is well with you all.

Rob

Kimball Edwards

Ok, I was waiting for Tammy McCracken (Hagen) to post here first, but, when I saw Ken post, I was first shocked, then, urged into action...

Let's see - post JIO I had to wait a whopping 4 days (along with Holly, Sharon, Rob and Terry) before I started my Caribbean vacation in lovely WooPooU. An unremarkable adventure filled with large egos and continuous disillusionment. In spite of that, I joined the Infantry upon graduation and started a truly enjoyable Army career. I started off in the 82d Airborne Division with the highlights being an all expense paid vacation to Dade County Florida for Hurricaine Andrew relief, then a 6
month tour in the Sinai Peninsula swimming in the Red Sea and generally watching Eqyptian dust blow by. After that I was assigned to Vicenza, Italy. My first year there I got to travel to some real garden spots like Albania, Bulgaria, and Uganda- to name a few. I was priveledged to command an Airborne Infantry Company in Italy and, coincidentally, met a wonderful woman that would eventually become my wife - a whole other story. Following Italy, I was again priveledged to command a second Infantry company for the NATO organization- Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land). Good times, great fun, and more travel. In May of 2001 finally married Stephanie. We decided to do so in Iceland which turned out to be one of the most amazing and wonderful experiences in our lives - and again, a whole other story. So to cover the last few years since then... I moved to Atlanta for 3 years, deployed to Iraq for OIF 1, then moved to my current assignment in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

My first daughter (Ariel - not the Mermaid, rather named after the Sprite in Shakespear's 'The Tempest') was born Christmas Day during my tour in Iraq (2003). My second daughter (Naomi) was born May 2006. And, not to be forgotten, our oldest, Murphy, is the beast with us in the picture (last checked in at a measly 150 pounds).

So here I am, waiting for what I hope will be my last movement instructions before retirement in 2011. I look back on some
interesting times in the past 20 years and think often of the great folks from HS. I hope to be able to return for the reunion, but, sadly, I will likely be back in the AOR (either Afghanistan or Iraq) by then.

It is great to see what has been going on for everyone and I encourage more to join this blog and fill us in. Ultimately, life has treated me well and I hope the same has been true for you all as well.

Kimball

Ken McCown

After high school, I graduated from the University of Illinois with degrees in landscape architecture and architecture. From there, it's been work, work, work, which for me has been a load of fun. I've been working as a Professor in IL, NYC and now Los Angeles. I have been teaching and doing projects around the world. I work with funding from the United Nations working on World Heritage Sites. What I do with professionals and students is creating plans to protect these historic resources from destruction and the people that live around the sites from gentrification. Work is at home as well, as I live in Richard Neutra's home in Los Angeles, which has been my favorite city I have ever lived in! The home is a restoration project, so I get some immediate hands-on work.

I have no children, as work doesn't seem to be giving time for that yet, but I'm happy to see that the rest of you seem to be keeping the country alive and blossoming! So many kids! How do you do it??! I'm thankful to have grown up with our class. I'm amazed by all of things I hear about what the Class of '87 is doing!