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!

Jamie Stradley Burns

After graduating from the hallowed halls of JIO--I went to the University of Montana in pursuit of my oh so sophisticated accounting degree --this fantasy involved high powered white wine lunches with wealthy clients. Discovered two things--I didn't like white wine and and I SUCKED at accounting. Moved on to a much more practical degree in history. (didn't graduate-but came DANGEROUSLY close.) I found and married the man of my heated dreams (aka Jas Burns) . Moved to Washington (state) in the early 90's and have had a plethora of offspring. (at last count 5, but those neighbor kids keep getting mixed in too, so sometimes I lose track) Am currently a stay at home mom, and after 12 years of this gig, I don't think I could stand to go back to work and have someone try and tell me what to do. My life to this point has been challenging, joyful, full of much laundry and even more love. So all in all, a very good thing!!

I am attempting to add a pic of my tribe. hubby, Jas Ali-12, Jake-10, Luke-8, Matt-6, Josh-3(parrots sold separately)