Gene & Friends

Jon Lueker, Kathy, Vicki, Gene

CHS Memories

With a few years and miles of perspective, I could see that CHS was really a good school, with great teachers and some ambitious curriculum. Of course I didn’t care too much about that when I was there...

I did learn some still-useful things from Mssrs Droste, Quiring, and Deall about how to solve problems, as well as less persistently useful stuff like how to use a slide rule. We read some good books in english class, and heard a lot about Mrs. Butcher’s weird dreams. Morrison was so entertaining but I don’t remember my history too well. Should have paid more attention in French to Ms Jones and Nauman as I found out on trips to europe later on. My favorite class was creative writing, but it seemed I didn’t have anything exciting to write about.

It was fun hanging with my fellow science nerds, Jon, Blaine, Bob, Sandy T, Bart, forming the “varsity math team”, doing those pop quizzes in chemistry, stopping the fan and making cool green oscilloscope circle things in physics lab. I remember the mechanical calculator that was bigger than a typewriter and could take a square root if you were patient and had earplugs.

I recall doing some backstage drama stuff (backstage), watching Lisa Caplan go off directing Talent Show, and Dave Garfield writing the music and staying cool.

Swimming and Water Polo were exciting and scary for me, my big moments were running the clock for WP home games and swimming the ‘fly in the medley relay. Wally Lundt, what a great guy. I was so psyched about my letter jacket...I still have it. Dreamed of girls a lot, but I guess I just wasn’t ready.

Had my fifteen minutes of social fame (seemed more like five minutes) as Meg Lesser’s escort to fall sports prom senior year, my first prom. Filled out those college apps, and embraced the senior slump. It was cool having Larry Bell live with us the last term when his folks went to Kentucky – and he had a CAR sparing me a few rides on the dreaded yellow bus.

Life Beyond Clayton

I graduated from MIT in ’78 majoring in “life sciences” aka pre-med. Actually a somewhat fun place, I got on the sailing team, for example, and students do elaborate pranks like putting a campus police car (complete with cop mannequin and donuts) on top of the big dome. Then on to Mizzou for med school, a big switch from a 100 year old house near Fenway Park to a 60’s duplex on the edge of Columbia with cows grazing a block away and grasshoppers jumping everywhere. Med school starts out sort of like sixth grade, a bunch of people all in same classes, good for gossip, but the tests are harder. A lot of great people in my class, all from Missouri (coincidece?...I don’t think so).

I went out to Oregon for residency program in pathology in ’82. Where the heck is Oregon anyway – I had to check a map. And what is pathology, anyway? I got re-acquainted with Jon Lueker, already living out here when I showed up. I fell in love with the place, and have lived in Portland ever since except for eight months in Chicago (also a cool town I thought, St. Louis on steroids with a beach).

After working here and there I started at my present job in 1995, as a pathologist at a big-ish community hospital on the outskirts of Portland. I met Vicki the same year and knew right away she was “the one”, we got married 9/21/96. We don’t have kids but have lots of respect for people who manage to raise them right (you know, like not letting them kick the the back of my seat on the airplane).

I got interested in road bike racing in the 80’s, which was a serious hobby for awhile, now I just ride my bike to work (in the winter it’s an adventure). Was also pretty taken at times with windsurfing and skiing; still do them but not obsessively. Vicki shares all these interests which is great, she kicks my butt on her snowboard. We took two long unguided trips through France and Italy, touring on our tandem bike.

The latest distraction is playing in a band (guitar). I guess I’m getting a little more extroverted in my old age. I have written about forty songs over the last couple of years and actually think they are pretty good, we have played some of them in public a few times. At last an advantage of being older, there is a lot more to write about now than back in creative writing class at CHS.

By the way, June 26 will be my 48^th birthday, so people can feel free to be extra nice to me if they wish. Seems like things are going well, I have a great wife, job, friends, home, still sporting some hair (but need those granny glasses), pretty good health, as Joe Walsh says “I can’t complain but some times I still do, Life’s been good to me so far...”

Song: Truckin' Grateful Dead