Paul Gibson

Paul Gibson found the website and checked in. He did not walk across the stage with us at graduation but he went to EHS until our senior year. Here's Paul's update:

I left Enid High just before our senior year because my life was nothing like what I'm sure everyone assumed it was. I left and married a woman with children, which I had only just met during the summer of my junior year. She was ten years my senior and Oklahoma wasn't the greatest place to build a career and support a family so we moved to California.

During my marriage I was fortunate enough to acquire my GED and land a great job working for a national fast food chain based out of Fullerton , CA. I quickly climbed the ranks from Night Manager, Manager, Opening Crew Manager, to District Supervisor and since the company was doing well I used my free time and extra income to attend CDI (Control Data Institute) where I received a computer programming certification.

Back in the early 80's there were very few good programming jobs and Bill Gates had not yet released an Operating System for any personal computer. It was about this time my marriage ended and finding myself single I chose to leave the food service industry. This is where I started my second career as a computer programmer, as a side note the average citizen in the US has three totally unique careers in their lifetime.

So I took a job working for a large pharmaceutical company as a Data Entry Operator. I excelled in my work and was quickly promoted to a position preparing and publishing New Drug Applications for submission to the FDA. It was at this time the first PC's were coming out in the work place. Our company was using VAX Digital Mainframes and Digital was offering a version of VMS (the VAX operating system) for PC. I was more than fascinated and spent all my free time learning all I could about PC's. Oh and I met and married a great girl whom I had been seeing after my divorce.

So, I left the world of COBOL and RPG and went to work for www.grc.com (Gibson Research), no relation. Although it was cool being a Gibson and working there. I spent two years there and moved on to a company called State of the Art; they designed, sold and supported Accounting software. I entered the glorious world of Technical Support. I was able to get myself assigned to a developers project to design a Job Costing and Materials Management module for the MAS*90's accounting product. This pretty much allowed me to write my own ticket at State of the Art.

While I was there I was scouted and recruited to head up a Development effort for a new company in Tacoma, Washington. The move was too much for Julie, my second wife and so we divorced. She wanted to stay in California and went on to work in Television and Motion Pictures and I moved north to Washington. Unfortunately for me the principles could never figure out what they were doing and the company folded a short twenty months later.

Although it was not a total loss, it was during this time I met my partner Tim. He convinced me that with my talent for computer systems I should go to work for the government. So I did. I went to work for the Pierce County Information Technology department and designed several computer applications that keep the County government on track to this very day.

After the Y2K non-event I actively sought out and accepted a position with Microsoft; were I worked with the Chief Data Architect to create Microsoft's global Technical Support Server system. It was one of the most fun projects I have ever worked on. When that concluded I went to work for www.sharebuilder.com and was looking to make my first true Million dollars. However, Al Gore had other plans, he lost the election and my company laid off 58% of the work force, which included me and lost out on my stock offerings. Argh!!!

So with Tim's urging and support I once again went back to work for the government. This time I accepted a position with the Federal Government working for the Department of Environmental Protection. We were relocated to West Virginia and I thought we would probably stay there for the rest of our lives. Then on 9/11 just 45 miles from where I was working Flight 93 crashed. My department was swallowed by Homeland Defense and my life changed.

Tim and I moved back to Washington sold everything we could and opened the store we were going to open when we retired. Indoor Reef will be four years old in January 2007 and I have never been happier. We aren't loaded but each year it gets better and that's all that matters.

Here is my contact information. I really look forward to hearing more from you and everyone I grew up with.

All the best.

Paul Gibson

(I've added Paul's email to our email section. If you would like Paul's contact info send me an email and I'll get it to you)

Help! The Lost Classmates List Updated

After our 25 year mailing we have had dozens of addresses returned as undeliverable. Help out by taking a look at the list and let us know if you have any current addresses.

Lost Classmate List

Thanks for the help and PLEASE update us with your current address!!

Email info here

Class of '81 News and Updates

Here are a few updates on several of our '81 classmates:

** Kenny and Sheri Blasier's son is pictured to the left. He's heading off to music school in Florida. The Blasier's still live in Enid and continue to contribute to the reunions.

** I spotted Jill (Forney) McPherson and her family at Meadowlake last week. I hopped on the little red train with my family before I realized it was her and didn't get to speak with her before she left. Jill! Send in an update.

** Kyle Shirm and his family came to Enid to watch his son play ball at the ballpark. Kyle lives in Perkins, has two kids and works in Stillwater.

** LeeAnne (Chenoweth) Lawson lives in Arlington, TX. Her husband, Richard is an industrial engineer. LeeAnne is still a violinist...in Ft. Worth Symphony. Her 1st job was with the Dallas Opera Orchestra. They adopted 2 sisters 5 years ago when they were 3 and 5. They are now 8 and 10.

** Darrin Goodwin is a Sales Engineer in Wireless Networks. He contacted me while on assignment in Seattle. His adopted home is Albuquerque, NM. Darrin and his wife Vickie will be attending the reunion!

** Mike Hines and his wife Twyla will also be attending the reunion. They live in Oklahoma near Tulsa.

** Carole Anne Goode-Fowler is living in Paris, TX and is heading to Enid for the 25 year reunion!

** Another Texan, is Jim Hannebaum from beautiful Fort Worth, Texas. Jim (I still think of him as Jimmy) has been married to Lindy for 25 years. They have 2 wonderful children. Michael is 21 and in college. Becca is 11 & in 6th grade. They have been in Texas for about 7 years.

** Kay (Lohmeier) Waack, who has not been back to Enid since the 20 year reunion, will be returning to see family and attend the 25 year.

** Fred Blythe is doing well. For the past 14 months, he has been working for a company that implements administrative software systems at colleges and universities. He spends most of his work week on the road now. His work takes him to exciting locals such as Queensbury, NY; Farmville, VA; Pittsburgh; Jonesboro, AR; and Topeka, KS. Fred still lives in Vermont but is contemplating a move to Colorado. He wants to get closer to family (most live in Tulsa) but will still allow him to live in the mountains.

** Debbie Canaday was in town this week. She has lived in Mt. Vernon, TX for 22 years. She has three "kids". Matthew is 21, Mitchell is 19 and Meagan is 17. Mitchell is in college taking basics before art school next fall. He is also interested in illustrating. Matt is in college to be a "geo-scientist" and Meagan will be a senior this fall.

Debbie has been a teacher at a private school for 13 years and became Director of the facility 5 years ago. She loves her job and finds it easy to get attached to the kids.

** Rob and Tammy (Odle) Keller are still in McKinney, TX. Tammy is a Project Manager for Special Projects with the J.C. Penny Co. They are going to try to make the reunion.

** Craig Jones checks in and sends photos from time to time. He is still in the Enid area. This is a great photo of his 4 kids.

** Pat Bandy and his daughter Carson are going on a cruise! Carson was granted a wish from the make a wish foundation and she wished for a Disney cruise. Her counts are good and she is able to travel although chemo has got her under the weather at the moment.

We spotted Pat and Carson fishing at Meadowlake last weekend.

** Mike and Erin (Rockney) Magee are now in Hollis, NH. They are going to try to attend the reunion if possible.

** Cheryl (Sands) Carson checked in from Kansas. Cheryl moved to Enid from Topeka when she was 16 and graduated from Enid High in ’81 and Oklahoma State in ’85 before moving back to Topeka. She spends time chauffeuring her 15- and 13-year-old boys around when not working as a Database/Technology Manager.

** Kim (Gould) Fogarty checked in and has a conflict with the reunion date but she is looking a for a way to make it. Let us know Kim.

** Alan Goodson has been in Florida for @ 20 years and been doin' good. His wife Linda is in Banking and Alan is a wholesaler for a cable manufacturer. He travels the country every other week and gets as close as Tulsa every other month. Alan is trying to schedule a trip to Enid for the reunion.

** Todd Wheeler is in Medford, OK. At last count he has 1,000 kids.

** Neil and Traci Harris are in Eaton, CO.

** About a dozen or so others have checked in and updated their emails so check them out. If I forgot your updated, slap me silly, and send it again.

Good night. See you soon. Sleep well.