Dennis McClintock
1965
Before, during…
After going through junior high school with a pretty high nerd quotient, I was pleasantly surprised by high school. I kept my nerdy friends, who turned out to be some of the smartest kids in our class. I also was able to hang out with some of the coolest, most fun guys in our class as a member of the Mercurians YMCA group. I played in marching band all three years, so I had a reserved seat at every varsity football game. I wasn’t a Knight, but I took my favorite Lady, Mary, to The Senior Prom, where she was crowned as a Prom Princess. Life was good.
… and after:
After high school, I entered Valley College, trying like every other guy my age to avoid the draft. Unfortunately, I lacked focus and direction and my time at Valley lasted less than a year. Suddenly I found myself without a deferment. Soon I was standing in a large room with 30 other naked young men while Selective Service doctors poked and prodded us to see if we were fit for military service. To my great amazement, I wasn’t. I fell into a little known category which made me eligible for service only if (A) the US declared war on North Vietnam (which we didn’t), or (B) I allowed the US Army to correct the minor medical condition that made me ineligible (which I didn’t).
Free of the fear of going to war, I had to think about ways to make money. I was sitting in a Von’s parking lot, munching on a Van de Kamp’s crumb Dunkette when I spied a young man walking down the street. He was wearing a blue and gray uniform and pushing a U.S. Mail cart. And he looked exactly like Alfred E Neuman (if you don’t remember that name, you should Google it). I put down my Dunkette and said, “I can do that.”
Weeks later I had completed a U.S. Postal Service civil service test with a very good score. Veterans were given extra points on the exam, but only two of them beat my score. Both turned down the first job that became available and I became a Letter Carrier in Reseda. This was a great outside job where I got lots of exercise and sun (loving the former, regretting the latter). The Postal Service soon started accepting female Carriers, which made the job more interesting. One of my coworkers was Helen Violette, GCHS Class of ’65. Since I didn’t hang out with Helen at Cleveland, I didn’t make the connection until much later. I advanced through the ranks of Carriers in the 6+ years I worked there, but ran into a barrier when I started to consider moving into a supervisory role. All of the first-level supervisors had ulcers and other stress-related ills (the reasons for that would require a longer essay on the evolution of the modern postal service). Not wanting to go that route (postal pun intended), I decided to resign.
Fortunately, I had been offered another job. I had been doing some freelance photography and writing for a small motorcycle magazine based in the Valley. The magazine changed hands and was relocating to Mission Viejo, and the Publisher offered me a job as his assistant. I gladly became a resident of Orange County. Several months later, after we had to correct one too many errors by the Editor, he was fired and I was promoted to that position. Once again I had a mostly outside job and enjoyed traveling around Southern California shooting pictures, writing and editing – for about a year. Suddenly, all of that changed when the owner of the company (also owner of a profitable motorcycle shop) became infatuated with the magazine’s office manager. He left his wife and moved both the motorcycle shop and the magazine (and the office manager) to Arizona. The Publisher and I chose not to go with him. After two more monthly issues, the magazine died.
Since I had failed to establish any contacts at other publishers, I found it hard to go back to freelance work. I moved back to the Valley and began a series of “transitional” jobs, one with an insurance company and two with beverage companies. At some point in that time, a friend invited me to a concert by a Christian youth singing group (The Life Assurance Company) based at a Lutheran church in Encino. I soon was volunteering with the group and attending the church. When a married couple who served as adult leaders for the group moved out of the local area, I became the lead advisor and road manager, a volunteer position I continued for almost 20 years.
In my second year with the group, a 7th grader who had just joined the group introduced me to his mother. Within a few months we began dating and in June of 1981 Cheryle and I were married. Cheryle also became an advisor for the youth group. Life began to improve. In 1983 a member of the congregation offered me a job with his retirement plan consulting and administration firm. I began doing various annual reporting functions and later embraced my nerdy side and took over management and support of the company’s computer systems. That job lasted for 23 years.
In 1985, Cheryle and I attended the 20-year GCHS reunion, along with my brother, Mike (class of ’63) and his wife Linda (formerly McKenzie – class of ’65). Cheryle wore a red wig to the festivities. She would tell you that it was because she always wanted to be a redhead, but it was actually to hide the effects of chemotherapy and radiation. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple months earlier and was in the middle of six months of treatment. The treatments seemed to work, but in 1989 the cancer returned. She died on my birthday, January 12, 1990.
Being surrounded by a strong faith community kept me sane and on track during a difficult time.
Time passes and the need for love returns and grows. In the middle of 1991, a friend told me (incorrectly, as it turns out) that a lady I had known for several years as a friend was about to end a relationship and would be “available.” In an unusual fit of bravery, I told Sandy I was interested. She said she was flattered but was NOT available. Oops! A couple months later her daughter joined the youth group, so I had a chance to spend time with her in that context.
Good things come to those who wait. Five months later, Sandy and I began dating and in August 1992 we were married. In 2015 we celebrated our 23rd anniversary.
During the first 10 years of my marriage to Sandy, Cheryle’s son Garrett graduated from DePaul University (Chicago) Law School and moved back to California. Also, Sandy’s daughter Melissa graduated from USC and began teaching elementary school in Pasadena. While they were establishing their lives and careers in California, Sandy and I were planning an escape. We had been working hard to pay for college and our nice home in Thousand Oaks and were starting to burn out. In 2005 we decided to cash in our equity and move. We settled in Round Rock, Texas, a suburb of Austin. We left California just a few days before the GCHS 40th reunion, which was held at a hotel about five miles from the home we had just left. While y’all were partying, we were staying in an RV park in El Paso, Texas.
Leaving my 23-year job in California led me to a change of career. In Texas, I began a photographic art business. I sold my photos at art shows, galleries and retail and even showed my work at Austin’s airport. After a slow start, I picked up speed and was profitable in my 3rd full year. One of my favorite places to sell my art was at the Oasis Restaurant, which sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Travis in Austin. Among the photos below you can see my best seller during that time, a sunset shot taken from the restaurant.
In 2010, Sandy’s dad became seriously ill in Minnesota. After she flew back and forth a few times, we decided to move closer. We settled in Northfield, Minnesota, where we currently live. Northfield is famous for a failed 1876 bank robbery by the Jesse James-Cole Younger gang that ultimately resulted in the death or capture of six gang members.
Sandy’s dad has had ups and downs since then, but is still with us. Both of her parents live in an assisted living environment about 10 minutes from us. I have translated my photography business to the smaller market in Minnesota and also do some bookkeeping for a couple non-profits. Sandy works as an employment counselor for adults with disabilities. Sandy found a great church even before we officially moved, and we’ve been there ever since. The only down side of living in Minnesota is the fact that we now have two grandsons living in California. Fortunately we’ve been able to visit once or twice a year and also hosted them in Northfield.
On March 28th, 2014, I had open heart surgery to repair an enlarged ascending aorta (aneurysm). The surgery was very successful, but the recovery was literally a pain. If you want the details of how they open you up, shoot me an email or look it up. Bottom line is that you can’t use your arms much for the first 6-8 weeks and then you need to work to regain strength and stamina. Sandy was my nurse, counselor and best friend through the ordeal. We also had great prayer and practical support from our congregation.
The great thing about my surgery was that it wasn’t a surprise. Through some good fortune and excellent medical resources (in a town of 20,000) the problem was discovered early and the surgery was almost routine. Kudos to Abbott Northwestern Hospital and the Minnesota Heart Institute. Now I’m probably good for another 65. Ha!
This year Sandy and I bought a Ford F150 and a travel trailer and we look forward to RV traveling in the Midwest and to California to see our grandkids. Circumstances didn’t work out to use it for the reunion trip, but next time…
It was great to see so many of my GCHS classmates at the 50th Celebration. I’m hoping the contacts made there will improve and grow over the coming years. Stay safe and stay healthy!
After going through junior high school with a pretty high nerd quotient, I was pleasantly surprised by high school. I kept my nerdy friends, who turned out to be some of the smartest kids in our class. I also was able to hang out with some of the coolest, most fun guys in our class as a member of the Mercurians YMCA group. I played in marching band all three years, so I had a reserved seat at every varsity football game. I wasn’t a Knight, but I took my favorite Lady, Mary, to The Senior Prom, where she was crowned as a Prom Princess. Life was good.
… and after:
After high school, I entered Valley College, trying like every other guy my age to avoid the draft. Unfortunately, I lacked focus and direction and my time at Valley lasted less than a year. Suddenly I found myself without a deferment. Soon I was standing in a large room with 30 other naked young men while Selective Service doctors poked and prodded us to see if we were fit for military service. To my great amazement, I wasn’t. I fell into a little known category which made me eligible for service only if (A) the US declared war on North Vietnam (which we didn’t), or (B) I allowed the US Army to correct the minor medical condition that made me ineligible (which I didn’t).
Free of the fear of going to war, I had to think about ways to make money. I was sitting in a Von’s parking lot, munching on a Van de Kamp’s crumb Dunkette when I spied a young man walking down the street. He was wearing a blue and gray uniform and pushing a U.S. Mail cart. And he looked exactly like Alfred E Neuman (if you don’t remember that name, you should Google it). I put down my Dunkette and said, “I can do that.”
Weeks later I had completed a U.S. Postal Service civil service test with a very good score. Veterans were given extra points on the exam, but only two of them beat my score. Both turned down the first job that became available and I became a Letter Carrier in Reseda. This was a great outside job where I got lots of exercise and sun (loving the former, regretting the latter). The Postal Service soon started accepting female Carriers, which made the job more interesting. One of my coworkers was Helen Violette, GCHS Class of ’65. Since I didn’t hang out with Helen at Cleveland, I didn’t make the connection until much later. I advanced through the ranks of Carriers in the 6+ years I worked there, but ran into a barrier when I started to consider moving into a supervisory role. All of the first-level supervisors had ulcers and other stress-related ills (the reasons for that would require a longer essay on the evolution of the modern postal service). Not wanting to go that route (postal pun intended), I decided to resign.
Fortunately, I had been offered another job. I had been doing some freelance photography and writing for a small motorcycle magazine based in the Valley. The magazine changed hands and was relocating to Mission Viejo, and the Publisher offered me a job as his assistant. I gladly became a resident of Orange County. Several months later, after we had to correct one too many errors by the Editor, he was fired and I was promoted to that position. Once again I had a mostly outside job and enjoyed traveling around Southern California shooting pictures, writing and editing – for about a year. Suddenly, all of that changed when the owner of the company (also owner of a profitable motorcycle shop) became infatuated with the magazine’s office manager. He left his wife and moved both the motorcycle shop and the magazine (and the office manager) to Arizona. The Publisher and I chose not to go with him. After two more monthly issues, the magazine died.
Since I had failed to establish any contacts at other publishers, I found it hard to go back to freelance work. I moved back to the Valley and began a series of “transitional” jobs, one with an insurance company and two with beverage companies. At some point in that time, a friend invited me to a concert by a Christian youth singing group (The Life Assurance Company) based at a Lutheran church in Encino. I soon was volunteering with the group and attending the church. When a married couple who served as adult leaders for the group moved out of the local area, I became the lead advisor and road manager, a volunteer position I continued for almost 20 years.
In my second year with the group, a 7th grader who had just joined the group introduced me to his mother. Within a few months we began dating and in June of 1981 Cheryle and I were married. Cheryle also became an advisor for the youth group. Life began to improve. In 1983 a member of the congregation offered me a job with his retirement plan consulting and administration firm. I began doing various annual reporting functions and later embraced my nerdy side and took over management and support of the company’s computer systems. That job lasted for 23 years.
In 1985, Cheryle and I attended the 20-year GCHS reunion, along with my brother, Mike (class of ’63) and his wife Linda (formerly McKenzie – class of ’65). Cheryle wore a red wig to the festivities. She would tell you that it was because she always wanted to be a redhead, but it was actually to hide the effects of chemotherapy and radiation. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple months earlier and was in the middle of six months of treatment. The treatments seemed to work, but in 1989 the cancer returned. She died on my birthday, January 12, 1990.
Being surrounded by a strong faith community kept me sane and on track during a difficult time.
Time passes and the need for love returns and grows. In the middle of 1991, a friend told me (incorrectly, as it turns out) that a lady I had known for several years as a friend was about to end a relationship and would be “available.” In an unusual fit of bravery, I told Sandy I was interested. She said she was flattered but was NOT available. Oops! A couple months later her daughter joined the youth group, so I had a chance to spend time with her in that context.
Good things come to those who wait. Five months later, Sandy and I began dating and in August 1992 we were married. In 2015 we celebrated our 23rd anniversary.
During the first 10 years of my marriage to Sandy, Cheryle’s son Garrett graduated from DePaul University (Chicago) Law School and moved back to California. Also, Sandy’s daughter Melissa graduated from USC and began teaching elementary school in Pasadena. While they were establishing their lives and careers in California, Sandy and I were planning an escape. We had been working hard to pay for college and our nice home in Thousand Oaks and were starting to burn out. In 2005 we decided to cash in our equity and move. We settled in Round Rock, Texas, a suburb of Austin. We left California just a few days before the GCHS 40th reunion, which was held at a hotel about five miles from the home we had just left. While y’all were partying, we were staying in an RV park in El Paso, Texas.
Leaving my 23-year job in California led me to a change of career. In Texas, I began a photographic art business. I sold my photos at art shows, galleries and retail and even showed my work at Austin’s airport. After a slow start, I picked up speed and was profitable in my 3rd full year. One of my favorite places to sell my art was at the Oasis Restaurant, which sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Travis in Austin. Among the photos below you can see my best seller during that time, a sunset shot taken from the restaurant.
In 2010, Sandy’s dad became seriously ill in Minnesota. After she flew back and forth a few times, we decided to move closer. We settled in Northfield, Minnesota, where we currently live. Northfield is famous for a failed 1876 bank robbery by the Jesse James-Cole Younger gang that ultimately resulted in the death or capture of six gang members.
Sandy’s dad has had ups and downs since then, but is still with us. Both of her parents live in an assisted living environment about 10 minutes from us. I have translated my photography business to the smaller market in Minnesota and also do some bookkeeping for a couple non-profits. Sandy works as an employment counselor for adults with disabilities. Sandy found a great church even before we officially moved, and we’ve been there ever since. The only down side of living in Minnesota is the fact that we now have two grandsons living in California. Fortunately we’ve been able to visit once or twice a year and also hosted them in Northfield.
On March 28th, 2014, I had open heart surgery to repair an enlarged ascending aorta (aneurysm). The surgery was very successful, but the recovery was literally a pain. If you want the details of how they open you up, shoot me an email or look it up. Bottom line is that you can’t use your arms much for the first 6-8 weeks and then you need to work to regain strength and stamina. Sandy was my nurse, counselor and best friend through the ordeal. We also had great prayer and practical support from our congregation.
The great thing about my surgery was that it wasn’t a surprise. Through some good fortune and excellent medical resources (in a town of 20,000) the problem was discovered early and the surgery was almost routine. Kudos to Abbott Northwestern Hospital and the Minnesota Heart Institute. Now I’m probably good for another 65. Ha!
This year Sandy and I bought a Ford F150 and a travel trailer and we look forward to RV traveling in the Midwest and to California to see our grandkids. Circumstances didn’t work out to use it for the reunion trip, but next time…
It was great to see so many of my GCHS classmates at the 50th Celebration. I’m hoping the contacts made there will improve and grow over the coming years. Stay safe and stay healthy!
Sandy and Dennis (2013)
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Camping. Sandy and Dennis at the Zumbro River (2015)
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Sandy and our two grandsons (Christmas 2014)
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Dennis, Melissa and Sandy at Melissa's Wedding (June 2008)
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"Mill City Gold" (c) Dennis McClintock. A museum near the birthplace of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo by Dennis.
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"Oasis" (c) Dennis McClintock. Shot at the Oasis Restaurant, Lake Travis, Austin Texas. Photo by Dennis.
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The Peterson Reunion (2010). Some of Sandy's relatives (Dennis and Sandy far left).
Senior Prom 1965. Mary Mudd and Dennis at Senior Prom.
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Mercurians 1965. Dennis and friends at a Car Wash Fund Raiser. (How many of these people can YOU recognize?)
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Comments
Dennis, You have led an "epic life" and your photographs are stunning! I am very glad that you came out for our 50th event! Here's to more!
Gloria Dorcy
Gloria Dorcy