Hometown: Woodstock, CT
Currently Living In: Colchester, CT
WA Class of: 1970
Best WA Memory: Sports were always fun. We always had good teams for a small school (under 400 students then) and I was a manager for a couple of them. Dances were something to look forward to. The music really changed in the ‘60s and we had some really talented folks who formed bands and played out.
Favorite Teacher: I always gravitated toward English and History. For English, I really liked Tom Juko. I believe he was the department head at the time. He organized trips to the Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, CT, which was something to look forward to.
After Graduation: I ended up at UMass/Amherst with a degree in Anthropology. I had a career in telecommunications. I was a SNET guy, as I like to say, and I held several different jobs there (almost all were sales related) for the better part of four decades. In my time there, they paid for a Master’s Degree in Management.
Today: I retired from AT&T and became a part-time lecturer (adjunct faculty) in the College of Business at Eastern Connecticut State University. I’m there still, teaching two courses a semester.
WA Takeaways: The motto/credo/saying—whatever you want to call it—that I’ve carried with me since my time at WA is based on intellectual pursuit: “Education is a journey, not a destination.”
Advice for Future Centaurs: The Academy is very different from when I attended. It has retained its campus atmosphere (albeit in a North/South manner) and scholasticism is still honored and high. The current administration works hard to provide opportunities to empower all stakeholders. I would encourage parents to look at the curriculum and place it high on any list. To the students I say, try as many different areas of study that appeal to you as possible. You have a freedom now that will diminish over the years. Find what you like early and pursue it with fervor. Become a lifelong learner.
