Bill
Fullenwider
Hi Jan, I finally got the BIO completed. Here it goes . . .
After High School I attended IVC. It didn't last long -- only one semester. I just wasn't ready for more school. My step dad, who owned Presley's Barber Shop on Main Street, offered to send me to Barber College while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I took him up on the offer and spent about 7 months in Pasadena attending barber school. I completed the course in August 1962, passed the state exam, and received my license.
I worked at the barbershop for the next 5 years and attended IVC part time and also took classes at SD State in Calexico. Basically I was interested in engineering and perused courses in that Direction.
In 1966 David Young's girlfriend Patty set me up on a blind date with Margaret Beaver, a school friend of hers from her grammar school days. We were married a year and a half later and move to Orange County. You have to be careful of blind dates.
Four months later I was drafted and spent two years in the Marine Corps. When I got out in 1970, I tried to commute to San Diego (twice a week) to attend San Diego State from El Centro. That didn't work well so, in June of 1970, we moved back to Orange County. There I attended a private school that taught computer programming.
After 12 months I completed the course and went to work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. I was a contract employee and worked there for 18 months on the Mariner IX Mars mapping project. It was the most interesting job I have ever had. I could have stayed on for follow up projects but I wanted to get my degree after working at this place.
Thanks to the VA school benefits and Barbering part time, I went back to college and completed a degree in Mathematics and Information Systems in 1973. I went to work the week following my graduation at Varian Data Machines in Irvine. It was a small manufacturer of computer systems mainly used for scientific applications. I felt lucky to get the job as the recession of the early 70's was still in effect.
I didn't stop there; I also got my Real Estate salesmen's license in 1975 - didn't everybody? I tried it for a year but it was just not me. However, I found that I could buy and sell for myself. I ended buying property and becoming a landlord -- in my next life I will not do this. Anyway, it's a business one can do while also working full time.
In 1976 my son Bill was born. He's now 25, married, and living in Oregon. No grandchildren yet, but I'm hopeful.
In 1977 I went to work for McDonnell Douglas as a programmer. While working there, I completed my Masters Degree in Computer Science and subsequently changed jobs in 1979 to work at Hughes Aircraft Company at their RADAR SYSTEMS division. Shortly after joining Hughes I became a manager and stayed with Hughes until General Motors bought the company in 1986. At Hughes I worked in an advanced manufacturing development area working with various computers and developing analytical equipment. Our biggest project was an on-line chemical analysis system where we designed and developed laser probes to monitor various chemical levels in printed circuit board plating baths. Hughes got 6 patents from this work. Professor Richwine (IVC - Chemistry) would have been proud -- and he thought I slept through all his classes.
In 1987 I went to work for Northrop Corporation on the B2 bomber project as a Software Engineering Specialist. I have been working for them ever since. It's been a fun place to work over the last 15 years.
Now I'm looking forward to retirement early next year. We plan to spend a year or so traveling around the good old USA and then move out of California to Nevada.
In summation, all I can say is that the past 40 years certainly flew by quickly.
Best wishes to all and I'll see you at the reunion.
Bill Fullenwider