Greg
Kibble
1961 Graduation - Immediately left the ceremony to go to Mexicali and consume adult beverages w/ Andrew Simpson. My parents were very disappointed in not finding me on the field to congratulate me. My father owned the First Southern Barber Shop in El Centro. My parents moved from El Centro to Milan, Missouri in 1966. Fortunately I was old enough not to have to go with them. My brother Larry and my sister had to go with them. All of them are still alive and in Missouri, except for Larry who lives in Iowa.
I attended
IVC from 1961-1963. My intent was to graduate, then go the San Diego State with
Jay Raymond and Gary McCauley. At IVC, I met lots of great guys from Brawley,
Calexico, etc.; we used to go swimming and water skiing in canals with low
ditch banks.
1963-1966,
I decided not to continue my education, and I went to work for the Imperial
Irrigation District, first as a rod man on a survey crew, then I transferred
into the drafting room. Gary McCauley’s dad “Mac” was my immediate supervisor.
1965
Failed my physical for the army due to asthma, but just prior to taking the
physical, I broke up with my girl friend of 4 ½ years, Jean Oborne who
graduated in 1963 from CUHS. I then shared an apartment w/ Andrew Simpson; we
called it the Red Mountain Inn after a bar in La Jolla. Major party time and
drag racing on country roads. It was a cool apartment we decorated like the
beach, hanging beads in the doorways, grass mats on the floors, etc. In 1965
+/-, I won a beard contest at the Brawley Cattle Call. Our apartment was in
competition with another across town called Father Flanagan’s Home for Boys.
1966
Moved to San Bernardino to get out of El Centro. My 23rd birthday party got
raided by the sheriff’s dept. and made the paper, so I was placed on suspension
at the IID. I went to work at a small Civil Engineering firm as a draftsman. Layed
off 3 months later. Terry Littlefield was my roommate for while, before going
back to his wife, Anne.
1967
Went to work for Standard Oil Company in San Bernardino as a Service Station
Attendant.
1968
Went back to work in the Civil Engineering field for a small firm in San
Bernardino.
1969-1973
Met and married my first wife, Lena, in San Bernardino, had one daughter Yvette
who is now married and living in Rohnert Park, CA. Works for an environmental
civil engineering firm. I got divorced due to our common love for other women.
1973
- 1975 Party time again, I had several roommates in the house I had recently
purchased in my first marriage. I had a full-length beard and hair down to my
shoulders.
1975
Met my present wife Lorayne, we have to children both presently attending local
colleges. Our daughter, Carly is 22 and is attending Cal State Fullerton and
will graduate this year. She is going to be a grade school teacher. Our son,
Jesse is 20 and is attending Santa Ana College to be a fire fighter. We moved
from the Del Rosa area in San Bernardino to the Highland area.
1982
New Years day we moved to El Toro, CA from Highland, CA to our present home in
El Toro, CA, which is now named the City of Lake Forest. A recession hit as
soon as we moved, and my job at a Civil Engineering firm in Costa Mesa started
laying off people, out of 33, I was in the remaining 8 people. I took my old
job back in San Berdoo and had to sign a 2-year contract.
1985
I found and accepted a job in Mission Viejo at the Jack G. Raub, Co. that was
owned by the Mission Viejo Company (parent company was Phillip Morse, Miller
Beer, etc). In 1988 Jack G. Raub was sold and I was drafted into the Mission
Viejo Company as a Project Manager. The Mission Viejo Company (MVC) was a
developer for the master planned communities of Mission Viejo and Aliso Viejo.
It has been a wonderful experience first designing communities then getting to
build them. I was in off-site construction for mass grading and infrastructure,
etc.
1993
- 1997, layed off from MVC 1993 and placed at the civil engineering firm of RBF
as a consultant doing the same work for MVC.
1997
MVC was sold to Shea Homes of Southern California, I went to work for Shea Homes
a few months later and Shea currently still employs me, and my office is
located in Brea, CA. I am currently managing a 370-acre commercial development
that is going to be mass graded. There will be about 3.9 million cubic yards of
dirt moved in the first phase of grading. The project is named Shea/Baker Ranch
and is located her in Lake Forest. I am also constructing several park sites in
Aliso Viejo, CA.
As
other classmates have stated in their bios, isn’t it amazing that 40 years of
your life fits on a couple of pieces of paper. In summary I can remember the
great tacos at the Hacienda restaurant, the thousands of crickets, dust storms,
tumbleweeds, bugs, hot days and nights. Swamp coolers before having air
conditioning. These are the days of my life that I will never forget. High
School is kind of a blur, but I can remember cruising Main Street, Bakers and
Foster Freeze at each end of the cruise route.
These
were the good old days………………………………..
I
hope to see everyone at the 40th class reunion.
TTYL
Greg