Thom Rock
32 B Algona Drive
Vancouver, WA 98661
360-694-5942

rockt@dslnorthwest.net

Married to Dee Kibbey
One Child: Justin W. Rock, age 31 (from previous marriage)

Retired on disability (Parkinson's Disease)

I must say, it is going to be a rush seeing all our class mates again...Wow, how to summarize 40 years of my life...this will be challenging. I started out running off to college with my jock strap and discovered a new world...at the end of one year, joined the Army and went off to VietNam. This proved to be one of the richest experiences of my life. I had the opportunity to take a Vietnamese wife and 5 of her six children, buy a house and live with them in CanTho city for most of my time there (2 years). I am one GI that was lucky enough to be able to reflect on VietNam and smile...it truly was wonderful. After I returned home, I went to work for the phone company in San Francisco, met my first American wife, Tif...moved to Chico, CA...went back to school...moved to Doyle, CA (near Reno, NV), managed a 2000 acre ranch...son, Justin was born...Moved to Vancouver, WA and went to work for Boeing in Portland, OR. Justin, from the age of 7 thru 16 was playing ice hockey, traveling all over British Columbia. He is now coaching Midget B's (15, 16,17 & 18 year olds) that is a lot of testosterone. I spent 2-1/2 years as a male exotic dancer (yaa, go figure). After 5 years at Boeing as an industrial maintenance mechanic... then I went to work for Union Carbide for another 20 years as a maintenance mechanic. Tif and I divorced in 1992 and I married Dee in 1996. Last year I retired on a disability as I had come down with Parkinson's Disease 10 years earlier..,I was diagnosed at 47. This experience, if you can imagine, changed my life rather dramatically. Yes, I did take it rather hard, like crash and burn. In a short time I realized that this is not working, so I embraced it and got on with living my life. My wife and I spent a number of years in a fever of rock climbing...we lived for scaring the shit out of ourselves...how we loved it. We finally backed off on it and took up sea kayaking which has provided some thrills, ch ills and wonder...we are still doing that. We have a classic 1968 Motor Home that the kayaks mount on top and were off... Now, that I am retired, I have taken up racing homing pigeons again, playing a lot of golf and trying to keep up with the "honey do" list. I do hope this rambling on has not bored you, but I guess this is what this space is for. Today, life continues to challenge me every day...and every day I find a new silver lining on the dark cloud. It is the silver linings of life that keep the smile on our faces. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Party!!! Party!!!