RICHARD WEISS

Graduated from Lincoln Jr. College, 1962
Attended Drake University's college of pharmacy for one year before finising up at Roosevelt University, with a major in accounting.

I started my working career in a MGMT training program with City Products Corp. Then spent a couple of years working in sales for The Hallmark Corp. Then it was four years, as a route salesman with Continental Coffee Co. (and what an experience that was).

Finally, landed a ground floor position with The Edlong Corp.(small family owned flavor company), located in Elk Grove Village, Il. I started in June of 1972 and retired 2002. The job eventually evolved into that of West Coast Sales Manager. In 1977, I moved out to the west coast to enter into unexplored territories (Ca., Or., Wa., Vancouver, BC, Id, Ut, Co, Az and Nev). Opening up the territory was hard work but very rewarding but it did cost me my first 18 year marriage, to a girl I met while going to Roosevelt Univ.

Four years later I remarried. This time it was to a woman I had met in the food industry. She was born and raised in Cuba and pretty much raised under Castro and communism. After sixteen years of marriage, she said, I should think about taking early retirement and we should consider moving to Florida. Quite honestly, it was hard for me to imagine leaving Mission Viejo, Ca. and moving to where it was hot, humid, bugs, hurricanes, etc. but move we did. We divorced two years later. Unlike the first divorce, it was ugly and very costly but well worth it.

I settled into a very nice mobile home park; here they call them "manufactured home communities." I met Lynn while I was swimming laps at our local YMCA. Lynn was a water aerobics instructor. In high school, I was very shy but obviously I over came that and it wasn't long before Lynn and I went on our first date (8-19-07). Life is good.

Both my sons are married and living in and or near the Los Angeles area. I had my first grandchild (Basil) arrive, Aug, 28, 2007.

Now that I am retired, I love to spend time training my two dogs (Miniature Australian Shepherds). I also enjoy kayaking, hiking many of central Florida's beautiful trails. A few years ago, I took up ballroom dancing. After two years of group lessons, I can pretty much hold my own out on the dance floor. Lynn and I have season passes to Disney World and Universal Studios; for sure we are getting our monies worth. Can you believe, here I am with two artificial hips and going on the most extreme water slides. Yes, life is good, indeed!

I can't say that it's my very favorite high shool story but certainly one that comes up in my dreams from time to time. I started my freshman year at Highland Park High School, while still living in Chicago. We were building a new house in HP and my parents thought it best I start school here. So each and every school day, I would get up before day light and my Dad, who worked in Evanston, would drive me to his place of business and from there I would take the Northwestern train the rest of the way. So I get to school my first day, where construction is still on going to finish the new addition. Papers are handed out instructing us as to which stair cases or under construction and closed. Can you believe, here I am a new kid on the block and late to just about every class (ever read the book or see the movie "Up The Down stair Case!"). Eventually, we did move into our new house and construction at the high school was completed.

Oh yes, how could I ever forget! Hope this doesn't bore you. It was close to the last day of school my senior year. "Jocks," would have PE (9th) last period of the day, so if they had to get off early to get to a game, they would only be missing PE and certainly they had more than enough PE playing organized sports. I was not into organized sports but as luck would have it, I had last period PE. It was the end of the school year and we were play softball. The "jocks", played the "jocks" leaving the none athletes to play against themselves. This worked out fine but on the last day of PE, the "jocks" challenged us to a game of 16" softball (us agains't them). We figured for sure we would loose, it was just a question as to just how badly they would beat us. They didn't! I don't remember the final score but we won. I learned a lot that day.