david sligar
19602010 |
I didn't graduate from Catalina (but did attend for 2+ years) due to a move my family made at the beginning of my Junior year. But I had lived in Tucson since early elementary school and had some deep connections with friends from those years. I attended two high schools subsequently, neither of which I considered home in quite the same way. I attended 4 (!) universities starting at Baylor (English, Drama) and finally completed a physics degree at San Francisco State. I've had several careers since then, including internal combustion engine research, driving cable cars in San Francisco, violin making, and semiconductor process engineering. I have 3 wonderful sons, two in business and one an attorney. And a collection of 5 beautiful grand-children. My partner Donna and I have been together for 27 years now. Life continues to present its challenges -- we enjoy facing them together. So many good memories of Catalina -- I'll mention two here: who could forget Miss Odom's Latin Banquet?! Or Mr. Dorsey's algebraic proof that 2 equals 1?
Since our last get-together Donna and I have moved to Grants Pass, Oregon. We're active in local affairs, always seem busier than ever. I am part of the newly formed Rogue Valley Sustainability working group. One of our projects is to create a template for home efficiency upgrades along the lines of what's been done in Rutland, Vermont. If we can make our pilot project work here, where climate is quite different than in Vermont, I think we can generalize the system to work almost anywhere. The idea is to upgrade insulation, heating & cooling systems, windows, lighting, solar panels, etc. in a way that costs the homeowner little or no up front money and is profitable for the utility company as well. Here's a snap of Donna and I at Mt. Vernon a couple of years ago -- my first and so far only trip to DC. Monticello next time! My playtime now goes to making switched pulse motors -- here's a photo of my previous motor running on just over 1 watt of power. I look forward to re-connecting with all you pals from previous reunions, and with others I've not seen for a long time. What a pleasure! (Last Updated: Sept 2015) |