After graduation, I did the "long program" at SIU, taking 5 1/2 years to get a BS in chemistry. For about 1 year, I was a "research chemist" (read "testtube washer") at PD George in St. Louis. I went back to school at the SIU Dental School, graduating in 1979. I was commissioned into the US Army Dental Corps, planning to stay for 3 years. I did three years in Karlsruhe, Germany, and liked the adventure so much, I stayed another 23 years. Since retiring from the Army in Feb 2005, I built a house on 50 acres just north of Kansas City, studied culinary arts, Italian and German. I was divorced in 2013, and have enjoyed everyday of retirement. Nowadays I live with my partner, Sherre, in Overland Park and we play pickleball nearly every day and love to travel. All in all, since 1969, it has been 10 years part-time as a grocery clerk, a year as a chemist, and 26 years as an Army dentist.

My junior year I took Trig and Analyt. The teacher was Ada Klump (her real name) and I sat next to Mark Smith in the back of the room. We used to act up a lot and joke that Mrs Klump was so old she must have been there forever. At least twice Mark asked her to do a math problem from the book- like "#16 on page 211". Mrs Klump would hesitate just a second or two and then do the problem on the board-- without ever looking at the book to see what the problem was! She seemingly had the book memorized. She looked very old but was a very good teacher with a great memory. Strange thing....when I look at her picture in the Tatler now, she doesn't look all that old at all!