Henry McElderry:

Within four days of our graduation, I entered avionics training at the Naval Technical Training Center in Tennessee. I returned to Tidewater to attend the Norfolk Division of William & Mary. While I was attending it changed to the Norfolk College of William & Mary and then Old Dominion College. I supported myself during that time as a lifeguard at the NAS Officer's pool. Along came the Cuban Crisis and I was activated to duty with the Navy. With typical government efficiency, I was sent to the west coast where I joined my Squadron VS-23 (the Black Cats). During my tour, we spent some time in Vietnamese waters but most of the time in Southern Calif. Returning to Tidewater, I joined the Chesapeake & Potomac phone company (part of Ma Bell that later became part of Verizon) as a Central Office Repairman for a couple of years. Looking to advance my economic status, I joined Honeywell EDP as a Field Service Engineer. After training in the Boston, Mass. area and a short stint in Richmond, Va., I was reassigned to the Tidewater area (mostly on the northern side of Hampton Roads). Once again looking for a more lucrative employment I signed on with the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. (now Northrup Grumman) in as a computer programmer for about six years. While there I bought my first two houses (rolled the first into the second). I took up league bowling and be came an average bowler. I also worked for a printing firm and later Family Fashion by Avon (no ding-dong jokes please) as a programmer/analyst. I bought into a campsite condo up around Fredericksburg (Indian Acres) for a get away and vacation spot. Then I became seriously involved with a female government programmer. At that time there weren't many as many options in Tidewater for computer pros, so we decided to head up to the D.C. area. So I sold and bought a house, changed jobs and got dumped all in a period of weeks. No nervous break down but close. The new house, my current residence, is in Accokeek, Md, (before you say Accowhere, it across the river from Mt. Vernon). My salvation was the new company, Data Technologies Inc, (DTI) a software contracting firm where I advanced to management as a Technical Director. DTI was once referred to as Camelot by a cohort and I still agree with that. The company was bought out and unfortunately run down. I left and went with a series of contracting firms and two unions as a Technical Director, Programming Manager and Contract Manager. During this time I served a term as President of the Accokeek Civic Association and Chairman of the Board of Indian Acres. Getting tired of the politics, both professional and civic, I decided to go out on my own. I founded my own one man company the Aardvark Data Group Inc. (ADGI, pronounced ad-gee) and for the next twenty years or so did contract and sub-contract computer work for various government and civilian clients. In that time span, I became a volunteer Hunter Education Instructor with the Va. Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries and achieved the Master Instructor rating. In the early 2000's I thought that I'd retire early since, I had the funds to do it, when I did I slowly went bananas. Not wanting the hustle and bustle again I took apart time job as a driving instructor for a couple of years. Second time around retirement isn't so bad. I took up bowling again after a hiatus of thirty or so years and am struggling to become an average bowler once again. I teach Hunter Ed. in of all places, Va. Beach and date when I find someone to put up with me. Life has taught me many things but the most is something I have made a motto and rendered in to French: "Jamais dire Toujours et Jamais dire JAMAIS!!" I'm still a happy camper and hope you all are too. Has anyone else seen a rainbow touch down? Just checking, not bragging.