In the days ahead you'll notice a pause in new posts on the blog, as Ed Reyes and I go to Alaska (our first time ever!) on vacation. Whilst there, we have arranged to meet up with Ginger May (employee # 146), so we'll have a very-mini reunion!
When we get back, there'll be lots more updates to share from former employees - we've got a stack of them now. Here are two updates that came by email, from two alumni who won't be able to attend the reunion (shucks).
The first is from Jimmy Corio (#210), who said,
"... so many fond memories of AIS...
- 1st network and system administrator for AIS
- Expanding the network wiring (old coax cabling) to the full building (at night, by myself, under the building with a flashlight taped to my head)
- Getting my HazMat certification so we could store the chemicals for the old Electrostatic plotter
- Setting up the networking for the digitizing tablets and terminals
- Introducing AIS to Linux and Client/Server computing
- Introducing AIS to UNIX with the DGs and the Sun workstations
- Catching feral cats in the digitizing room
... and so many more.
Jimmy and a hippie-freak, AIS Halloween, 1986
I hope to make it down [from the Seattle area] to SoCal sometime later this summer and will stop by..."
This update came from Terry Licht (#253):
Terry at the 1997 AIS Christmas party
"Here is the latest update from Michigan:
Not sure when you guys heard from me last so I'll go from when we moved back to present. When we moved back to Michigan we bought a little house in Detroit, Kari did her residency at the Detroit Medical Center and I got a job as a police officer with the Detroit Police Department. I worked the midnight shift in a busy precinct not too far from where we lived and Kari worked at the various hospitals of the DMC near downtown. After four years we decided to leave Detroit and move to Alpena, a rural community about 250 miles north of Detroit. Kari had finished her residency and got a job seeing patients at a community health clinic and the local hospital. We bought an old dairy farm with some acreage and started fixing it up. I got a job as a deputy sheriff and after a couple years our son James Patrick was born. A couple years after that we finally had the farm ready for some animals and got some beef cows. Up until last year we had a pretty good sized herd of 19 cows ( 1 bull, 7 breeding cows and various calves and steers we were raising for sale and slaughter) and a big garden. I spent a lot of my off time in the summer cutting hay to feed all those cows. Kari's folks moved into a farmhouse across the road from us so they got to see a lot of their grandson which was nice. In the meantime Kari was now working for a group of doctors that just saw patients in the hospital.
Unfortunately about this time last year the hospital decided to not renew the contract of the group Kari worked for. Her group staffed several other hospitals and had a place for her in Traverse City at the hospital there. Long story short we packed up, sold the animals and moved across Michigan to start over. We were fortunate to be able to buy another farm but the area around here is more geared toward fruit and wine than livestock so the cows didn't come with us. Also I had to leave my job at the Sheriff's Office after I'd been there over 10 years which was hard to do. James seems to be adjusting okay to his new school and new friends but he still misses his old friends. Kari is staying busy at the hospital and her folks are in the process of moving over here as well. Not sure what I will be doing next but am looking into maybe growing apples or cherries, which are a common thing here. Our future travel plans will include a trip back to Southern California someday since we want James to see the place and people that played a big part in our life. When we do come back we'll be sure and stop by to say hi.
Some of our favorite AIS memories are of course the get togethers and office parties. They were always fun and helped us feel alot less homesick. Kari still enjoys the story of when John [Menke] microwaved his lasagna at the office so long it turned into a blackened lump of charcoal. James has a connection to AIS as well, there was a litter of kittens living under the building that someone ( I can't remember who) trapped and gave them away. We took one and brought it back to Michigan with us. After James was born it was his favorite cat and always slept on his bed every night. That cat died a few years ago and we've had others come and go but that one has always been his favorite.
I hope all is well and say hello to everyone for us."
Still haven't registered for reunion? Hurry hurry HURRY! Send in this form to Debbie Johnson, with a check payable to her, c/o AIS, 112 First St., Redlands CA 92373. Details on pricing are on the form.