School Days

After graduating Lutheran High East in 1965, I spent a couple summer months “proving myself” at Concordia College (now University) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They weren’t sure a guy with perfectly average high school grades could cut it in college, so I had to take a summer course to show I could handle it. Mission accomplished, thankfully.



Concordia University, Ann Arbor, MI

As it works out, I only completed one year at Concordia, due to a change in direction rather than poor grades. Originally, I had it in my mind to enter the teaching profession. After learning more about what that entailed, I felt it was not the right career path for me to follow. Unfortunately, as is the case with so many 18-year-olds, I had no idea what direction I wanted to head. I enrolled in the Business Administration curriculum at Macomb County Community College in Warren and moved back in with my parents.

Macomb County Community College

A part-time job at Simco Pattern Co. helped pay the school bills while I helped build dies for the auto industry. The time at Macomb CC was good, but being this was 1966-67 the draft for the Vietnam War kept nipping close at my heels. During this period I was married, but that didn’t help my deferment status either.  So, having no desire to take the “walking tour” of Vietnamese jungles, I signed up for a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force and entered active duty in March of 1968.

The Air Force years will be discussed in another entry, but suffice it to say that the time spent there qualified me for the G.I. Bill, which would help tremendously with educational expenses after my discharge in December 1971. Actually, the G.I. Bill payments for attending school amounted to very decent income which I used to enroll at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Ah, but the lure of making more money pulled me away from school after just one semester, regretfully.

Oakland University

I didn’t return to college until after moving to the west side of Michigan in search of work. In 1975, I began my employment with Dykema Office Supply in Kalamazoo, moved to Allegan soon after and then enrolled at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, where I spent two years in part-time general study.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College

This disjointed ramble from one school to another didn’t qualify me for an actual degree, but fortunately the jobs I’ve held did not require a “sheepskin”. Looking back, I enjoyed the various schools and programs, but I do regret not having put together a well-planned journey that would have resulted in a formal degree.