School Story:
My four years at Manzano are probably more mundane than most. However, most or no one knew that I also attended Sandia high and Highland high. I took physical education at Sandia one summer and chemistry at Highland another Sumner. I enjoyed learning after struggling in 7th and 8th grade. School was very serious for me, like a job that needed to be done before going to college. I attended football games for 9th, 10 and 11th grade as I was part of the marching band. The rest of the time was spent studying, Boy Scouts and attending church. While not attending summer school, summers were spent swimming and backpacking with 3 others in the Gila wilderness and Pecos wilderness for week long adventures - but there were no adults over 19 years old! The first trip was the summer 1967, 14.5 years old. I would be lying if I said I was not nervous about going. We reached our goals with fairly well marked trails, map and compass - no GPS. These trips really helped prepare me, along with my Christian faith, for the rest of my life.
I wish that I would/could have taken a philosophy course instead of learning about truth claims in my 60s. It could have help me respond intelligently to those who say that truth is relative by asking "is that true?"
Attending New Mexico Tech (NMT) was the next challenge. I was not as prepared as I thought I was. A dose of reality, a lot of late night studying and most of all perseverance.
After graduation from NMT in 1975 an attempt was made being a math teacher. There was an opening for 7th grade life science and 9th grade math in Farmington. It was soon obvious teaching was no longer an option! It was back to NMT for another degree focusing on computer science. My daughter Naomi was born and even went to a couple classes with me! Graduated again 1977 and back to Albuquerque to work for the city for 6 months and then concrete work for another 6 months when the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake (now NAWCWD) had job opening for a computer scientist (June 1978). My first wife left our two children and myself 6 years later. I remarried four years later in 1988. My wife Mary and I adopted a grandson and raised two additional grandchildren. Retirement called 38 years later in 2016. One class offered on the base in the 80s influenced a hobby that continues even in retirement. The instructor demonstrated controlling a model train using a PDP-11 computer and an interface to the train track.
Exploring the vast Mojave desert Eastern Sierras and the South West in general is still a favorite past time. Canyoneering in Gravel Canyon in 2004 with two sons and grandson was quite an adventure. Our favorite place to visit is Yosemite NP, especially with family.
What keeps me busy? Posting thoughts occasionally on
https://usa.life/GaryMarySchmierer
https://www.facebook.com/ezekiel.geswho
https://pilgrimageoftruth.wordpress.com/,
grandchildren and great grandchildren. Trying to interest them in STEM projects.
