Life After Tappan Zee

Joseph Marino
   
1955 Graduation Picture
Recent Picture

Up to the middle of my senior year, I didn't know what the future held in store. I knew I didn't want to return to "The Mill" for the rest of my life. Finally, in August following graduation. I secured an interview with the admissions dept from SUNY-Buffalo (AKA Buffalo State Teachers College) in New York City where I gained on-the-spot acceptance to their Art Education Division.

I attended from 1955-1957 at which time I took a leave of absence to complete my military training. On completion of a stint in the Army, I returned to Buffalo State to continue my program. After completing my student teaching assignment (1st Semester Sr) I decided that I could earn a better living doing technical illustration (which I was doing part-time while a student). So---- So Long Buffalo State!

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, my reserve unit was scheduled for activation which prompted a marriage before deployment. That union was dissolved in 1992.

Aside from that: In 1961, I ended up in Scranton, PA, illustrating maintenance manuals and producing advertising materials for a textile machine company. The work was great but the salary left much to be desired. Exit Scranton (really a nice place to live - great people!); head for Binghamton, NY and Link Group of General Precision. Link was the premier designer and builder of military and commercial aircraft simulators in the world. I started in their Technical Publications group as a technical artist. After maxing out salary-wise as an illustrator, I moved to the editing side and ultimately publications supervisor. Most of my work was with the military and fixed-wing simulators where I worked on such aircraft as the F-111, F4-G, B-52, F-16, and V-22 Osprey. Later assignment also included work on the Gemini and Apollo Simulators for NASA. In 1984 I was promoted to Configuration Manager of the multi-national F-16 Falcon Program. While with the Singer Company, I returned to college at SUNY Binghamton (now Binghamton University) where I earned my BS in Applied Social Sciences.

In 1989, Link, then part of the Singer organization was the target of a successful hostile takeover. I then went to work in the same capacity for Honeywell Flight Simulation Division in Herndon, VA. After two years of operation, the division was sold to Hughes Aircraft and moved to Ft. Worth, TX. I opted to stay in the east.

It was at this time that I met my current wife, Kathie who I married in 1993. She has two sons from her previous marriage and I have one. All three live in Manassas, VA. We have two grand children.

I signed a one -year contract with Nortel Communications in Raleigh, NC. After 6 months, Nortel, A Canadian-owned corporation decided to revamp it contracting procedures and cancelled all contracts over 6 months duration. A short stint with IBM (also in Raleigh) followed.

Since practically all work in my field was going the contract route, I opted for early retirement. I became a substitute teacher in the Chapel Hill, NC School District for the next two years.

Two years ago we purchased our current home in Cedar Point, NC, which is a coastal town twenty mile South of Morehead City. Kathie and I enjoy boating and fishing and the laid-back lifestyle of the area.

Looking forward to the reunion!

Contact Information

EMAIL: wackiekat@starfishnet.com

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