Final 'Where are they now?'

By Brian J. O'Donnell

While a fairly large number of Schuyler County residents are spending this week outside the County -- on a CRUISE, on Anna Maria Island (Florida), in other parts of Florida, in Myrtle Beach (or nearby), on Emerald Isle and several other locales which offer sun & warmth after our long/cold/snowy winter season, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour High School graduates, and retired faculty/staff who have moved on to other parts of our Country. For these past four months I've tried to create a vehicle whereby these graduates and retirees can tell us where they are and what they are doing. It appears that these folks are caught up in their busy lives and families (as well they should be!) and just don't have time to connect or re-connect on these pages. Therefore this will be the 4th and final article in this series. Perhaps sometime in the future this idea may pop up again and be a bit more successful.

For this article my thanks goes out to former Watkins Glen High School Teacher & Coach KATE LA MOREAUX, who just returned from an extensive trip to China, Cambodia, Viet Nam and other Asian areas visiting with her son Peter & his wife and children and her sister. KATE and her husband DAVID (a Viet Nam Veteran) chronicled their trip on Facebook and those who followed it were treated to extraordinary pictures, exotic sights and a wonderful family experience.

Quoting from an e-mail sent to me, Kate says:
"While visiting our son PETER and his family, I am more impressed than ever by our 'shrinking globe.' (Awed by the number of WG graduates living and working in Asia). During this visit we stayed in Peter and Nickle's home in Jin Qiao (a suburban area of Shanghai, China -- largely an ex-pat community.) (The population of Shanghai is 23.9 million people.) Many American families are in residence - sent there by automotive & technical companies. In addition to PETER, Class of 1991, TROY HETHERINGTON, Class of 1989 lives in the development across the street. Ironically Peter's lifelong friend & classmate MATT MARCINIAK will be relocating his family there sometime this summer. Since I have been here I have heard from TIM REED, Class of 1997 who works for APPLE in China managing security for new products and lives in a suburb of Hong Kong. I have also heard from WG grad JED MCKEE, Class of 1986, who lived and taught in China and now lives in Korea. My sister Barb Deane, Class of 1979, and her husband Chris -- who works for a German Company -- live two blocks from Peter."

In her e-mail to me Kate went on to describe the school her grandchildren attend, a "burgeoning population and industrial development which has resulted in air and water pollution problems we can hardly imagine" and traditional neighborhoods with "civilized parks" where people walk, dance, exercise and do Tai Chi. One highlight --- among so many --- was the three generations of the LaMoreaux family going to Viet Nam where David served in the U.S. Army in 1968-69.

Thank you Kate for sharing your trip and telling us about some of our graduates and where they are today!

Photo in text: Brian J. O'Donnell

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This is the fourth in a series of columns.
For a look at the first "Where are they now?" column, click here.
For a look at the second "Where are they now?" column, click here.
For a look at the third"Where are they now?" column, click here.