My one-page life story (general post)
I encourage everyone to write at least a page of life story, for their great-grandchildren to read. Here is a compact example of what can be written in just an hour:
A SHORT LIFE HISTORY OF JAMES RAEHL, MODIFIED 02/12/2006
I, James Walter Raehl, was born in Sacramento, California on Sept 4, 1943. When I was 5, Dad (Walter Raehl) loaded our belongings a mile high into an old truck, and headed for the Raehl family dairy farm on County Trunk T and County Road BB near Larsen, Wisconsin. Dad bought the farm from his dad. I was raised a farm kid until I was 19 years old.
I first went to the one-room Mikesville elementary school, a mile south of the farm. I loved fun and teasing. Still do. Mr. Sommers confiscated my squirt gun and firecrackers. I swiped them back, off his shelf. I then transferred to Winneconne schools in Winneconne, Wisconsin at grade 7. Graduated from high school there, with a B+ average. In 1961 I started attending the University Of Wisconsin extension school in Appleton. The next year (1962) I transferred to the Madison campus, where I earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1967. Lived in several places during school, but the most interesting was Rochdale House. 17 guys from various countries, maximum of 4 from each country. I learned enough Chinese to explain something to one Chinese guy. They liked that effort.
Took two years off from college, in the middle, to work and earn money. I'd only had 3 scholarships, and run out of money from home. Gordon Lind in the high energy physics department found a job scanning nuclear reaction photos.
The department had a Control Data 924 computer. That led to a nearly 40-year computer programming career. I first worked for Control Data Corporation in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1967 as a COBOL compiler code generator writer. CDC transferred about 70 engineers and programmers to Toronto, Canada, in 1970. I loved the Canadian people. In 1973, they transferred many of us to Sunnyvale, California. I then switched to NCR Corporation near Escondido, California in 1975. Next was Weidner Communications in Provo, Utah in 1980, followed by an 18-year term at WICAT Systems in that area, in 1982. I worked on computer based education and aircraft simulators until 2000. Then it was firmware at Imperial Technology in El Segundo, California. Now I work in a health products warehouse at 4Life.com.
During my youth, I attended the Baptist church in Allenville, Wisconsin. In the summer of 1962, my high school buddy, Bill Ehmke, and I went on a western tour. Found out about the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. I recognized that there are now prophets who talk with the Lord, the same as Moses or Elijah. I have held many positions of service in that church.
In the summer of 1975, my matchmaker friends, Jim and Jeanne Walker, found the best wife I could ever know, after I had searched for 10 years. We were married for all eternity on May 29, 1976 in the Provo LDS temple. We then had 6 children: Israel James (04/02/77), Benjamin David (01/12/79), Christal Lyn (12/09/79), April Dawn (10/11/82), Karen Marie (11/26/83), and Melanie Beth (02/07/85). Israel and Ben are now married, with Karen on January 2, 2004.
At the end of our son Israel's LDS mission in Melbourne, Australia, Jerrie Lyn and I went there to pick him up. Met with many wonderful Australian people, and stayed with 3 families there. My wife, Christal, April, and I have since been on three trips to London, England, Jerrie Lyn's ancestral home. I also surprised Jerrie Lyn with a trip to the island of Oahu, Hawaii. She was clueless until we arrived at the Salt Lake City airport, where the ticket clerk asked if we were going to another island.
During my life, I have learned several important lessons:
LDS temples are where we learn revelation, and build Christlike characters.
Search for truth, and develop the skill of revelation from the Lord.
God intended families to be eternal. Develop eternally happy families.
Work applies everywhere, including the highest degree of heaven.
A SHORT LIFE HISTORY OF JAMES RAEHL, MODIFIED 02/12/2006
I, James Walter Raehl, was born in Sacramento, California on Sept 4, 1943. When I was 5, Dad (Walter Raehl) loaded our belongings a mile high into an old truck, and headed for the Raehl family dairy farm on County Trunk T and County Road BB near Larsen, Wisconsin. Dad bought the farm from his dad. I was raised a farm kid until I was 19 years old.
I first went to the one-room Mikesville elementary school, a mile south of the farm. I loved fun and teasing. Still do. Mr. Sommers confiscated my squirt gun and firecrackers. I swiped them back, off his shelf. I then transferred to Winneconne schools in Winneconne, Wisconsin at grade 7. Graduated from high school there, with a B+ average. In 1961 I started attending the University Of Wisconsin extension school in Appleton. The next year (1962) I transferred to the Madison campus, where I earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1967. Lived in several places during school, but the most interesting was Rochdale House. 17 guys from various countries, maximum of 4 from each country. I learned enough Chinese to explain something to one Chinese guy. They liked that effort.
Took two years off from college, in the middle, to work and earn money. I'd only had 3 scholarships, and run out of money from home. Gordon Lind in the high energy physics department found a job scanning nuclear reaction photos.
The department had a Control Data 924 computer. That led to a nearly 40-year computer programming career. I first worked for Control Data Corporation in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1967 as a COBOL compiler code generator writer. CDC transferred about 70 engineers and programmers to Toronto, Canada, in 1970. I loved the Canadian people. In 1973, they transferred many of us to Sunnyvale, California. I then switched to NCR Corporation near Escondido, California in 1975. Next was Weidner Communications in Provo, Utah in 1980, followed by an 18-year term at WICAT Systems in that area, in 1982. I worked on computer based education and aircraft simulators until 2000. Then it was firmware at Imperial Technology in El Segundo, California. Now I work in a health products warehouse at 4Life.com.
During my youth, I attended the Baptist church in Allenville, Wisconsin. In the summer of 1962, my high school buddy, Bill Ehmke, and I went on a western tour. Found out about the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. I recognized that there are now prophets who talk with the Lord, the same as Moses or Elijah. I have held many positions of service in that church.
In the summer of 1975, my matchmaker friends, Jim and Jeanne Walker, found the best wife I could ever know, after I had searched for 10 years. We were married for all eternity on May 29, 1976 in the Provo LDS temple. We then had 6 children: Israel James (04/02/77), Benjamin David (01/12/79), Christal Lyn (12/09/79), April Dawn (10/11/82), Karen Marie (11/26/83), and Melanie Beth (02/07/85). Israel and Ben are now married, with Karen on January 2, 2004.
At the end of our son Israel's LDS mission in Melbourne, Australia, Jerrie Lyn and I went there to pick him up. Met with many wonderful Australian people, and stayed with 3 families there. My wife, Christal, April, and I have since been on three trips to London, England, Jerrie Lyn's ancestral home. I also surprised Jerrie Lyn with a trip to the island of Oahu, Hawaii. She was clueless until we arrived at the Salt Lake City airport, where the ticket clerk asked if we were going to another island.
During my life, I have learned several important lessons:
LDS temples are where we learn revelation, and build Christlike characters.
Search for truth, and develop the skill of revelation from the Lord.
God intended families to be eternal. Develop eternally happy families.
Work applies everywhere, including the highest degree of heaven.
posted by Jim | 8:01 PM
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