David Thoenen

Took Red Cross Wilderness First Aid three times. Almost had to take a safe driver class due to a misunderstanding about doing 55 in a 35 zone, but the judge let me go with just a fine.
Other than that, none. Enough was enough!

Late in my senior year, with zero job prospects on the horizon, I fell into a career at an all night poker game which included class mate Paul Horsting. The players seated to my right and left had graduated the year before and were working for IBM. They encouraged me (a history major!) to schedule an employment interview. And thirty-six years later, in 2005, I retired from Big Blue. Thirty-six terrific, challenging years working with superior people.

Stuff did happen in the interim.

First of all, I quit IBM after three years. With a couple of buddies (including Duffy Burns '70) we bought a 38' sailboat and moved to the Bahamas (my first retirement). Ran out of money, sold the boat, took the cash, bought a VW, drove from Philly to Panama and back , learned a bunch of Spanish, met some really friendly people (buenos dias, senorita!), got hassled big time by some nasty guys in uniforms, ran out of money again, cleaned out the car (of you know what), crossed back into the US, shaved my beard and resumed my IBM career.

By the mid-seventies boredom had set in (I lived in Philly), so the International BM Co. obliged my yearning for adventure by assigning me to Tehran. Where I met the beautiful Maria (like they say on Wheel of Fortune … “to whom I owe everything that is good in my life”). I married my Persian princess and as a bonus acquired a five year old step-son in the process. Now, understand, at the outset, IBM assumed my stay in Tehran would be a three year deal. I guess someone should have let the Ayatollah Komeini in on our little agreement. I never made it to the three year mark, but had quite an experience getting the Hell Out of Dodge with the family (had to leave the dog behind). I believe everyone should experience at least one revolution close up. Actually, one is quite enough. I almost ran out of the theater while watching Argo. Minor league PTSD. It was really, really stressful for me. Hit too close to home, even after all these years.

So, on to Hong Kong for several years covering all of Southeast Asia for IBM. Ah, the luxury of living in a colony on the colonial power's side of the tracks! While in Hong Kong we completed our little rainbow American Iranian Chinese Moslem family by adopting number one daughter, Shayni.

(Are you bored yet? Too much detail? I'll try to wrap it up soon.)

In 1981, we arrived in wonderful Raleigh. Planned on a two to three year stay and then take the next promotion and move on to South Dakota or somewhere equally attractive. Well … we just liked Raleigh too much to leave, so I changed from a management career path to a technical one that allowed us to put down roots. In '89 we did leave for four years in Brussels, nice place, loved it, but we kept the house in Raleigh and moved back into the old neighborhood upon our return.

And we've been here ever since. Finished raising the kids, wrapped up the IBM thing, bought a condo at Topsail Beach, and now I spend tons and tons of time with my best buddy and sidekick, our grand daughter Jordy.

So much for the time line. Ready to hear about hobbies/interests/avocational pursuits?

I've done a lot of backpacking over the years. At age fifty-five I decided I'd rather be a rock climber and mountaineer. So … that's what I do now. Climb. Rock, ice, snow. And I serve in various official positions in the American Alpine Club, including leading a delegation of AAC climbers to Iran in 2010 to climb with our friends at the Alpine Club of Iran. First trip back since '78. Still a very scary place. Got detained by Iranian security (but we'll save that story for another time).

Finally. I was a docent at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Actually, I rose to be the president of the docent association, leading fifteen males and one-hundred and sixty grey-haired females to new heights of docenting success. However, serious friction developed between the museum administration and myself and I resigned "for personal reasons to pursue other interests."

I hope everyone in the class has chalked up as much fun and adventure over the past fifty years as I have. And has been as lucky on the marriage, family side of life. Life always presents challenges but overall it's been a blast!

Passed pre induction physical with flying colors November 1970. Called draft board and was informed that I would be in the first draft of 1971. Notified IBM to start processing my military leave papers.

And then ... Congress passed the draft lottery act. First lottery drawing followed and D Thoenen's birthday was pulled number 365!! Went back to IBM and told them to tear up the papers.

My thoughts on the time remaining? Huh? Wat'cha mean?

It's all a blur. Fifty years is a long time, so bear with me. Or bail. Whatever.

Fall of 1964. Culture shock. In two months, I moved from a highly structured, extremely conservative, socially hierarchical Southern Prep School to a free-as-free-could-be, politically progressive and socially wide open campus. And I thrived!! Swarthmore provided all that I was looking for in higher education; women, the best of the 60s recreational alternatives, and a lacrosse team that was mediocre enough that I could be a starter (and very close life-long friends). After two years, the result of my “thriving” was that I frequently forgot to attend classes, necessitating a year's respite from academia spent working as a community organizer in the poor black communities back the “hollers” of southern West Virginia. Classic late 60's “Movement” stuff. Denounced as communists, death threats, terrific moonshine parties, taught to dance proper by soulful black ladies (yes, Tampa Hampton, where ever you are, dear, I still can boogaloo). Much to my parents' relief I returned to school. Even managed to pick up a couple of "A"s and graduated!!!! But my favorite memory (now that I've lived in NC for the past 35+ years) is scoring a goal against the University of North Carolina (pure luck and we lost 14-2 but ...).