Thomas Quinn

Apt. 319

15 Brooks Pond Road

Leominster MA 01453

tdquinn302@gmail.com

Hi everyone, “50” years out of High School; come on, can’t be, we are all still too young! Aren’t we?

Funny how some days my mind says I can and some days the body says you can’t. I can remember like it was yesterday back at the Coolidge/Bancroft school when most every day Charlie Cole would lie in wait for me to beat the heck out of me, I never knew why but many a day I would walk a mile out of my way home to avoid him. We all had fun in those days running, playing and chasing each other around; one day at recess Tommy Lydon was chasing me around the play ground, as I looked back to see how far away he was I ran smack into large tree getting knocked out cold. The next thing I remembered was waking up on couch in Teacher’s lounge with Miss Sheridan putting cold compress on my goose egg.

We all made it through grammar school and into High School under the rule of Mr. Mattioli. We need teachers like him in our schools today; never thought way back then that I would say that today. I came to school one day in brand new pair of blue jeans. Once Mr. Mattioli saw me it was off to his office where I was promptly told to go home and change. On the same day while in his office Carol Mason was brought in for wearing a sweater to school. The horrors blue jeans and sweater to school!

In April of my freshman year we had a dance for the Rainbow Girls at the old Auditorium, no Disk Jockey in those day’s you had real music of Charlie G’s High School Dance Band which Don Crowther and I played the drums, this particular night I was back filling for Don when I saw a beautiful blonde walk in through the front door. I did not know who this beauty was so during the night I asked all my close friends; John Ketola, Richey Clark, Barry Heinonen to dance with her to find out who she was. The end of the dance came and I finally would get to dance the last dance with her and 54 years later I am still dancing with this beauty Mary (Tervo) Quinn.

Graduation came and for most of us it was off to further education, marriage, work or military. I like many others went to work, started working at Digital shortly after graduation, my badge number was below 100, I wanted to be a computer repairman/serviceman; Digital wanted someone with 5 years experience so in April of 1962 I left Digital and was hired by IBM. IBM preferred that candidates did not have experience as they had their own way of teaching the service of their computers. (Good thing for me) I spent thirty great years with IBM. I chose to leave with an early out package in 1992; took job with Bank Boston as Operations Manager until Bank Boston was bought out by Fleet Bank 1999 at which time I joined Diebold Inc. as Operations Branch Manager for Northern New England. In 2006 I changed career again, I took a job with company called Sonitrol Electronic Security Solutions as Installations Operations Manager, closer to home less travel. 2009 Sonitrol was bought out by Stanley Works (Stanley Tools) June of 2009 I was laid off for the first time in my life. Those of you who went through the same pain over the years it is not a great experience, especially for those of us over 55 let alone at 65. I have been employed since March of 2010 with company called Pendum as District Manager of Service Operations in New England, God willing I will continue working until I no longer can, I love working with all of my clients and staff. I’m too young to retire. Mary is still working as GYN Nurse Practitioner.

That beautiful Blonde I met in 1957 married me in 1963, we have four great sons, three are married to wonderful daughter in laws. We have three grand children; the oldest grandson is a senior in College.

After forty years of living in Bolton, Mary and I sold our house and downsized to an over “55” community in Lancaster January 11, 2011 (1-11-11) (it was quite an experience, the night we moved in we had a blizzard leaving three feet of snow across our new driveway) We are now neighbors of Dorothy (Morrison) Noyes and her husband Bob who live right around the corner from us at Eagle Ridge.

Mary and I are looking forward to seeing all of you at our next reunion in September. We truly have one of the closest classes ever proven by the fact that so many of us gather for the five year reunions. The chance to see old friends every fifth year means so much to both of us.

LOL Tom and Mary Quinn