Curt1124's profile

Hometown

Manheim, PA (Ten miles north of Lancaster)

Places I've been

Most of the traveling I've done outside southeast Pennsylvania was by virtue of my enlistment in the U.S. Navy. I went to boot camp in San Diego, California and to electronics school in San Francisco, California and then became a member of the commissioning crew (plank owner) of a guided missile frigate in Charlestown Naval shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts. That ship, the USS Leahy, was homeported in Boston and later Charleston, South Carolina. Later in my life during periods of wanderlust and between studies at Penn State, I returned to some of my favorite Navy places for further exploration. (Except those places out of this country which include Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba, France, Italy, Spain and Greece.)

Education

• Pennsylvania State University, Chemistry - 1960 to 1960
• Pennsylvania State University, Chemistry (initially); General Arts and Sciences - 1965 to 1967
• Pennsylvania State University, General Arts and Sciences - 1973 to 1975
• Mount Joy Vocational-Technical School, Tractor Trailer Driver training (6 weeks) - 1992 to 1992

Work

• Midstate Delivery Service, Commercial Driver (part time local) - 2005 to 2007
• Too Many to List, Jack of All Trades? - 1953 to 2007

Military

• U.S. Navy - 1961 to 1965
  Division: Destroyer Squadron 6 (USS Leahy DLG-16)
  Rank: E-5 (ETR-2) Petty Officer 2nd Class

More about me

I was born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania in a house shared by three families -- my mother and I; my grandparents; and my aunt with her son and daughter. The house was about 100 yards from a major railroad crossing so I became interested in railroad sights and sounds at a very early age and remain a railfan to this day.

In those pre-television days the radio programs listened to by Grandfather became the entertainment for the household. Some of the musical themes heard on various programs planted seeds of curiosity which led to my love of music. Ultimately, I learned to play the trombone, the baritone horn and, for a while (and not very well) the B-flat cornet. I also brought a strong tenor voice to the high school glee club, the church choir and the Navy Bluejackets Choir.

Now, however, I'm a spectator rather than a performer.

Activities

Weather permitting, a drive in the country keeps me in touch with Nature's beauty. At least what's left of it before WalMart arrives on the scene and paves it over. And if the Fates smile upon me, I may see one of the many freight trains which rumble through this area every day. Something about the sight and the sound that has kept my attention from a very young age.

Favorite Charities

Too many charities are too cost inefficient to be a justifiable drain on limited funds. Helping out by some means when a need arises seems an acceptable alternative to a specific charity.

Favorite Music

The works of Beethoven, Bach, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Tschaikovsky, von Resnicek, Liszt, Wagner, Strauss, and many others. There are too many to name. I also like jazz -- Brubeck, Armstrong, Ellington. Actually, I like so much music of so many kinds it's easier to list what I don't like, namely, rap, Goth, grunge and acid rock.

Favorite TV Shows

In recent times I've enjoyed Law and Order in all it's variations. Years ago it was Hill Street Blues and LA Law. Before that, San Francisco Beat. And I can't forget about the good guys of my youth -- The Lone Ranger, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon and others. And, of course, Star Trek the original and TNG and DS9 and Voyager.

Favorite Movies

Picnic -- I fell in love with Kim Novak and the theme music. Also, Once Upon a Time in the West -- the captivating musical score by Ennio Morricone along with the primary characters turned this spaghetti western into a "see more than once" classic in the caliber of Hitchcock's "High Noon."

Favorite Quotes

Perversity of circumstance is more powerful than well laid plans. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Favorite Places

San Francisco, Marblehead and Ocho Rios.

Favorite Animals

Cats, dogs and dinosaurs.

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