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Autobiographical Sketch of George Ferrua
entered: December, 6, 2010; last updated: 6/2011
April 3, 2010--- All right! Who decided to have a class reunion on my birthday, and not invite me? Many times over the years, I've wondered about what had happened to many of you. And the only Internet link I had seen - http://saintjosephscollege.ws/ - said absolutely nothing about our class, with the exception of Father Larry and Bishop Rich. The news of the effects of the Loma Prieta earthquake on SJC was a sad surprise. It was almost like learning of the death of a friend. My oldest grandaughter, Courtney (my daughter's girl), who's in the Navy, found your website by accident and called me about the pictures of a young me that she'd found on the Internet. So, what have I been doing? After leaving the seminary, I went to San Jose State (along with Herb Manchester and Rudy Leonardi) studying for a Masters and had managed to finish one semester, before I got my greetings from Uncle Sam. I immediately took it to the nearest Air Force recruiter and they back dated my enlistment papers. The process at the Oakland Induction Center was something I'll never forget - as they lined up the hundreds of draftees on one side of the room and the few of us who had pre-enlisted on the other side. A sergeant walked down the line of draftees and pointed to each one, saying: "You're in the Marines. You're in the Army . You're in the Marines. etc. etc." - so much for selecting only a few good men. The enlistment was a calculated risk that I have never regretted. I then applied for pilot school and was accepted, so they had to send me to Officer Training School. My middle ear got me booted me out of pilot training, but I was lucky enough to make friends with the NCO who ran personnel assignments, and got him to send me to photo school in Denver. I was also lucky enough to meet and marry my lovely wife Carol and gain an instant family with her two children, Cindy and David. I then spent seven years running photo labs all over the world, including the South Pacific and just outside of Cambridge, England. While it was a great job, and my family loved the travel, I knew that it was such a limited career field that I would never get promoted past Captain - and in the Air Force, it's "up or out." Since I had decided to stay and make it to retirement, I applied for the newly opened AWACS program and did well in it. I was fortunate enough to get an assignment to Japan followed by a move to Florida, and made the required rank to retire at 20 years. We settled in Florida and I tried retirement for one year and almost drove my family crazy in the process. So, I went back to school and got a diploma in architectural drafting and design. I spent the next 14 years as CAD manager for an architectural firm . After my wife suffered a stroke six years ago, I decided that life was too short to stay that long in one place with so much of the world to still see. The kids were grown and on their own, so I quit my job and retired for real. We sold or gave away everything and bought an Airstream motorhome and started traveling around North America full time, just like gypsies. It was the best time I've had in my whole life. But when things are going really well for you, get ready to duck. I lost my wife two years ago, which was preceded by my own stroke. After I relearned how to do things like walk and drive, I decided to continue traveling. I now spend winters in Florida, and drive the back roads of North America the rest of the year. Thanks to technology, I video conference with my 2 youngest grandaughters in Germany (my son married a German citizen and they live in her ancestral home). And my grandaughters are bilingual, so I've had to learn enough German to make it harder for them to talk about me behind my back. You guys are in my thoughts and I wish you all the best. And I have only one question - does anybody know who defaced my car's "Make Celibacy Optional" bumper sticker?  UPDATE JUNE 2011: Here's my photo that you can add to my bio. It's the best representation of where I am in my life right now. I call it my "time machine." Walking around, sometimes having to use a cane to assist, I'm a senior citizen in questionable health. Riding down a tree-lined, country road on my "Can-Am Spyder," I'm a kid again! It's the most absolutely amazing transformation. I wish I could better describe the feeling. E-Mail: gsferrua@gmail.com |
 Me at Columbia Glacier in Northern Alberta (click pic to enlarge)   |