Vicky, as I knew her, was a "jockette" like me in high school. Although we were busy with each of our sports and didn't hang out much together, we were very much alike and I always enjoy seeing her at the reunions. I admire all that she has accomplished and that she values the important things in life. Vicky lives in the Bay area, loves to travel, does consulting and is an Arbonne Skin Care Consultant. Here are her Wagner Memories...
What was your first impression of Clark and Wagner? My first impression of the P.I. was that it was hot and humid. I didn't like being spread eagled against a cyclone fence at the airport and sniffed by a police dog. But like any other military family, we were raised to make the best of any situation, so we were destined to love the P.I. When we arrived at our new home, I was a bit nervous about not having walls in my bedroom, just shutters that gave me an all too vivid view of the giant flying roaches climbing the outer screens. I quickly waxed the floors in my bedroom with RAID. My room was probably toxic, but I had no roaches! And of course, day one, we were warned of the “stealy boys” lurking outside the perimeter waiting to steal whatever you may accidentally leave outside. Soon after arriving my parents bought a guard dog (probably the same one from the airport). The good news is that our house was never compromised by the “stealy boys." The first day of school I met one of my very best life long friends, Tammy Tapman. Some of my fondest memories are from Clark AFB and Wagner High School. Through my work with the school newspaper and off site tennis tournaments, I met many people in nearby Angeles City and in Manila. I saw riches for a few and, for many, I saw real poverty up close, for the first time in my life. I saw an unbridled spirit and faith in the people of the P.I. that I had never seen before. I learned to respect the things that many had to do to survive and how hard many worked to succeed. I learned to appreciate more and to have great gratitude for the simplest things in life. We saw the beauty of the rain forest terrain, we tasted the sweet sugar cane we grabbed as the buses drove by and when it got hot, we cooled down in the mountains of Baguio. We swam the turquoise waters at San Miguel islands and canoed the swift waters at Pagsanjan Falls. My impressions of the Philippines, whether first or last, are embedded deep within my soul.
What surprised you the most about the Philippines? What did you like best about living there? I suppose the surprises were the things I had never been exposed to prior. I had never seen such poverty. The desperation in so many lives that drove people to crime, to sex for money, to martial law and ultimately to government corruption. Most of our families did help support the honest economy by hiring “yard boys”, “sew girls” and “house girls” but at $3.00 a day for their labor, I am in awe of their spirit, their work ethic and their resolve to live an honest life so that their children would have better opportunities to improve their economic well being. Their religion, their hope, and their love for one another, seemed to carry them through each difficult day. Having them in our lives was certainly a pleasure. During those days the dollar was strong and I cashed in my savings bonds to outfit my first apartment prior to leaving the P.I. The wonderful handmade items, whether it be furniture, baskets or original oil paintings still adorn my home today, 30+ years later. I still enjoy them.
Did you really miss anything from the States and if so, what? I missed my friends and family and Taco Bell. That was the first restaurant we went to when we got back to California. Though I love Filipino food, I definitely missed Mexican fast food. And yes, I still enjoy it every now and then, especially the morning after a night of margaritas and dancing with friends.
Who were your good buddies? My best friend was Tammy Tapman ‘78. We could talk for hours together, she always made me laugh and she was the kindest person I had ever met. She had the most beautiful hair! Remember? We were basically inseparable. Most of my best friends were from the tennis team since I practically lived on the courts, Janette DeMeyer ‘77, Kelly Starbuck ‘77, Jennifer Deak ’77 and so many others.
Where did you hang out? I played tennis 4 to 8 hours a day, so my hang out was the courts. Second to that, was the O’ Club pool. Third to that was a curb between Tammy’s and my house where we would meet in the middle and chit chat for hours.
Who was your favorite teacher/class? The classes that ultimately had the most impact on me, believe it or not was Mr. Hilgers typing class, with the introduction of computers and all the writing I do, typing fast was a Godsend! Second was learning the keypunch machine and how to wire up the compiler. This was of course the pre-cursor to programming computers and this early experience gave great insight to modern circuitry. Top on the list is also Mr. Edgerly’s speech class, as I have been conducting presentations ever since. Plus I thank Mr. Carmone’s career class for providing us with the “Kuder” preference exam, as this helped me to narrow down my many interests and ultimately choose a career that leveraged my skill sets and my personal interests.
Did you have a part time job - what was it? In the P.I., I worked at the base photo lab with Terry Swatloski ‘79. We earned one dollar an hour. It was fun, but as you can imagine, we processed some very distressing military photos. Some deaths were worse than others. I vividly remember processing the photographs of a young Captain who fell unconscious while in a steam room. He was found hours later and the photograph of his body still haunts me to this day. He had a wife and two children. I later worked at the BX as the ID checker.
Did you have a crush on anyone? I always had a crush on Jake V., but then who didn’t? But once I met Jim Vadney ‘77, it was love at first sight!
Have you become closer to a Wagnerite that you didn't know well in high school because of a reunion? Yes, one of my best friends now is Diane Seabolt-Elrod. We knew each other in high school, but we each socialized with a different crowd. Now I see her quite often and we have become very best friends.
Do you think your experience living overseas made you a better person? Talking with and working with the people of the P.I., in addition to all the other countries we toured as a military family, has enriched my life immensely. The more we see and learn of different cultures the more understanding and accepting we are of all people in the world. This is why the military communities are so special, because we are a blend of people from all over the world, our fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters have learned to stand by one another, defending our country in life and death situations. Growing up with such ethnic diversity and military commonality, we have learned to love one another for the “content of one’s character and not the color of one’s skin.” In the world of Wagner and our subsequent reunions, I think the dream that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of is a reality. Sometimes I think it odd, that such peace and community comes from the military, which was obviously born from war. I feel honored and lucky to have grown up in a military family.
Give us a brief update on your life now: Having lost someone most dear to me in May 2006, and soon after, three more, I decided to take a sabbatical from AT&T and travel the world. In the last year, I have visited almost everyone I love. I have traveled to Europe (twice), South America and Africa. I bought an RV and have taken a trip up, down and across the USA. I am building a library of digital photographs. I am writing a children's book series. I launched a skin care home based business. I am doing miscellaneous consulting gigs. I serve on the board of directors for two non-profit organizations and have been very successful in raising funds to help the disabled and to help those in need during an emergency situation. And of course, I am still trying to lose that damn weight I gained after the car accident. (-: Life is full these days! I intend to enjoy these days while they last!
Pictures: #1 Victoria's Senior Picture #2 On the tennis team in 1976 #3 At the San Diego reunion with Teresa Teator & Doreen Trevino #4 Chatting with Travis Wallington, Doreen Trevino & Diane Seabolt at the San Diego reunion. To read Vicky's After Wagner Story, click here. To contact Victoria, click here.
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