Wiley Poole

What song most reminds you of your school days?
It's All In The Game ~ by Tommy Edwards (Not my favorite but definitely reminds me of my school days)

What teacher most influenced you?
I can't honestly say that I was influenced by any particular teacher unless it would be Coach Etter (Math) and Mr. Fletcher (auto mechanics) and their paddles.

Regrets
Yes, there have been a few but most of the paths I've chosen since graduation have been good ones. There has been only one that I regret but even that choice had a silver lining. As for regrets from high school, I regret that I never put much thought or planning into my future. And I regret that I was so wrapped up in a particular girl in school that I never took the opportunity to make friends and date some of the other girls that I was interested in. From the words of a Rod Stewart Song: "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger!"

Fondest memories of your days at Central:
     * The football and basketball games.
     * The rotunda
     * Bill's Varsity
     * R.O.T.C.
     * Performing in Champion Night (my only chance (so far) at my 15 minutes)
     * Sneaking out of auto mechanics class in 5^th period and going across the hall to get free cake and pie
        after the cafeteria closed…that's how I found out about Mr. Fletcher's paddle.
     * Sneaking out of math class when Coach Etter left the class and going across the street to Bill's Varsity.
        That's how I found out about Coach Etter's paddle.

My life since graduation:
Hmm, let's see…Well, 4 days after graduation, Becky (Carver) and I were married and in 1963, our son, Gregory Allan, was born. I was working in a grocery store bringing home $44 a week and we lived with Becky's parents.

In 1963 I went to work at DuPont and worked for them for 38 + years. While working shift work at DuPont, I started taking classes at Chattanooga State Technical Institute in 1967 working toward an Associate degree in computer systems technology. Before I completed the course, I was promoted to supervisor at DuPont and temporarily gave up my goal to become a computer systems analyst. Becky and I divorced in 1968.

I had 14 happy and wonderful years of bachelor life before I found the love of my life and remarried in 1982. Nancy and I were married in April 1982 and I got a transfer to the DuPont plant in Richmond, Virginia in June of that year. We joined the Richmond Ski Club shortly after moving to Richmond and have enjoyed many ski trips with the club. We've skied in Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, British Columbia Canada, Banff Canada, France, Italy, Virginia, West Virginia, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and (of course) Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I love to ski and we have made many great friends on our ski trips.

In 1985 I got into the computer field and finished my career at DuPont in January 2002 as a computer analyst and supervisor working in the Tyvek division.

It seems like only yesterday that I was a young skinny kid with lots of dark hair... fresh out of high school, strolling down that long hallway at Chattanooga DuPont to get my first pair of safety shoes. I never dreamed back then that my life would take the turns it has taken and I would wind up in Richmond Virginia working with computers so many years later. For the most part, life has been good and I'm now looking forward to many years of retirement.

I lost contact with everyone from school after the 10th reunion and didn't attend any reunions until I found David Bell's email address on classmates.com and contacted him. He got me back on the address list and gave me all the information about the 40th reunion. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the two day reunion. The class of '62 has got to be the best group of people that ever walked the hallowed halls of Central High School (the old school). Man, what GREAT memories of the school days and the reunions.

I'm looking forward to attending every reunion possible from now on.

Reflections:
Looking back through the old yearbook recently took me on a very enjoyable trip down memory lane that I have not traveled in a long, long time. I even went back farther than high school ~ back to my childhood and a time of happiness, great friendships and wonderful experiences.

There could not have been a better time to be a child than in the '50's. The innocence of those days afforded us the freedom to walk to school unsupervised, to go to the park alone, to hike into the woods, or to catch the bus and go to town or to Warner Park alone. We were the first generation to grow up with television, transistor radios and air conditioning. We had our heroes like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger, and John Wayne. Heroes that had strong characters and high morals that we could look up to. Who would have thought we would go from “Ozzie and Harriett” and “Father Knows Best” to what we see on TV today. The 50's …what a great time to be a kid!

I cannot imagine a better time to be a teenager than during the late '50's and early '60's. Girls in their pony tails, poodle skirts and saddle oxfords, drive-in theaters, rock and roll and sock hops….and my ’55 Chevy. Man, what a great time to be a teenager.

I feel very fortunate to have grown up during this time and will always treasure the memories of those fantastic years.

Update 1/31/2012
Well...today is January 31, 2012. It was 10 years ago on this day that I retired from DuPont after 38+ years. It seems like only yesterday and it blows my mind when I realize how fast time is slipping away. When I was a boy I was always wishing the time away....waiting for summer break from school or waiting for the next big event coming in the months ahead. Today I just want to put the brakes on and slow everything down a bit. A year seems to last about as long as a month did in my youth. Time sure flies by when you're having fun.

Nancy has worked for the Phillip Morris company here in Richmond for the last 10 years and she plans to retire (hopefully in May of this year). We have decided to move back to Chattanooga. We've been to Chattanooga several times in the last few months looking for houses and we would like to settle in Ooltewah. There are a lot of obstacles that we will have to overcome in order to make this big move happen and who knows how or when it will all come together. Housing in the Chattanooga area seems to be more expensive than it is in Richmond. I'm guessing the new VW plant may have something to do with that especially in Ooltewah.

We have to get our house ready to sell, put it on the market and wait for a buyer in a very bad housing market. Once the house is sold, we will be in a big rush to find a new house and get all of our belongings moved to Chattanooga. It won't be easy and we don't look forward to this ordeal but the prospects of being back home make it all worth while. Can't wait to be back home!

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion in October. Fifty years....WOW!