John Killam

JOHN KILLAM was well-schooled in the art of stagecraft before entering Bapst, but he did not blossom out fully until his Senior year when he turned in the best performance of any interlocutor in the history of Bapst Minstrels. John's greatest achievement as a public speaker was his winning the statewide "Voice of Democracy" contest. Besides taking home a TV set, he was awarded a trip to Virginia with all the trimmings. Johnny plans to continue his scholastic career and will specialize in oratory.

When in 1946 I was brought to the Land of Milk and Honey, one of my first recollections is that it was actually the Land of Bubble Gum. You Americans really knew how to live, at least once a week, when for a penny or two, Fleers Double Bubble could be had and you didn't even need a ration card.

From St. John's to John Bapst was normal progression until 1953 and that trip to Williamsburg and the sweet thing representing RI became magnetic. After Bapst it was four years at RI. She preferred Florida Southern and I wanted to fly so she went there while I investigated the Air Force.

After enticing me up the garden path, I found there was no T-33 there after all. For the next 28+ years I flew the BGSD. With less than perfect color vision, the keys to the "T" Bird were withheld in exchange for that low flying Big Government Steel Desk.

During the second tour in England I met and married Pat in Cambridge in 1970. Although she had visited the USA, the Air Force arranged a little culture shock by assigning us to Tucson, AZ where the cowboys in the White Mountains danced in their boots and hats but kindly left their spurs at home.

In 1983, after seven years in D.C., the AF again said "Go west". We considered retiring but thought we'd try a year in Albuquerque. If we didn't like it, we had the retirement option we would exercise.

Twenty years on, we are now happily retired in Albuquerque for the past eighteen of those. Since "retirement", like many of our generation, I have done a variety of volunteer work and we now enjoy travel, travel, travel. We have found a couple of bed and breakfast 'clubs' for seniors and through these, have made many wonderful friends while enjoying their hospitality and extending ours.

Dare to ask me about these in September, and you risk having your ears wilt but I'll try to restrain myself, and no, I don't have a financial interest in either.

Presently in England, we have been on the road since July 7th and look forward to renewing old friendships when this truly classy class gathers in September.