Return to "Where Are They Now?"
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Name |
Robert Thorson |
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Address |
1225 Deep Well Road |
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Bio |
Bios are funny, kinda like a resume but to people you once knew, but over the years most have not kept in touch. 1966-1974-Sears Roebuck, and Co. - Manager of all telephone and data communications for the 11 western states. Our office was in Alhambra, just up from Howard Woods family home. 1974-1979-Specialty Villages Corp - Vice President and General Manager of Ports of Call and Whalers Wharf Villages in San Pedro, The Queen Mary, and Mary's Gate Village in Long Beach, and Jack London Square in Oakland, CA. 1979-1980-Found Drugs... 1980-2004- United States Forest Service. Was at wits end, when this door opened. All my life up to this point was push, push, do more. And I was slowly burning out. The USFS, allowed me freedom to choose, design and create, while all the time helping our fellow citizens. Through a series of jobs, once being told if I was married I could go to Washington. But I was happy in my life. At that time the USFS was lead sponsor of a Dept. of Labor work training program, created by President Johnson, for persons over 55, low income and who want to work. I managed that program in southern California for 14 years, along with being asst to the Angeles National Forest Supervisor. Under Bush 2, this national program, was taking from the USFS and handed over to various religious groups who had promised his election. Up to that time, no religious organization had been allowed to manage a program like this, in that, there was no prejudice against any one person’s belief who wanted to join the program. 2014- I retired. In 2013, I was finally allowed to marry the man I had shared a life with for the 33 previous years. It ain't easy living with a person who is highly motivated, career oriented, high family values, very honest person, when the world around you says, your wrong, your evil, your nasty. And we had no kids, where we need to stay together for their sake, all we had were 2 Scotties. And still do. I remember when we first decided we would try to live together, a landlord said to me, I will not rent to you or your kind. Funny, because 8 years after he said that, we bought his building through his estate. WE bought some property in Palm Springs in 2001, since it was cheap and LA was getting silly. WE finally moved here in 2008 after Michael retired from UCLA Medical Center. And during the years after I had retired, I started remodeling our buildings here in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. 2017- I will not be at the 55th, I went to the 50th and stood in the corner and the only person who said hi, was Tom Calo. An astute funny man, Tom is a sweetheart, who I think never could figure who he was. Also, there is a personal reason for not attending and that's private, I only hope someday I can buy his house. Robert H. Thorson |