William D. Cook Jr.

I was born in Vancouver, Washington on September 17th, 1944. It was too cold, too wet; so, my parents decided to move south. We ended up in a very small town named Rodeo, CA. There, I went to Hillcrest Elementary school. Graduating in 1958, I continued my education in Crockett, CA where they make C&H Sugar. John Swett was a long four years of temptation as well as anxiety for me. I knew I liked boys...just didn't know much about what to do with them.

In 1962, after graduating High School, I attended Diablo Valley Junior College (DVC) in Pleasant Hill, CA. After one year of classes, I was offered the chance to go into a Journeyman Inside Wireman Apprenticeship program (those are simply a jumble of words meaning "electrician"). I leapt at the chance. I went to training classes for four years, attending DVC for two years and Contra Costa Junior College (CCC) for the final two years of instruction.

In 1975-76, I attended Sierra College (a CA Junior College). I finished off my Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies.

In 1993, after moving to Spokane, WA, I returned to the academic life by enrolling in the teaching program at Eastern Washington University (EWU). There, I graduated in 1995 with a Batchelor of Arts in Education. I had a reading major with an early-childhood education minor.

I have been quite the gypsy in my life, living in all the following places, IN no particular order...having lived in some places more than once:

  • Rodeo, CA
  • El Sobrante, CA (next to Richmond)
  • Kensington, CA (next to Berkeley)
  • Oakland, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Culver City, CA (by Sony Studios)
  • Montebello, CA
  • El Monte, CA
  • Medford, OR
  • Gold Hill, OR
  • Central Point, OR
  • Vancouver, WA (when I was born)
  • Seattle, WA
  • Spokane, WA
  • Galesburg, IL
  • Moberly, MO
  • Clark, MO
  • Columbia, MO
  • Kansas City, MO

I considered them all to be my home; and yet, am sure there is at least one or more homes to come. LOL

I've had quite the varied career, doing any number and types of jobs, including:

  • paper route
  • butcher/salesperson/cleaner-upper in a grocery store
  • gas jockey/tire repair/oil changer/etc at my Uncle's service station
  • electrician
  • appliance repair-person
  • residential care home owner/manager (Mentally ill and developmentally disabled-delayed)
  • prison guard
  • care facility worker and manager (for severely developmentally disabled adults)
  • school teacher
..... TO BE CONTINUED