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mwasnea@gmail.com

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After high school at Notre Dame I spent a couple of years at Valley State College (now Cal State University Northridge) and went into the Navy in 1967. I served two Viet Nam tours aboard the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship. I decided not to make it a career, got out and went back to school to finish my degree on the GI Bill. Wound up with a technical degree in Electronics and a BS in Business Management from Pepperdine.  

I joined Spectrolab, a small company in Sylmar that supplied solar cells and panels to NASA and the military to power their satellites. There I met my future wife, Barbara. Over the years the company became integral part of Hughes Aircraft and later Boeing. I became Manager of Facilities and Plant Engineering and built a couple of high-bay manufacturing buildings and numerous high tech semiconductor labs.  After 34 years of a really fun job, I retired in September 2005. During that time I managed to continue skydiving for 20 years (started in 1964). During the 70’s, I built a Harley Davidson chopper that my wife and I road through the western states for a few years with our friends. Even found time to compete in NRA pistol and High Power rifle matches (I was a Gunner’s Mate in the Navy).  

The desert has always held an attraction for me. I road dirt bikes for many years and supported my son as an amateur motocross racer on the Southern California racing circuit. The last few years I have built off-road dune buggies. Barbara and I like to camp, ride and explore the Mojave Desert.  

We lived in Simi Valley for the last twenty-two years but recently relocated to Idaho in the Boise area to be with our kids and grandchild.  We built our dream house just last year and are enjoying retirement.   

Favorite memories of St. Patrick’s: Graduation!

Hobbies: Skydiving (but not any more!), off-road vehicles, target shooting, computers, Corvettes and exploring Idaho.