Amy Alberta (Scraggs)

Let’s see if I can remember back that far……after high school……..

Ok, after high school I went to cosmetology school and became a licensed hairdresser/cosmetologist. After school and during my first real job I realized there were not too many people that wanted the crazy hair-dos I was so well known for. None of my customers wanted mo-hawks, or spikes, no one wanted green hair (come on it was 1989!) I was stuck doing roller set after roller set and wasting my extra super hold aqua net on 70 year old women all day and that got old real fast. Between that and having to deal with walk-ins that hadn’t washed their hair in weeks it didn’t take me long to realize this career was not for me. I continued to do hair and nails here and there for my friends but I never really cared to do much more with it….so I went out to look for something else.

I’m sure you all remember what I looked like back then, the hair, the outfits andI remember so clearly my mom saying “you are never going to get a job looking like that!”Well….the first interview I went on was for a computer software company, it was for the front desk receptionist position (I must admit, I never thought anyone would hire me for their first impression either!)I interviewed with several people and then had to meet with the president of the company. I remember walking into his HUGE office and sitting down (nervous as all get out) with my giant spiked up hairdo and some freaky outfit on (see Molly Ringwald/Pretty in Pink)…he looked at me, smiled and said “I love your hair” and that was that. I got the job and gained a lot of experience in the years I worked there. I will never forget that place for giving me a chance and it made me realize early on that it was ok to just be myself no matter what the situation.

I was always interested in photography and enrolled in classes and programs which led me to one of the best jobs I ever had. For 7 years I worked as a photographer taking school pictures, yep I was the lady handing out the little black combs by day and taking your kids prom pictures at night along with sports on weekends and any other school events you can think of. It was definitely the toughest, yet most rewarding job I have had.Unfortunately, in 2000 a life changing event happened and I had to immediately give up the job I loved (that also offered no insurance) and get a job with benefits. Thanks to a great friend I was hired at Monster.com as an inbound sales rep, hired to answer incoming emails and customer questions…keeping in mind here that I am a photographer and have no computer experience AT ALL….(what’s an email???) Well needless to say I caught on fast and in the 6 years I worked there moved up, changed departments and became a Finance Manager specializing in eCommerce and international credit card fraud. I lost my job (thanks to outsourcing) last year and now work as the Assistant Controller/Accountant for a publishing company. I never thought I would get into Finance and Accounting as much as I have (in fact I think I failed accounting in high school!) but the accountant paycheck vs. the photographers paycheck has kept me in this line of work for close to 8 years now.

I was married for 10 years (hence the different last name) and have been divorced now for 5. I never had any children, unless you, like me, consider cats as your “kids”.

In the 20 years since high school I have gone from “punk rocker” to “biker chick”.
I now have my own Harley and LOVE IT.

I ride as much as possible and really cannot get enough of it. I have traded in the funky hair for a slight addiction to tattoos. (I think my mom would prefer the spiked hair come back instead!) I spend any spare time I have playing golf and skiing in the winter. I’m sure you are all saying “accountant-biker-golfer? WHAT?!” Well some things never change…..I guess in some weird way I am still just as “odd” as I was in high school. Ha!

These pics are from Myrtle Beach Bike Week 2007 - Thats me and my hog - hahaha....and below is me and my boyfriend/fellow biker Al.

Im really looking forward to seeing you all in October.

Amy

Jennifer Pringle does not know how to be brief!

I hate this kind of stuff but here it goes...
No points off for grammar, I'm at work. Just saying.

I went to junior college in Boston because I'm a slacker with no ambition. I basically did little work but would pass my classes with flying colors because I chose the easiest most un-challenging course load. The first year I spent many weekends at home causing trouble with Amy (that would be the same AMY who DELETED her blog post) cruising around, and working at Finast.

Then I decided to actually focus on school the second year and put actual effort into my work, came home for only two maybe three weekends at the most then graduated and all that. I remember one of my room mates asking me why I didn't go to a four year college in the first place since I clearly was too smart to attend this particular school! Did she not realize what a lazy gal I am? Then I came back home and decided to use up my entire savings account by bumming around England and Germany for a few months going from relative to relative until they got sick of me. Came back home and worked some more at the store before getting a job with BayBank in Framingham where I stayed for seven years because, again, a slacker with no ambition.

--And since everyone seems to be doing a rundown of places they lived.... I lived at home for far too long then in 1995 moved to a condo in Worcester with Kathy Yauckoes (we were like the odd couple but it worked and we are still good friends to this day). In 1997 I moved back home again (good thing my parents like me!)and then in 1999 I moved to Marlborough. --

Well, maybe a little ambition....during that time I took some college courses and continued to move up the ranks of the bank. I had a short part time stint at the then "new" Natick Mall working at the Limited. I realized that retail sucks...for me anyway. After becoming increasingly bored and feeling completely unchallenged a co-worker at the bank told me about a great company that her daughter worked for and that she was going to send her resume in and said she could send mine along too. There were two openings at the reception desk and they ideally wanted two people who could work well together. So, we basically applied together and got the job(s). Bad news was it was a significant pay cut for me but I really wanted to get my foot in the door at this place.

The small broker/dealer had less than 100 employees at the time. I think I was number 97. I moved up and after ten years am currently wearing two hats here as the supervisor of the Commissions department and also the Commission Accountant. I believe the employee count is now up around 400 now.

(Yes, that would be Hilaire... poster of the 'man ass' photo... as my maid of honor)

Okay, so that's the work thing. Moving on, I met my husband at the bank. We were friends for many years but then that changed and we got married in 2001. He is more sarcastic than I am (if that's even possible!) and I hate to be sappy but he truly is my best friend. Yep, sorry Hilaire! He has a daughter from a previous marriage so that day I became a step-monster too! Brief but to the point.

In 2004 we welcomed our daughter Emily three months premature. What an experience that was. I went to my doctor for my regular appointment and she had me admitted to labor and delivery immediately for what she later told me was 'the worst case of toximia she has ever seen'. Glad I could excel at something in my life....I think. Actually, I wouldn't wish the experience on anyone. What a scary few months! Emily was in the hospital from July 17th through October 26th (Thank you Blue Cross/Blue Shield!). She got out just in time for the World Series. She is truly a miracle baby and she has overcome so much that to go into it here would just take up way too much space. I did have a website for her at the time to post updates for family and friends so if you are interested in seeing that just let me know and I can email the address to you.

We continue to support the hospital by joining them each year at Walk America for the March of Dimes in Boston. The March of Dimes helps to educate expectant mothers and help save premature babies. The past two years I have raised a total of $3800 and plan to double that next year! So, expect an email from me. :)

We moved from Marlborough to Holden almost two years ago and enjoy the small town feel even though we are right next to Worcester. We had three cats when we moved there ... within six months we were down to one and then this past May we were down to zero. So, not a good location for cat owners as there are fisher cats and coyotes trying to control the pet population in a different way. We just adopted a kitten who will stay indoors and this was all just so I could post her picture on here. Though Jeff wins for best cat picture so far!

To sum it all up, I am still immature and silly and have a hard time taking just about anything seriously. I'm always the one that will take something someone said and find the "that's what he/she said" joke. I know, I need to grow up but why should I? My parents have always been extremely funny and joke through the serious times. It's the English way!

I enjoy drinking, sitting in my hot tub and watching tv....all at the same time! Traveling, shopping, wine. I also enjoy doing craft projects with my daughter. She is a big fan of glue, paint and construction paper.



I've certainly waffled on here. I'm all over the place! This is exactly why I did not become a writer.
Stay classy San Diego!

Jeff Hammond and Midget Hookers

Hey everyone! Now if THAT isn't a title that screams "I see support groups and therapy on the horizon!" The last time I saw most everyone within this graduating class, I was 5' 2", 110lbs, hair fashionably (cough-hack-wheeze) "feathered" and parted in the middle. I moved to Stow, MA in April 1977 and was transplanted to Pittsburgh, PA one week prior to our Junior Prom in May 1986. While I did not graduate with you, I have always considered Stow (and Nashoba) the place where I grew up. That, and the graduating class of my new school in Pittsburgh was over 600 students! It's truly great to see so many names on the alumni website, and I look forward to seeing the faces to match in October where I at least now resemble a grown man at 5'10" 175lbs with "most" of my hair (sans middle part).


After graduating from Mt. Lebanon HS in Pittsburgh, I attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) with no clear intentions other than "GET ME THE HELL OUT OF THIS HOUSE!" I left (er...asked to leave) after two years with a higher blood alcohol level than my GPA. My parents were so proud. Oh, and how they loved to hear me explain to friends and family "I didn't make the Dean's List, but I made the Jim Beam's List." Hmmmm... good times. Anyway, I floated around from job to job for a while before I ended up finding something I really enjoyed: Midget Hookers (er... short pleasure slaves?). Actually it was stand up comedy. I spent seven years until 1995 working a circuit of colleges and clubs that allowed me to see over 20 states and a hundred different cities. I opened up for great comics like Dennis Miller, Drew Carey, Paul Reiser, and Adam Sandler. It was a great time that made me very little money, and then I met Marcie in Philadelphia, PA.

Marcie is a sadistic person who enjoys frustration, pain, and anxiety. Therefore she married me and agreed to have two children that we are 98% certain are from me. Hey, you can't have two perfect children like these and automatically assume that they're mine! We've been married 10 years now with David (6), Dylan (2 1/2), Teddy (dog), and Bob (mean ol' SOB of a cat who simply needs to 'go to the light'). Marcie obtained two Master's degrees that we are proud to say will probably have the school loans inherited by our grandchildren. She teaches, and is really happy with working with 7th and 8th graders. Like I said, she's sadistic. Does anyone remember retiring two 8th grade teachers out of Hale Middle School in Stow?? We had a magazine fund drive for children in Africa, and our class had the brilliant idea to break into the storage closet housing all of the incentive prizes - including rock t-shirts from Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Bruce Springstein, Peter Frampton, and Rush. What a bunch of idiots we were...LOL.


So now we live in Philadelphia, PA and we love it. We're 15 minutes out of the city, 1hr away from the beach, and 2hr away from NYC. I took my love for the stage and became a licensed fundraising auctioneer. For 10 years I assisted non-profit organizations generate over $2 million in revenue, and was able to create my own company that worked alongside of Boys and Girls Club, Ronald McDonald House, Childrens Hospital of PA, and every church basement you could imagine. I have since taken my ownership experiences and rolled them into a Sales Development Manager of Staples (the arch nemesis of Dunder Mifflin). I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I do, but then receiving a guaranteed weekly pay check can become rather addictive!

Aside from work, I do a lot of hiking with the family and the dog (Marcie won't let me bring the cat...), golf, pool, poker (made the money at Borgata Summer Open in AC), softball, and watching the Red Sox.
Did you think I was kidding about this cat?? FREE TO A GOOD HOME or a pleasant midget hooker...

See you all in 6 weeks!

Peace,

Jeff

Russ Bacon

Hey everybody! The abridged version of my life goes like this:

I was married shortly after high school and had two beautiful daughters. They are now 19 and 18 years old. While we had lived apart from 1991 to 2000, we always remained close until finally they came to live with me in 2000. Raising teen daughters has been my greatest challenge in life for sure, but even though we live apart again, I talk with them every day. I’m a very fortunate dad.

I lived in Leominster from 1987 to 1991 and was in the hospitality business as a night manager of the Sheraton in Leominster for 4 years. I went on to become the front office manager at the Embassy Suites hotel in Marlborough for 4 years. I moved to Clinton in 1992 and lived there until 2006. In 1995 I went to work for Future Electronics in 1995 leaving the hotel biz behind and found the semiconductor business to be very appealing and rewarding.

My dad passed away in 1998 in a car crash. It was rough but I had a lot of support from my friends which made it easier. I will always miss him though.

I bought a real fixer upper of a house in Clinton in 2000 and spent the next year doing a frame up restoration on it including a 4 month sabbatical from work.

In 2006 I left Clinton and Massachusetts and moved to Nevada’s Carson Valley which is about 10 miles from Lake Tahoe. I now work for a company called Sierra Components. http://www.sierracomp.com/Being a small company, I wear many hats but my main job is international sales and marketing of bare silicon die along with being the process engineer for our wafer lab.

For fun I like to ride my dirt bike, go shooting, hike, camp, ski and explore the over 600 mining camp and ghost towns in Nevada and California.

That's me on the left last April on a "man weekend" camping at Smith Valley
My bike on my home made hitch carrier
Skiing on Top of Heavenly Valley with Lake Tahoe in the background.

I really look forward to reconnecting with you guys. I most likely won’t be at the reunion because of the tremendous amount of work to be done at my company. I’m also coming back in September and December already.

I hope everyone is doing well.
Russ

Mark Dilling

Tom Burke, JJ, Me and Brother Ken

The Summer after graduation I went back to work with JJ and Ken for JJ's Dad working trash. JJ and I turned 18 in August and moved to Worcester as soon as the ink on the lease dried. I went to Quinsigamond Community College and JJ went to Worcester State. We partied like we were supposed to and had a blast - after we got robbed JJ went back home and I went to Hudson. I graduated with an Associates of Science. JJ lost his licence and had to drop out.

When Ken turned 18 we moved in together in Fitchburg. After that lease expired, the 4 hooligans in the picture moved in to a house in Leominster. Those are some times I'll never forget and I'm sure there are moments I will never be able to remember. My brother graduated from Fitchburg State and Tom went back to school at Franklin Pierce so JJ and I moved to Lancaster for a couple years.

When JJ's parents moved to FL he went to live in his parents house in Bolton. I lived in Oakham, MA for a while and then to Stow where I lived on the Lord's Orchard www.carverhill.com - shameless plug for some of the best people on this planet.

I then went to work for a company in CT and moved to the Nutmeg State in ....98?

I presently work for zygo corporation in Middlefield, CT as the Senior Field Service Engineer. Basically I travel around the country (eastern US) and the world (Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Canada, France, Japan and South Korea) to install, repair and train customers how to use microscopes and interferometers. These are instruments that use the interference of light waves to measure super-flat surfaces; optics mostly.

I met my wife getting breakfast with Tom and Ken the morning after Halloween in 1998. She hired me as a bartender for the club she was managing and I've never been the same. We got married on August 16th 2002 and it was the best wedding I've ever been to. Then we had an awesome all day outdoor reception. One of my best all-time memories is dancing to Blind Melon with my wife, Tom, Ken and his wife and JJ in our yard. My wife Kellie is my best friend and is the smartest person I've ever met. Unfortunately it doesn't always bode well for me and my argumentative nature..... oh well humility is a good lesson to learn too.

My step daughter Danielle has the most beautiful soul and has taught me as much if not more than I have taught her. She has a great sense of humor and loves to read. I am truly blessed to be a part of her life.
We live in Marlborough, CT with our two great rescue dogs Freak and Atticus.

For fun I still race motocross, my wife and I ride Harleys and all three of us play soccer. We have a camp in NH that we love to hang out at, hike and play with the dogs.

Kellie and I just got back from our Summer vacation in Sturgis, SD.

This picture was taken at a bar in Deadwood - yes the same place the HBO series is based on.

Yup, we rode the bikes there and back and put on about 4300 miles in a couple weeks - it was an amazing adventure for sure!

Basic Directions

Hey Y'all!

It's Mark Dilling here and I am setting up a blog so that we can all post our own biography. I figured if we cover what we've done since Nashoba, spouses, children, careers, etc here in the blog we can all catch up before the reunion. All I could imagine was hearing myself say for the 24th time "yeah, I live in Connecticut and I'm a Field Service Engineer...." and the music shuts off and the lights go on and I haven't truly had a conversation yet.

So, with that in mind let's go over the basics that I have learned since the inception of JJ's blog.

1. All of you that sent a response to Robin that you would like to be a part of this will be invited to join. This means that you will be sent a link to your email. Go to that link and sign up. It requires a google account but requires minimal information and is free.

2. Once you are hooked up go to http://www.nrhsclassof87.blogspot.com/ and you can write your own New Post and include pictures (using the photo icon in the post toolbar - second from the right). For the sake of conformity (conform damn you! Yes Bob Quinn you too!) I suggest that you title your post with your full name (and Maiden name if applicable) so that we may choose which blogs we wish to view in a easily identifiable manner.

3. I will do my best to help you folks if I can at mdilling@zygo.com but I am incredibly busy with life right now as most of us are.....

As a note, this is a public domain so ANYBODY can look at it. Only those invited can publish but anyone on blogger can leave a comment and anyone with an internet connection can view it. I mention this because I would love to show you a picture of my beautiful 11 year old step-daughter but I will not post her picture here or anywhere on the internet for safety concerns. You will have to wait for the wallet picture. My decision may not be for you and your kids but I thought it was important to at least make you aware.

I want to thank Robin for all she has done for the reunion and for JJ's memorial fund - I will be forever grateful.

I also want to thank all of you that came to JJ's memorial. He would have been honored to be in your presence. I also want to apologize to all the people (Robin, Jeanie, Mary, Bob, Sally, Maryann, etc) that I didn't get to talk to - the whole ordeal was surreal and went too quickly. I hope you understand and truly look forward to hanging out with you during the reunion and scavenger hunt.

Peace and Much Love to you and yours,
Mark