| I was born in Los Angeles at Good Samaritan Hospital; the oldest of four boys. I lived in Los Angeles, Monterey Park, and Alhambra. After elementary school, high school, and college, I was in the active Navy until 1972. I remained in the reserves until 1989, working in surface warfare and amphibious operations. I also worked as a Civil Engineer for LA County, two private firms, and five Orange County cities. I fully retired in 2011. We have lived in Dana Point since 1980, but that was preceded by Alhambra, Hawthorne, and South Pasadena. Life is now enjoying going to the beach, visiting family and friends, day tripping to the desert (only in March and April, maybe October), museums, historical monuments, hiking trails, and animal parks. |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Your name | Ted Simon |
| Ted.Simon2011@att.net | |
| Website or Facebook URL | Ted Simon |
| Alhambra elementary school(s) attended | Emerson (Monterey Park, CA), Marguerita, St. Thomas More |
| Current occupation (e.g., retired, working full/part time, volunteering, caring for family, other) | Retired Civil Engineer |
| Describe your family/extended family | Melinda and I have two sons; Matt and Brett, who is married. They live and work in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara, respectively. |
| How have you gained knowledge or continued your education after high school? | After high school, I went on to East LA College and Cal Poly Pomona, where I graduated in Civil Engineering in 1970. Having signed-up for a Navy program in early 1964, I attended Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island and went into the active Navy until 1972. |
| What would like to share about your life's work? | I worked as a public works engineer for 40 years in LA and Orange Counties. It is gratifying to see projects that I worked on that are in use now and recall the issues that were overcome and unknown nuances in the project. Trabuco Road widening in Lake Forest. Business park in Westlake. Century Boulevard overcrossing at the Century Freeway. Weir Canyon interchange with the Riverside Freeway. The off-ramp for northbound San Diego Freeway at Camino Capistrano, the Rancho Viejo Road and pedestrian bridges and the Stonehill extension to Camino Capistrano all in San Juan Capistrano. Pacific Amphitheater, the tallest peak in Costa Mesa. |
| What special interests and/or activities have you enjoyed during the last half century? | Along the way I volunteered as a Cubmaster, Boy Scout leader, youth baseball and soccer coach, Dana Point Cityhood mapping engineer, Dana Point Specific Plan Review Board member, President of the City Engineers Association of Orange County. I also had a serious interest in organized slo-pitch softball in Alhambra, El Monte, and San Jan Capistrano for about 25 years and for a while two nights a week. |
| Please share the highlights of the places you've lived or traveled | We have enjoyed travelling in the states snow skiing at Big Bear, June, Kirkwood, Mammoth, Heavenly Valley, Sun Valley, Park City, Alta, and Sundance and vacationing in Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver. Travelled across the country twice; Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Gary (Indiana), Newport (Rhode Island), Cape Cod, Rock Island (Illinois), Davenport (Iowa), Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park (New York and Huntington Beach), Coney Island, Atlantic City, Wildwood, Philadelphia, Valley Forge, Washington, DC, Annapolis. Enjoyed beaches in Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Manhattan Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente, Oceanside, Encinitas, Silver Strand at Coronado. |
| What is your favorite AHS Memory? | Bob Frank's Friday night open outdoor party. Dick and DeDe assembly. Honorable Mention at the Foreign Language Oratory Contest at USC. |
| What are your favorite books or movies? | Books - Razor's Edge, Great Gatsby, Farewell to Arms, Death of a President, Only Yesterday. Movies - La Roue, Random Harvest, Brief Encounter, Petrified Forest, Back Street (1941), Lost Horizon, Love Affair (1939), Dr. Zhivago, Chinatown, Midnight in Paris. |
| What were your favorite songs or artists from 1960 to 1964. What genre of music and type of dance do you enjoy most? | Rock 'n Roll - Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty, Beatles. Only You, My True Love, La Bamba, Queen of the Hop, Breathless, Teen Angel, Endless Sleep, Oh Julie, Louie Louie, Could This Be Magic, Earth Angel, In the Still of the Night, One Summer Night, Guitar Man, You're So Fine, Then He Kissed Me, Be My Baby, Quarter to Three, Little Darlin', I Like it Like That, I Want to Hold Your Hand. |
| How do you spend your quality time? | During the day, at the beach. At night, reading or watching a good movie. |
| In your life thus far, what stands out as most significant, growth-producing, moving, or heart-opening? | Birth of my children, getting my registration as a Civil Engineer |
| What matters most to you about the life you've lived? | Family and being happy |
| As you move forward into the future, what are your aspirations, hopes, dreams? | Good health, healthy family, piece of mind, and happiness |
| What do you still hope to accomplish or experience? (What's left on your bucket list?) | Go back and visit Devil's Tower, Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, and Little Big Horn. |
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