RON MICHELS

For those of you who remember me, the whole college thing, being responsible, and growing up may not seem to fit, but improbable as it seems, here is my story.

I pumped gas for a short period of time, and in 1961 I joined the USAF as an enlisted airman, so that took care of the "transitional"(4) years. After leaving military service in 1965 as an E3, I went to college at Cal Poly SLO and got an engineering degree(it took five years). I always wanted to fly military fighters so, during a chance meeting with a Navy recruiter; I found out that I met the age requirements for becoming a naval officer. I signed up again and spent four more years (1972-1975) flying airplanes, finally leaving Naval service as an 03.

After the Navy I went to work in the nuclear power plant industry as a welding/QA engineer and worked in the US and Canada at various job sites. While in Texas I returned to graduate school, but never finished. When the nuclear industry shut down in the 1980s I joined the UC Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM and three years later transferred to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) where I have remained for the past 27 years.

I've lived in Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Maine, Canada and now Livermore.

I was married for 32 years until the great divide. I'm currently single, but I've been with my lady friend for 13 years. I have a daughter who lives with her mother somewhere in the US and I have two grandkids, so I hear.

I've become a gourmet cook and baker. I like good food and good wine, and I've made award winning wines in the past. I make cheese cake that will make you drool. I build hot rods for fun, have won a couple of awards, and I like to travel.

Favorite sports include racing and football. I walk a lot and bicycle when I can. I have a junk yard attack cat that I acquired when he was two weeks old (I bottle fed him) who attacks rodents, mail men and small children. His name is Smallblock and he can hack a fur ball better than any cat I know. If I get another dog it will be a Golden Retriever.

I've been a production engineer, welding engineer and QA Engineer. I've been a QA Engineer for most of my career, and the welding is incidental to my main job. I've worked in the nuclear power industry as a welding engineer, QA Engineer and QA Manager. At LLNL I've been a QA Engineer, QA Manager, Group Leader and now as I finish it all up I've become my division's QA sage and all around nice guy. I hold certificates as Nuclear and ISO lead auditor, and I am a AWS certified welding inspector.

I'm still working, but that may change in the next two years. My boss wants me to stay until he retires (he's 42) so that may not work. The future is rosy; whether I stay or go I have work if I want it.