Steve Cuts His Hair

You will be pleased to know that Steve does not live only in the past. As much as he loved his constituents, he did move on and meet Kelly and have three gorgeous children. (Honestly, look at those eyes.) Steve caught me up via email, a generous gesture since I had 20 years of news to learn:

Well, here is my story. I think the last time I saw you, Mark Shaw, and Annmarie was back in the college years. You were all at NLU and Alan, Greg Morgan, Shannon Mooney, and I were at Louisiana Tech in Ruston. I was there until junior year, and then my father (Joe) was transferred back to Pennsylvania (northeastern PA near Wilkes-Barre) while he was working for Dupont. At the time, my grades were going down the tubes from the wonderful fraternity life of Pi Kappa Alpha. (Brothers for life? Where are those guys now anyway?) I moved with my parents/family and transferred schools and graduated at a small Division III school, Wilkes University, with a BS in business administration. I went back to Wilkes a few years later for my MBA. I met my wife, Kelly, in Wilkes-Barre, which was really funny considering she was born and raised in New Orleans and graduated from LSU. After graduate school, I was having a difficult time landing a job, so my wife and I about 12 years ago decided to pack up with basically no money and no jobs and move to the Raleigh, NC. At the time, the Raleigh area was listed in Money magazine as the #1 place to live. So we, along with everyone else from PA, NJ, and NY, flocked down South for fame and fortune. We have been here ever since.

We live in Apex, NC, which is southwest of Raleigh. Kelly and I have 3 children (Becky, 9; Joshua, 6 [blue shirt]; and Thomas, 5). I am a portfolio manager within the Asset Management Division of Wachovia Mortgage Corporation. I manage a team that specializes in loss management, financial analysis, accounting, reporting, and claims. I have been with Wachovia National Bank (formerly First Union) for over 10 years now.

My brother Mike (class of '85), is a dentist in Bethlehem, PA, with his wife, Janet, and 2 children (Ryan, 8, and Matthew, 3). It is ironic that Mike became a dentist considering back when we were growing up he liked to clean his teeth with Gummi worms and Swedish fish.

My sister, Lori, lives with her husband, David, and 3 children (Chris, 10; Will, 8; and Katie, 5) in northeastern PA (Dallas, PA). My mom (Beverly) lives around the corner from them in Shavertown, PA.

Three years ago, I lost my father, Joe, to cancer. In many ways, my family has not really recovered from this. I myself was in a state of serious depression for the two years afterward. It was a big loss to the family. He was the "glue" of the family that kept everything together. Although he is never forgotten, I felt that within the past year that I am slowly getting back to my old self.

Lately, I have thought a lot about those high school days at Slidell High, especially in light of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina to the Slidell and New Orleans region. It was really nice seeing all of those pictures. I had a good laugh over the Mark Shaw and Laura Spreafico Saga Ball picture. I think I have that same picture up in the attic somewhere. It is funny, I still have our "Puttin' on the Ritz" SHS senior prom glass on my office desk at home, along with a Key Club glass and a 1st place Division C glass trophy that Mark Shaw and I won in a Slidell Tennis Tournament. I also have a SHS Tiger pennant hanging in my boy's bedroom.