Jeffery L. Morgan
With no wife or children, my family activities have centered on my role as “Uncle Jeffy”. The lovely lady in the photo is my niece Jennifer with whom I’ve enjoyed a wonderful relationship since shortly after her birth. I have 2 other nieces and 7 nephews – all of whom are exceptionally fine young ladies and gentlemen (despite my influence). The grand nieces and nephews have begun to arrive. So we get to start all over again … lots of play time with no responsibilities!
The first 3 years after graduation were spent in the Army. While others were placing their lives on the line for our country, my “Nam” duty involved running a service club in Thailand.
Not having made any post Vietnam plans and with no jobs available in Redfield, I gravitated to California in search of work in late 1971.
The next 12 years involved serving as the 3M service rep with the Douglas Commercial Aircraft Division, McDonnell Douglas Corp. in Long Beach, CA. I truly enjoyed being a part of the DC-8, DC-9, and DC-10 manufacturing team! It was the most interesting and enjoyable job I’ve ever had (although it paid poorly)!
Unfortunately, the news media grossly misrepresented the circumstances involving 3 DC-10 crashes in 1979 resulting in the end of the DC family of commercial airliners and thousands of jobs (including mine). Eventually, the airline responsible for the Flight 191 crash in Chicago apologized by purchasing a large number of MD-80 and MD-11 aircraft and the U.S. Air Force purchased 60 KC-10 tankers and the C-17 Globemaster III transport to apologize for the FAA and NTSB involvement in the misrepresentations. 20 years later, the History Channel aired a program explaining most of what actually happened! Knowing the truth regarding those unfortunate tragedies yet seeing how the media distorted those events (creating public misconceptions and fear) has left me with total skepticism of the news media. I, also, avoid flying as much as possible. It’s not the aircraft model but how the aircraft is maintained and operated!
I spent a total of 15 years with 3M before a series of layoffs left me wandering about for a couple years.
On April 4th, 2008, I celebrated my 20th anniversary with my current employer Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS). I’m a senior technical service specialist testing new Toshiba copiers, facsimiles, and printers. This reunion booklet was produced on one of our new color copiers using toner produced in our Mitchell, SD toner plant.
Like many, I have a mixture of good and bad memories of Redfield and RHS. However, all things considered, I have to acknowledge receiving an excellent education especially when one considers the community’s limited resources. I’m particularly appreciative of the kindness shown me by members of the RHS faculty who went out of their way to help a troubled youth get a decent start in life! With this in mind, I’ve begun supporting the Redfield School Foundation in hopes of ensuring these educational opportunities continue. I would encourage you to do the same!