Looking Back and Looking Forward

By Dede Henderson

Looking back on 51 plus years of memories with Greg is a challenge.  There have been so many adventures, so much laughter and a few tears along the way. 

Greg and I met in college in September of 1968 and were married in September of 1969.  Being normal young adults, we thought we knew everything and were ready to conquer the world.  To some people I suppose we missed our mark, but to us we have achieved a lifetime of great memories along the way.

In June of 1971 our son Mark was born.  We thought it was perfect timing since Greg was supposed to graduate that same month from the University of Oregon.  As it turned out there was a mix-up when his credit hours were counted and he ended up 3 shy.  That degree had to wait!

Greg joined the Air Force in 1973 and headed off to Basic Training and Tech school.  The first assignment from training was in Dayton, Ohio where our daughter Kara was born in 1975.  The degree was still on hold!  

When Mark was almost 4, and Kara 2 months old, Greg’s next assignment took him on a remote assignment to Alaska for a year.  From there he was assigned to Woomera, South Australia where we lived for two years,  While there Greg made an arrangement with the Geography Department of the      U of O and did a geophysical study of South Australia and finally received his degree. Missions accomplished! Also, living in a remote government village was a whole adventure itself.  We were on the edge of the Australian outback.  Lots of heat, donga, sand and flies!  

From there we were to be given our “base of choice”.  We ended up at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey.  Definitely not our choice, but we made the best of it.  As it turned out that would be Greg’s swan song with the Air Force.

Since leaving the service we have lived in Lowell OR, Tigard and Tualatin OR and have lived in Sutherlin, OR since 2008.  We have settled down from moving around and have put our energy into enjoying as much of the country and Canada as we can.  We love to hike, spend time with our kids and keep up with that granddaughter of ours.  She was born in December of 1995 and has been a light is our lives.  Before graduating from Arizona State she was involved in dance, acting and mostly softball.  We always enjoyed attending her dance competitions and following her through her softball career right through college.  

Through all this Greg had been busy in the finance field, always with the dream of publishing a business journal.  For the last 5 years he has been creating, evolving and publishing the Southern Oregon Business Journal.  It has been a journey that he has enjoyed and will miss.  

It may be time for his publishing journey to end, but there are many more travel and adventures in our future!

Dede

Aka: Greg’s Wife