The Way We Are
Family: Married Kathleen McCarthy (Y '67) the month before graduating from UVA with my BSEE. From there it was on to Boston to pick up my Master's from MIT, and back to Arlington to "settle in" to our predestined suburban DC/government lives (me with Naval Research Lab and K with National Endowment for the Arts). That all changed in 1980 when I was lured out to LA for a job with Hughes Aircraft. Enjoyed our years living near the beach - as I was moving up the engineering management chain, Kathleen was starting up the Department of Photography at LACMA (and writing 3 books). I then accepted an assignment in Germany working for Hughes at a ground data processing site, so we got to spend 4 fabulous years in Europe until the Berlin Wall came down. After that was a lost decade in Dayton, Ohio before finally returning to Arlington at the beginning of the century, where I'm still gainfully employed in the defense/aerospace arena.
Comments: We have enjoyed traveling throughout the years, and are hoping to reprise our initial 1973 9-week European vacation (where we picked up a brand new VW 412 at the factory and drove it all over the continent, camping most of the way) with another European vacation to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary (absolutely no camping this time). I'll see if I still have a job when we get back. If not, I'm ready to retire and enjoy the rest of my life - at least until the money or the body gives out.
Now: Tom Gauss
Date: February 2011
To My Classmates: Echoing Bob Skarin, I'd particularly love to see as many of the Ladies Aid Society members as possible make it to the reunion in May - should be a great time. Betsy and her crew have done a great job planning and organizing everything, and it should be an outstanding event. I'd encourage everyone who possibly can to make the trip to Arlington to celebrate our terrific class 45 years later (can it really be that long?) and reconnect with old friends. See you there!
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THOMAS HARRY GAUSS: National Honor Society 3, 4; Math Honor Society 2, 3, 4; French Honor Society 2, 3; President 4; National Merit Semi-Finalist 4; Key Club 2, 3, 4; Variety Show 3, 4; SCA Representative 2, 3, 4; Honor Council President 4; Club Council 4; Intramurals 2, 4.
