Jim Caffrey
41 Stonington Circle
S. Burlington, Vermont 05401
caffreyjames@netscape.net
After SHS graduation, I attended the University of New Hampshire with a
partial basketball scholarship, majoring in Business administration
with a physical education minor. Basketball lasted one year until
my 160 pounds couldn't handle the physical demands under the boards
(weight training for basketball didn't exist in those days). I
was fortunate following my freshman year to be asked by the Athletic
Director to coach the Thompson School basketball team (a two year
agricultural school at UNH). My team had three very successful
years playing on the prep school / junior college circuit. Late
in my junior year, the university announced a plan to offer a physical
education major in 1966. I made the decision to take all
available PE courses I could, with the intention of going a fifth year
to get the degree I really wanted. A contractor's strike delayed
completion of the planned facilities and the offering of needed courses
for the degree. With an over abundance of credits, but not the
right mix for graduation, I packed my bags and moved to Burlington,
Vermont in 1966.
I was hired by the General Electric Company, a defense
contractor. A year later I made a six month visit to Fort Drum as
part of my Army Reserve obligation. Following that vacation, I
returned to GE and was soon convinced that continuing my education was
a top priority. After two years of working full time and taking
two courses per semester, I received a BS in Business Administration
from the University of Vermont. GE then sold us to Martin
Marietta, which later merged with Lockheed to become Lockheed Martin.
They eventually sold us to General Dynamics where I am currently
employed. We are the leading provider of chemical and biological
detection equipment, in addition to our high rate of fire gattling type
gun systems, reactive armor and 2.75 inch helicopter rockets. I
have held positions in Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Programs,
Marketing and currently Finance. My next planned stop is retirement.
In 1977, at 34, I married Bernadette (she was the business manager at
UVM athletics) and we built our first house on the fringe of UVM's
campus. Over the next three and a half years we had two daughters
and a son. As they grew, our complete access to all the UVM
athletic facilities and sports programs became an integral part of our
life. All three children turned to athletics (soccer, basketball
and tennis) at an early age. All were good students and graduated
from UVM in the last five years. They currently live together in
San Diego, which is why I am still working. After their college
years of bouncing back and forth between apartment life and moving home
with mom and dad (Karen had a Pit Bull and Lisa had a Rottweiler), we
sold our house, bought a town house (one extra bedroom for the kids to
visit one at a time!) and are now experiencing the freedom we missed as
newlyweds.
Over those years I have been very active in community and corporate
basketball, tennis, racquetball and golf leagues, although a cervical
disc removal and a C-8 nerve decompression in recent years have left me
only physically able to play golf.
My mom, dad and most aunts and uncles have died (Bob Stringer has seen
a lot of me in recent years), but we still make it to Claremont a half
dozen times a year to visit my remaining aunt. The alumni parade
is always one of those visits. I'm looking forward to seeing all
of you in June and am available for a round of golf on Saturday
afternoon or Sunday morning of that weekend if anyone is interested.