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.