Neil Bellenger

East Rochester High School

Class of 1963

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First Name	Neil
Last Name	Bellenger
Graduation Year	Class of 1963
Gender	Male
Current Location	Pittsford, New York
Relationship Status	Married
About Me	After high school, I spent 2 years at Monroe Community college. I enlisted in the Navy in 1966 and volunteered for nuclear propulsion, which required a six year enlistment commitment. For the next two years I completed Electronic Technicians school, nuclear propulsion school, and submarine school. Finally, near the end of 1968, (nearly half of the enlistment and still in school), I was assigned sea duty and became a member of the crew of the ballistic missile submarine USS Woodrow Wilson, SSBN-624. I was aboard the boat until 1972. During my time aboard, I qualified in submarines, earning my dolphins in 1970. I qualified as a submarine reactor operator the same year. I left the Navy in 1972 as a First Class petty officer, (E-6). The Navy provided me with the opportunity to completely remake myself as a person. It was a time of immense personal growth and I was able to shed years of doubt in my abilities and skills. Later in 1972 I began working for RG&E at Ginna station. Lynn and I were married in October that year. In 1974 I was granted an AEC reactor operators license for the Ginna plant. In 1979 I transferred to the RG&E Load Dispatchers office. The department changed names several times, to Power Control, Energy Operations, and finally System Operations. I was able to take early retirement and left the company in 2001. The same year I began volunteering with Flower City Habitat for Humanity, building houses in Rochester. I was part of the regular Friday volunteers for 10 years, doing everything from concrete work to rough framing, trim work, and drywall. Sadly, Lynn was taken way too soon, in 2011. We had 39 wonderful years together and she accomplished several goals. She was a licensed mechanical engineer, and was a founding partner in Pathfinder Engineers and Architects. She was also the first woman president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air conditioning Engineers, ASHRAE. Losing Lynn and increasing physical limitations led to me leave active work with Habitat in 2011. After four years on my own, I found someone to share my life with again. Peggy and I were married in 2015. Additionally, I'm a member of a National Submarine Veterans organization. Locally, a member of the New York Museum of Transportation, The Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, and the Rochester Woodworking Society. I enjoy kayaking, I've put together two wood and fiberglass kayaks. I also do a lot of woodworking, including wood turning. Also s...(read more)