Lamar High School Alumni
Arlington, Texas (TX)
Keith Julson
Lamar High School
Class of 1974
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KEITH'S PROFILE
| First Name | Keith |
| Last Name | Julson |
| Graduation Year | Class of 1974 |
| Gender | Male |
| Current Location | Crowley, TX |
| Hometown | Arlington, TX |
| Relationship Status | Single |
| About Me | Ok, this next part is really long so if you have a short attention span you may want to move on to the next profile. Just saying.... After high school I went to work at the Whataburger on Bowen Road just north of Division Street (Hwy 80). Several months later I came to realize there must be more to life than standing behind a counter asking customers if they wanted fries with their meal so in December 1974 I joined the Navy. Stationed on a destroyer (USS Basilone DD-824 home port in Norfolk VA) and two deployments to the Mediterranean later in May 1977 I transitioned from active duty to active reserve (my NAS Dallas reserve unit was assigned to the USS Cook FF-1083 out of San Diego CA) and came back to Arlington just in time for the release of Star Wars. A couple of years college at TCJC NE Campus only taught me in order to pay the bills you must have a job with a steady income so off to the private sector I went. Beginning my career in data processing as a mainframe computer operator I went from an insurance company in Fort Worth to an oil company in Dallas then back to Fort Worth to work for First United Services Inc. which was the data center for First United BankShares, Inc. The bank was eventually bought by InterFirst and on Labor Day weekend in 1983 I transferred down to Austin to continue working in the banks data center but this time as the Lead Computer Operator. Two bank mergers later (FirstRepublic in 1987 then NCNB in 1988) I was laid off in late 1989 when the data center was closed. The following year, in 1990, I went to work (again as a computer operator) for the Parole Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. (Years later I used to joke that I’d spent some time in the Texas prison system but it was ok as I was an employee.) In 1993 I transitioned from being a computer operator to a System Support Specialist III, which is a fancy way of saying I was now doing desktop support. Still with computers but only smaller. In August 1997 I quit TDCJ and moved back to Arlington to be closer to home as my parents were starting to have health issues. A couple of months later I got a job with a publishing company in downtown Fort Worth, once again doing desktop support. I even met a wonderful Lady and I remember thinking life is good. Sadly that happiness was not to be. In late February 1998 my mom passed away and six months later (almost to the day) my dad chose to follow her. As I was living at home at the time to care for my dad (he was by this time legally blind and in a wheelchair) I discovered him when I came home from work. That began a dark chapter in my life as I spiraled down that guilt ridden rabbit hole (Was there *anything* more I could have done to prevent my dad from doing what he did?) that lasted for the next couple of years. During this time my girlfriend and I drifted apart as that relationship went the way of the Dodo birds. By the end of the century I'd climbed out of that guilt ridden rabbit hole and in late 2002 my brother (who along with his family were now living in the Seattle area) convinced me to move up there so I took the plunge and, at the end of May 2003, sold my house and moved halfway across the country. The Pacific Northwest is beautiful country with Seattle nestled on the shores of the Puget Sound with the Cascade Mountains to the east and the Olympic Mountains to the west. So much greenery. So many tall Evergreen trees. Lots of nature trails, hiking trails, bike trails and with milder summertime weather. You'd think that with the Puget Sound right there in your proverbial "back yard" there would be high (or at least higher) humidity but surprisingly it's not. The average summer temperature is generally in the mid to upper 80's. I would tell people that, yes, I'm from Texas but no, I don't miss the heat; no, I don't miss the humidity; no, I don't miss the thunderstorms and, no, I don't miss the tornadoes. But in the Seattle area and western Washington in general they do have the occasional earthquake and there are five active volcanoes (Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens) so I suppose it all balances out in the long run. I used to tell my friends if they ever turned on the news and they're reporting Mt. Rainier has erupted... well, don't bother calling. Chances are I'm probably already dead. But if you have a Ouija board you could always try contacting me that way. A month and a half after moving up to Seattle, on July 14, 2003, I got on with AT&T Wireless which became Cingular Wireless which in turn became part of AT&T. All was well with the world and I’d finally found my niche in life as my job was now a combination of Business Analyst and Project Manager. Fun times! I blissfully thought I’d be working there until I reached retirement age and then with my pension and benefits in hand I'd go wonder off with all the other little animals milling around in that great retirement pasture. But alas that was not to happen. With AT&T making two major purchases (first with DirecTV then with Time Warner which they rebranded as Warner Media) they were by this time aggressively doing major surpluses every six months in a valiant effort to pay down debt. And what better way to do that than to get rid of the people who actually make the company run and earn money. Gotta love corporate logic! So it was in January 2020 I got notified I was to be surplused in March but after a brief two month “pause” due to the pandemic I finally rolled off payroll in May 2020. Darn it! I only had another year or so to go and I could have retired. Oh well (shrug). It is what it is. Anyway, back in late January 2011, towards the bottom of the housing bust, I closed on my town home for $142,900. A very nice three bedroom, 2 and 1/2 bath, two story home with a 2 car garage. When I got surplused nine and 1/2 years later I decided to heck with it, might as well just retire and move back to Texas. In October 2020 I sold my town home for $348,000 so if you do the math I made out pretty darn good on the equity. So good in fact that a couple of months later, in December 2020, when I bought my house in Crowley... well... I paid cash. The good thing about my retirement is not only is my house paid for but so is my car. Overall it’s been a long road with setbacks and heart aches along the way but all in all I think everything's going good and I’m finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Either that or it’s an oncoming train - I haven't decided which yet. During my time living in the Pacific Northwest I did some traveling over to the coast, down to Portland, OR and even up to Vancouver, Canada on several occasions. I explored many of the state and national parks in western Washington and during my travels I took pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. No, seriously... *lots* of pictures. I’m not on that Face Book thing nor am I on Instant Gram and I don’t do Twits but for anyone interested I do have a Flickr account and that is where you can find some of my pictures. Not all of them because with the free account they limit you to how many pictures you can upload. To find my account simply enter my HAM Radio call sign K5KVJ in the search field and click on Search People. Then click on my name to access the account and from there click the Albums tab. Besides being a HAM radio operator I also build model kits for a hobby. Pictures of some of the model kits I have built can also be found on my Flickr account. Happy Stalking! P.S. I've never been married even though I came close four times. I was just never able to convin...(read more) |
Class of 1974 Alumni
→ Reunite with 98 class of 1974 alumni that have joined.
David Bart
Class of 1991
Tricia Reed
Class of 1989
Carrie Cunningham
Class of 1989
Ruth Martinez
Class of 1990
Farah Rizvi
Class of 1995
Belinda Mireles
Class of 2003
Alison Smith
Class of 1986
Billy Mcallister
Class of 1995
Dior Chance
Class of 2001
Nancy Lin
Class of 1998
Christine Beaulieu
Class of 1986
Steve Kunkel
Class of 1978
Stefanie Wright
Class of 2000
Jamie Lee
Class of 1995
Jared Schinzel
Class of 2004
Yamanea Serena Johnson
Class of 2009
Brittany Davis
Class of 2006
Joe Thomas
Class of 1987
Carey Granvold
Class of 1985
Nicholas Caliendo
Class of 2005
Victor Marcos Pena
Class of 2010
Caroline Beans
Class of 2007
Michelle Taylor
Class of 1985
Tatum Henley
Class of 1993
Recent Class of 1974 Reunions
Plan a Class of 1974 Reunion for Free
Class of 81 & all classes social
Invited Classes: All Classes
Date: Jul 17, 2021
Description: No cost social, food & drink on you own. No charges to participate, just come on to Gilligan's.
Lamar Viking All Class Summer Fling
Invited Classes: All Classes
Date: Jun 18, 2016
Description: Well Summer is here and thanks to the Class of 81 having their 35th Reunion this year, they have graciously invited all ...(read more)
Class of 1974, 40th Year Reunion
Invited Classes: 1974
Date: Jun 28, 2014
Description: 6/27/14, 7pm - midnight, Meet & Greet at J. Gilligan's in Arlington 6/28/14, 2pm - 4pm, Tour of Lamar High Sc...(read more)
LHS Alumni Multi-Year Reunion 2013
Invited Classes: All Classes
Date: Oct 19, 2013
Description: No advance fee required. Buy your own drinks, food, snacks. Come out to visit with the LHS multi-class alumni.