ART IC L E S 8
GPC Alumni Update:
William “Bill” J. Avarell (’49)
I graduated from the original Pepperdine campus at 79th and Vermont in June 1949 with a BS in business, then stayed one additional year and received a California teaching credential. I thought that it would be better to teach 180 days a year than be in an office 365 days a year. At Pepperdine, I attended classes three days a week and worked at the San Pedro post office three days a week. To save money, I slept on the floor of the men’s dorm until the paying members got tired of stepping over me and asked me to move out. I then moved to Jack Dalton’s (’49) home three blocks from campus, purchased a cot and slept in his garage for free. The best thing of my life was meeting Virginia Karis on campus! She was taking classes through Dr. Alexander with the assistance of James D. Young. Virginia played Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Rachel in A Man’s House, among several other school performances. She was also a registered physical therapist and was taking a fun break being at Pepperdine. We married June 3, 1950, while still attending Pepperdine College. So far it has been wonderful, 64 years to date. At this time we have four children, 22 grandchildren, and 27 great-grandchildren. My first teaching post was for sixth graders in Lake Arrowhead, California. I then became teaching principal at a special education school in Loma Linda, California, followed by teaching sixth grade in Long Beach and serving as a camp teacher at Camp Hi-Hill for the Long Beach Unified School District. After that, I finished my career in the education field as the principal at Camp O-Ongo in Running Springs, California, for 19 years.
Our adventures would continue, however, in the many years to follow. We built over 500 new homes from Big Bear Lake to Lake Arrowhead, California, with our three sons, Kory, Kim, and Kirk, and our daughter, Kandi. We purchased a run-down lodge of seven rooms in Ninilchik, Alaska, and built it up to 22 rooms. We attended many sport shows during the winter and operated Creekside lnn during the summer, offering great fishing and hunting. We even developed a business of taking teachers and students from the U.S. to the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, housing our students in private Mexican homes and offering them special tours. We often flew our own plane going down to Mexico; Virginia was the best pilot and always got us there safely. The control towers often would not believe she was a woman pilot, especially going into such a busy airport as Mexico City. We went on three missions for the LDS Church: Palmyra, New York; Hartford, Connecticut; and Boston, Massachusetts. In April 2009, we moved into the California Veterans Home, Barstow. It is a wonderful place to live with many other veterans, with a variety of activities offered all the time. Come join us at 100 Veterans Parkway, Barstow, CA 92311. What have you been up to since graduation? Send us your stories, memories, and updates!