[fyrffytr1]

I got discharged from the US Navy in April 1973 and went to work with my then father in law doing residential roofing, If you want a taste of hell try putting black shingles down over black felt in 100 degree temps and 80% humidity.I did that until October 1975 when I got hired by the Fire Department, I worked there for 30 years, 24 hrs on duty 48 hrs off On my off days I worked for Sears as a deliveryman. Between thee two jobs I worked about 80 to 106 hrs a week, Plus I went to night school for residential electrical construction under the VA plan.
As our class project we wired my new house.
So after getting all the house wired and finished in 1976 my then wife decided she wanted to be known for herself,so she divorced me in 1977.
I won't lie, the divorce hit me hard. Not only did I lose 5 acres of land and a brand new house but due to my work load my ex was given custody of my son.
If it weren't for the good Lord and friends I probably would have lost my job at the Fire Department.
But I hung on and met the woman of my dreams in 1980. We were married in July 1982 and have been going at each other for almost 42 years now.

[OG68]

Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco. My carrier was in dry dock undergoing overhaul.

[400 4spd.]

50 years ago I was dating the young woman that I am still married to. We married in 1976.

[Jack Gifford]

Fifty years ago I got my name on a Stromberg-Carlson patent for a computer controlled telephone central office switching system, along with 4 other engineers. It didn't take long for the whole world to to copy it, so the patent became worthless (other than the patent awards Stromberg paid us). The second patent was more long-lived, an open-ended-architecture design of computer interrupt hardware.

[PunchT37]

50 yrs ago I was 10 years old cutting grass and building tree houses.

[JSchmitz]

I was in first grade.

[locomotivebreath]

Not born yet

[BILL BOWMAN1]

1st grade. Catching frogs, bugs , salamanders…

[The Champ]

50 years ago, I was stationed in Germany and my wife and daughter had just left MN to join me over there.

My wife had made me promise we would come home at least one time during my 39 months overseas. I was going to keep that promise too. But my wife decided that the costs of flying home vs the possible once in a lifetime travel opportunities we had in Europe were too high.

While stationed in Germany, we traveled to Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Switzerland and Austria.

The travel bug has stuck with us as we have been back across the Atlantic 4 times since then - back to Germany and Austria in 2013, Italy in 2019, Iceland in 2022 and Sweden in 2023.

We've also traveled extensively in Canada, been to numerous islands in the Caribbean and South America.

Our next big trip is to Okinawa - where our grandson is a crew chief for a VM 22 (Osprey) with the Marines. This will happen April of 2025.

[7t4mula]

Wow, what great stories! Interesting to see the differences and where we all were and what types of lives we’ve led!

In 1974, I would’ve been 13, watching jealously as a guy who had been our neighborhood paperboy was driving around in beautiful 73 Formula 350. I remember seeing that car on the showroom floor the year before through the window! I would go down and look at it at least once a week!

That ended up being my second car, as I bought it from the third owner in 1980! I owned it till last year when I parted it out and used it as a donor car for my 1970 Formula that I am restoring now!

[poncho-mike]

I was 15 years old, soon turning 16 when I could get my drivers license. My dad had lined me up with a weekend job that involved crawling under houses and in attics pulling wire for an electrician that rewired old houses, but I didn't work every weekend. I had a friend a few months older who already had his license, and I remember going into Charlotte and ogling the new cars on weekends when I wasn't working. I had a small Honda CL125 that I rode on my parent's land (they had about 14 acres). The annual summer camping trip to Ocracoke Island National Seashore was coming up soon. Dad's main driver was a 1966 Catalina 2+2. He was operating his garage at the time and was selling cars out of his shop. He bought a 1963 Falcon Sprint with a 260 3-spd for me to drive. It had a bad engine, so we swapped in a 302 from a later car. I didn't drive it for long, he bought a 64 Galaxie w/390 automatic. I didn't drive that long either, I burnt the rear tires down within a month. I had saved some money and had a part time job, so bought my first car purchased with my own money a little later in the fall. It was a 1968 Torino GT convertible with a 390 4-spd. After the Arab Oil Embargo hit a few months later, American Muscle was dirt cheap. It crossed the auction block for $275.

[Bob Dillon]

Studying Business Admin at University of Cincinnati, working for the VA, and raising my 2-year old son. Oh, yeah, working on my '67 400 4-speed '67 Firebird.

[61-63]

Fifty years ago we lived in Norcross Georgia and drove a '69 Pontiac Catalina that we bought new in '69. Also had a Ford pickup and many evenings after work I'd hook up the bass boat and go up to Lake Lanier for a couple of hours of fishing. Back then one night a week during the warm months there was a little informal bass tournament on one of those nights that ten or so guys would fish in. If you've never been on Lake Lanier it is a big beautiful lake and you can drop a dime in 20' of water and watch it fall all the way to the bottom. There are lots of under water islands in it and if you find them you can catch bass off of them.

[indymanjoe]

7yrs old. playing with hot wheels lol

[srmmmm]

At age 18, I was in my second semester at General Motors Institute and working my Co-op sessions at GMAD Lordstown. My freshman year was spent entirely in the Tool Engineering Department doing everything from filing Operation Description sheets and fixture blueprints, to designing hand tool assembly jigs. My car at the time was a 1969 4-door Skylark with a 350 2 barrel, nicknamed "The Tuna Boat" by my roommates thanks to the bow-like body lines on the side and the "gills" on the front fenders.

There was lots of pressure to maintain grades to keep the job at GM, but it was essentially a 100% scholarship and worth every drop of sweat and late hour of study put into it. I'd do it over again in a heartbeat.

[misterp266]

Was graduating from HS. Didn’t even own my first Pontiac yet…..

[Tarl]

8 years old, I was probably playing with hotwheels.

[59safaricat]

Originally Posted by locomotivebreath

Not born yet

Same here

[67drake]

Originally Posted by PunchT37

50 yrs ago I was 10 years old cutting grass and building tree houses.

Ditto

[71GP76TA]

50 years ago I was 6.