 Taken October 2003 |
My name is James Looney (formerly dimitris drossos drossopoulos), but you can call me Jim. My mom Martha Gabay was married to Yannis Drossopoulos when I was born in San Salvador, El Salvador, Central America on August 7, 1954. On January 1, 1957, my brother John was born. After Johnny's birth, we moved temporarily to San Francisco, California, U.S.A. to live with my Grandmother and her husband (Ofelia and Federico Bilbao.) About a year later we moved to Athens, Greece (I still remember the large Greek ship we sailed on.) I remember going to kindergarten and first grade in Athens. I still remember my first grade teacher's name, Giorgia. She was very strict with the class. |
| We didn't use paper to write on in those days but instead we used "personal" chalk boards.
Hard to believe. I also remember clearly sitting on my Grandfather's lap, sticking rolled up pieces of paper up his nose -- we were just playing. We lived in Greece until the early part of 1961 when we left for Spain. We lived in Spain for about six months and then moved to Missouri, U.S.A., where my mom remarried. His name is Tommie Ray Looney. At this time I did not speak English. I learned enough during summer school to start the second grade later that year. In 1962 we moved to Colorado Springs where my brother Andrew was born on October 13, 1963. A year later we moved back to Spain. This time the southern part of the country -- Sevilla. Living in Sevilla was an important part of my growing up. I learned how to play baseball. I played minor and little league and also made the All-star team. I think I made my father proud of that. During that time I remember one of my friends getting run over by a bus and died. His name was Terry Spangler and they named our baseball field after him. Across the street to the right from where we lived, lived Skippy Vanostin. His mother was the Den Mother of the Cub Scout troop I belonged to. My mom still keeps in touch with her. Across the street to the left lived the Hunklers. Kim, Kirk, and Bruce -- I think -- were their names. I always wanted to run into Kim sometime down the road of life. Down the street lived another two families that we (my mom again) keep in touch with: the Bernard's (Mother and Father: Gerda and Ray; Kids: Mike and Susan) and the Michael's (Mother and Father: Fay and Bud; Kids: Mike and Debbie). In 1967 we moved to Petaluma, California, and about a year later to Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato, California. It was during that time frame that I was exposed to "hippies". I liked it, but my Dad -- being a military man -- would not allow me to grow my hair longer than a tight flat-top or a crew-cut. However, I was allowed to wear my mom's necklaces. I was kind of a hippie on the inside, but looked like GI Joe on the outside. In 1968 we moved to Waipahu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. My dad was stationed on Johnston Island -- about 800 miles away -- so we moved to Hawaii to be closer. This time frame was quite an experience for me. I was called a "howly" meaning white and not local -- something you did not want to be at that age in Waipahu. I don't think a day went by that I was not asked for my money. I finally started carrying only my lunch money -- a quarter. It was on this island that I saw my first rock concert. It was in an outdoor amphitheater and the group was Quick Silver Messenger Service. Would you believe that in 2001 I saw them again with Nitaya at the State Theater, Falls Church, Virginia. That's right-up the road from where I live now. |
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In 1969 we moved to Clinton, Maryland. I was in the 9th grade. That summer I went to drivers education and later (October 1970) got my driver's license. Starting the 10th grade I went to Surrattsville High School. On August 6, 1971, I started working at MEMCO in Camp Springs. I was a "bag-boy" making $3.25 an hour! There I met John Gidusko and Cosmo Quattrone. They are still my good friends today. |
| Sometime during this period I started to let my hair grow longer -- just an inch or two -- when my Dad started to notice and demanded that I get a haircut.One Friday after getting off work from MEMCO I went to a party and got drunk. At about 2 AM I phoned home to let my dad know that I was not coming home because I did not get a haircut. Needless to say, I went home the next day. He asked for the car keys and told me I could have them back if I got a haircut. I refused, and so he did not give me my driving privileges back until we moved to Okinawa, Japan. | |
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In 1972 we moved to Okinawa. My dad had purchased a Volkswagen Fastback for me. He relented and gave me my driving privileges back even though my hair was wild and long. I went to Kubasaki High School starting the middle of my Junior year. There I met Darlene Grant -- my first girlfriend. We were almost inseparable for nearly 8 years. In 1979 we went our separtate ways. Eleven years later I called to her -- just to see how she was doing. It was no surprise that she did not want to talk with me. I can write thousands of pages about my experiences on Okinawa but this is already too long. |
| In 1973 I left Okinawa for college. From 1973 to 1975 I went to Bowling Green State University in Ohio. My first year I roomed with Gary Wrobleski and Gary Dangelo. In 1979 I was Gary Dangelo's Best Man at his wedding in Cleveland, Ohio. He married the girl he dated in high school. Her name was Jenny. I still stay in touch with him, although it has been a few years since I have touched base. |
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In 1975 I had to drop out of college and move to Clinton, Maryland, with my parents. There I met John Lange (now Jean-Louis Pajot.) who has remained one of my best friends. When my dad retired from the Air Force in 1976, my parents moved to Dallas, Texas. I remained in Maryland. In 1976 I got my first "professional" job. I went to work for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (AAHPER) in Washington, DC. I was later promoted to the Director of Membership and worked there until December 1979. |
| The same year I got my Pilot's License in Clinton, MD. This was the plane that I flew the most -- A Cessna 152 ... "Cessna, seven, five seven, Juliet, Zulu..." Yolonda was my first civilian passanger. |  Rose Valley Airpark, Maryland 1978 |
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In 1979 I went to work for the Adjutant General's Office as programmer/analyst; a government job located in Washington, DC, in the Forrestal Building. There I met Yolonda (Swanson) Poetzman. A beautiful blue-eyed woman with jet black hair. She was my first official passenger to take flying after getting my pilot's license. We moved from Maryland to Herndon, Virginia, where we bought a townhouse together. |
| Later we bought another house in Sterling, Virginia where we lived together for about 2 years. We are now best friends -- and that is mildly put. |
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In 1984 I went to work for the Department of Defense Computer Institute (DoDCI) at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC. I was an instructor of computer technology. Admiral Grace Hopper taught in the same course I did. She was a remarkable women. I traveled to places like Germany, Korea, Japan, Panama and half the states in the Union teaching computer technology. |
 Rhonda and me celebrating New Years 1986 in Dallas |
| At work I met a young woman named Rhonda Story. During this time I met Joe Pissani -- Rhonda's boss from her part time job. He was an artist and a picture framer. For fun I developed a computer program that calculated the cost of a picture framing job on a pocket hand-held 4KB computer. Joe was so impressed with it that he thought we should market it...and we did. I asked my friend Cosmo to join the adventure and the three of us were a team for about 2 years. The product was called "Comp-U-Frame." |
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With the exposure to the art world that I always liked, I decided to go into the picture framing business. In 1987 Cosmo and I went to North Carolina to the North Carolina Picture Framing School to learn about the business. We started the business shortly after and called it "SULLY Framing & Art." Cosmo decided after about 9 months that this was not for him and sold his interest to me. I still have the business today and have one associate that has been working for me for over 10 years; her name is Leslie Dann-Barber. Rhonda and I dated for about 4 years. She is now married to Scott Gross with two beautiful girls -- Rachel and Haley. We are now also best friends and we carpool to work together everyday along with Jean-Louis and his wife Yolonda. In 1988 they discontinued DoDCI and created a new organization called the Information Resources Management College (IRM College.) I am now the Webmaster for the College. For almost ten years I remained unattached until I met Nitaya Silapasat while celebrating a mutual friends birthday in October of 1997. You can share our good times by going to "Events" section of my website. On June 3, 1998, I learned through a reporter named Helena Galari, who worked for Sky Television, that I had been communicating with for the past 5 months that Yanni Drossopoulos died in 1971 in London and was buried in Greece. I am now in touch with my father's (Yanni) remaining family that I left in 1961. On September 17, 1998, I left for Athens to be runited with my family. I have been to Greece four times since. The story continues in the "Drossopulous" section of my web site. My wonderful life goes on.... |
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