(The following biographical sketch of Ron Marlin was first published in "Panther Tracks 1995", a collection of memories published for our 40th reunion.)

LIFE AFTER BHS found me, along with many of our classmates, at College of San Mateo. During this same time period, with the urging of Jim Connor and Frank Osborne, I joined the Coast Guard Reserve with the idea of avoiding active duty. I was activated in '59 and enjoyed my next 2 years on board a 327 ft. Cutter sharing a 14x14 stateroom with 12 other seaman.

Returning to CSM and adding real estate to my curriculum, I was hired from a college class room by an old time Burlingame firm. At 23 I was the youngest licensee in the board, opened my own office when I was 28, and President of the San Mateo? Burlingame Board of Realtors at the age of 35.

At Gaven Dunn's party celebrating his engagement to Sandy Kriloff, I met a young lady named Gail Grady (BHS'59) and we were married in February of 63. During the following years we had 2 daughters, (Lisa and Julie), and a son (Ronnie) along with the usual menagerie of pets, problems, and growing pains. My two daughters attended the very same kindergarten class room as I (Washington Grammar School). All of my kids, however flaunted their parents fine tradition by attending and graduating from San Mateo High School, making it virtually impossible to attend the LITTLE? BIG GAME as a family.

During the years, I continued my real estate career, forming several different partnerships in various Burlingame locations until arriving in my present situation in San Mateo. With our oldest daughter married, we were blessed with 3 gorgeous granddaughters who fortunately reside in San Mateo offering us ample opportunity for "babysitting" and doting. Daughter #2, graduated from Arizona State several years ago and presently resides in the Marina District in SF working as a paralegal, while our son is a very recent graduate of that same university (ASU).

As 1 enter my 36th year of real estate and property management, I seem to have the same aspirations as everybody else, RETIREMENT. We are finding plenty of things to keep us busy. Taking up tennis some years back, both Gail and I spend an inordinate amount of time involved with the sport: Captain of a Team, Editor of the club newspaper, (Peninsula Tennis Club, which is located where? (Right next to Burlingame High School!) One of the highlights of my Senior Tennis career was when our team went to a National Senior's Championship in Arizona where we competed with teams from throughout the country.

We enjoy travelling, with an emphasis on "tropical beaches" which prompted our current love of SCUBA diving. Although I'm in constant denial that FORTY years could have slipped by so quickly how fortunate I feel to have found the right mate for the journey, to have been blessed with the children and grandchildren that have added meaning to my life, and for the added bonus of residing and working in the still-beautiful Burlingame area.

(Editors note: Ron’s 40th reunion bio had a lot of interesting detail so it is being left in, rather than separate the wheat from the chaff in the second version below.)

Ron Marlin, 50 Years

It’s amazing that 50 years have flown by so quickly, but equally amazing, is that I find myself only a few miles from where I started out, an experience shared by only a few of us “locals”.

After BHS, I attended College of San Mateo, followed by a 2 year stint in the Coast Guard, finding out what I didn’t want to do for the rest of my life. After returning to Burlingame I finished up at CSM with an emphasis on real estate. In 1960 I started a challenging, enjoyable and very satisfying career in that field.

During that 45 year time span, I was fortunate to meet and marry another Burlingame High grad, Gail Grady (class of 59). Coincidentally, we met at Sandy and Gaven’s engagement party. (Gail’s older sister was Judy Grady, class of ’57)

Over the ensuing years we were blessed with 3 children, 2 girls and a boy and then became doubly blessed with the arrival of 6 grandchildren, the last being our first grandson. If there is any downside to the plan it would be that the kids are geographically located on the east coast, west coast and Chicago area, making frequent visits and communication a logistical dilemma.

Both Gail and I have enjoyed a long career in tennis, still playing various USTA leagues, and more recently, have striven to gain some sort of skills in golf. So far mainly unsuccessful!

We closed are real estate office 3 plus years ago and went into semi-retirement. (Does anyone ever really quit real estate?) After selling the family home, we did the typical downsizing and relocated near Peninsula Golf and Country Club, joined that familiar venue, and like so many of our contemporaries, purchased a get-away in Palm Desert.

Between our favorites of Hawaii and the desert, plus the myriad opportunities for travel, we find our selves far from the feeling of retirement and sometimes, much busier than we would like to be. We completed a recent cruise in the Alaskan waters, and had previously done Greece, Turkey, Tahiti and a quick trip to Prague and the Czech Republic. With ample opportunity to live elsewhere, we still elect to call the Burlingame-San Mateo area, home. It’s awfully tough to beat!