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Derrick Parish   (1950-57)

While at WCGS I was a Prefect and Captain of the Normans team, in the First Eleven in Soccer and Cricket, earned colours in 1956 for discus and javelin, and was a member of the Royal Air force air cadets.  

Left to emigrate to Canada in 1957 and started high school in Hamilton, Ontario to make up for English lower level GCE (Miss Carr-Ugh!).  Joined the Royal Canadian Air force in 1957 and graduated top of radar electronics school.  Served all over Canada working on Anti-submarine aircraft.  Joined Canadair Ltd in Montreal, Quebec in 1962 working on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for the British and German Armies.  Received scholarship from company to attend Sir George Williams University in Montreal and graduated in 1969 with honours degree in Maths and Physics.  Worked as an engineer for Canadair until 1971 whereupon emigrated to USA to join my parents.

Married at that time to a Canadian girl and had two children, both girls (unfortunately wife deceased).  Joined Martin Marietta Corp in Denver, Colorado in 1971 and worked as an engineer on many space programs including Viking-Mission to Mars (name is on the Viking Spacecraft on the Planet Mars).  Joined the procurement organization and was promoted to Manager of Subcontract Management working on MX and Titan Missile Programs.  Left to join LTV (Lockheed Missiles Division) as Director of Procurement with acquisition responsibility on missile programs including Anti Satellite, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, Hypervelocity Missile System, etc.  Joined Sierra Nevada Corp in Reno, Nevada as Director of Operations with procurement, manufacturing, test and manufacturing engineering responsibility.  Worked on programs with US Navy, Marine Corp and companies in China and Turkey. 

Retired from aerospace and defence and became a Commercial Real Estate Broker with Coldwell Banker and presently Sperry Van Ness.  Hold the prestigious Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation.  Now remarried and reside in Granbury, Texas 30 miles to the SW of Fort Worth, Texas.  Children live in Denver, CO and San Antonio, TX.  Have 4 grand children.  Best friends from WCGS include Alan Nethercott, Gordon Palmer, and Ron Lewis. Gordon visited us last year in Texas.