Life Afer Spinax: Darrell Clapp

After I left the Navy, I returned to the Oakland, Calif. area and started work in a printing plant as an Industrial Eng. clerk, got tired of that in 18 mo. and took the test for a Patrolman in the San Leandro Police Dept. I was hired about 6 mos. later and worked swing and Graveyard for a year and found that the schedule was playing havoc with my single life. I Quit ( I wasn't a good man for that job) and found a job in a hardware wholesale warehouse and worked myself into sales, met my wife, got married 3 mos. later and started having kids, boy and girl and figured out what was causing this. I finally changed jobs, I was offered a sales trainee job with U.S. Plywood Corp. in Oakland and a year later was transfered to the Sacramento, Ca. and promoted to the Sales Manager Position, and moved to a place just outside Rescue, Ca. in the foothills of the Sierras.

In 1974, I left U.S./ Champion Paper and went to work as a wood products broker with Neeley Nelson Lumber Co. in Sacramento and 18 mos. later was asked to come to Medford, Or. and they would back me to Start my own company. I moved my family again and bought a place 8 miles Southwest of Medford in the Siskiyou Mountains. We raised our kids ( Son -lives in Sandy, Utah, single and a Computer engineer, Daughter- Married w/ 3 perfect daughters and live in Medford about 10 miles from us)

In Jan 1996 my wife said in passing that "Don't you think its time for you to build your shop" I called a friend that day, a contractor and asked him to come over as I wanted him to build me a shop. His first question for me was " how big do you want it?" In the standard deep thought that I give everything, I replied that I didn't know, How about 40 feet long and 30 feet wide, and make it two stories so that we have storage above. It was one of the most satisfying things that I have ever had a hand in building. A year later I left the company that I worked with and went totally into business for myself. I am winding down the business and in a couple of years I will retire and do a little traveling and spending more time with the family. Finding the crew of the Spinax and the search for others has given me a new lease on life and I am looking forward to the get together's in the future.

Darrell Clapp