This site is to tell my life story, both my career and my life today. My wife and I have lived in Newport, Oregon since 2007, enjoying both its small town aspects and the richness of nationally recognized institutions. As a small town, I’ve been able to serve in a variety of ways, and have gotten to know people across the spectrum. We see each other at the grocery store, at arts events, and walking the beaches and trails along…
by John Lavrakas Through this blog, I will share my experiences in a career in GPS. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I.
Thursday, September 18, 1980 appeared to be just another ordinary day in Southern California, with bright sunshine washing over San Pedro…
Today, GPS is a household word. This was not the case when I joined the program in November 1980…
I had not intended to fail out of college, but when Dean Gann called me into his office in June 1972, I realized I was at a major decision point in my young life…
Right after college, I moved to South Bend, Indiana, to teach. Well, that’s not quite accurate. First, I applied to 25 community colleges across the country for teaching jobs in community colleges, and received no offers…
“Don’t get too used to this,” I thought. This isn’t how it is always going to be.
Before I begin the next big chapter in my life, I think it’s a good time to explain a bit about this program called GPS.
A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. Mahatma Gandhi, social reformer and independence movement leader. Gordon had dumped a pile of GPS documents on my desk. There were 13 of them to be exact, and they were specifications defining the requirements for the computer programs for the GPS ground control system, called computer program configuration items, or CPCIs for short. They defined the 13 main functions for…
My wife and I have lived in Newport since 2007, and have enjoyed both the small town aspects and the richness of nationally recognized institutions. As a small town, I’ve been able to serve in a variety of ways, and have gotten to know people across the spectrum. We see each other at the grocery store, at arts events, and walking the beaches and trails along the coast. As a nationally recognized region, we are fortunate to have the Oregon…