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…
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.
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…
Melody and I have been fortunate to visit places throughout the United States and Europe. Each visit brings us a new appreciation for our rich and diverse world.
John Lavrakas is a retired aerospace engineer who lives in Newport, Oregon with his wife Melody Shipherd Lavrakas. He graduated from Harvey Mudd College (1974) and Claremont Graduate University (1975) with degrees in Mathematics. He taught mathematics and physics at Indiana Vocation Technical College in South Bend, Indiana for three years, then spent forty-two years as an aerospace engineer, with forty years of it on the Global Positioning System. This work took him through all aspects of GPS, from the…