Sullivan Field is undergoing a major renovation. A new 7 lane, green and
gold, Mondo track surface is being installed as well as complete state
of the art lighting. In addition, a beautiful brick sidewalk will be
installed from the ticket booth to the home bleachers. You can have a
personalized brick added to this walkway.
Click here for more information.
Katherine Richard (Lebeda)
Twenty years ago, I was really looking forward to leaving Los Alamos.
In hindsight, I realize I must have started withdrawing from everyone
about 15 minutes after graduation. My much belated apologies to the
friends with whom I lost contact so quickly.
I went to Texas Tech in Lubbock in the fall of 1987, with the intent
of studying chemistry and then going to medical school. Lubbock was
flat and dusty and occasionally smelled like the stockyard. Despite all
that, I had a great time at Tech, learned a lot, and met my future
husband, David -- in chemistry class, no less. When I graduated with a
B.S. in Chemistry, I didn't even apply for medical school. Instead, I
went to graduate school at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. The landscape was similar to Lubbock, except it had
corn instead of the red dust. Other than the odd evening playing darts
and drinking beer with my lab mates, graduate school was not much fun -
but I stuck it out. I got my Ph. D. in Chemistry in 1996. I ended up a
doctor, but it wasn't what I had imagined when I was a kid.
Oh yeah, David and I got married somewhere in there. I won't bore you
with all of his stellar qualities. Let it suffice to say that our 15th
wedding anniversary is coming up this August.
I have been working for the same specialty chemical company
(Infineum) in New Jersey for the past 11 years. Of course, you have
never heard of us - we make performance additives for fuels and
lubricants. My area of expertise is automatic transmission fluid but I
am expanding into the realm of motor oil, as well. My company deals
with car companies and oil companies all over the world, which has
allowed me to travel to exotic places like Germany, Belgium, Brazil, and
Detroit.
New Jersey is actually a pretty nice place to live. We have a house
in a small town on the edge of the Greater Metropolis. An hour's travel
can get us to Manhattan, the Bronx Zoo, or the Shore (that's what they
call the beach). In two hours, we can be in the Poconos or the
Catskills. We have all four seasons and lots of trees that lose their
leaves. I'm not complaining - raking leaves can be very therapeutic.
While I do occasionally dine at some of the restaurants that appear on
"The Sopranos", I have never witnessed a mob hit.
David and I have two daughters - Maggie (8) and Ellie (5). They fold
their pizza and have a little bit of a Jersey accent (they must have
picked this up at school). They are a lot of fun and they keep me
hopping. Maggie and Ellie are both involved with swimming and
gymnastics, although not on the competitive level. There is a glut of
Type A personalities in this area, so we try to let our kids just be
kids. We also share our home - and my side of the bed - with a
wonderful mixed-breed dog named Dottie.
If any of you are wondering about my brothers - Bill (LAHS '86) lives
in sunny California and works in the film industry. Nick (LAHS Ô89)
lives in the DC area and is a teacher, of sorts. I do make it back to
Los Alamos from time to time to visit my parents, who still live in the
same old house near the Golf Course. I don't think that I will make it
for the reunion, but I'd love to hear from all of you - drop me an
e-mail!
