Melissa Fox (Miller)

It has been so much fun to read everyone's bios and see what has been going on with the Class of '87! So, inspired by you all, and pressured by the reunion queen, Susan Brockway, here is my attempt at a recap.

After high school I went to UNM and received my bachelor's degree in Communications in 1991. I thought I wanted to be a broadcast journalist until I experienced it first hand working for KOB-TV, the NBC affiliate in Albuquerque. It was a great experience, but not a lifestyle I wanted to lead.

I moved back to Los Alamos in 1992 and worked for LANL as a graduate student developing marketing videos for Laboratory technologies and capabilities. I loved all of the science and technology and enjoyed being able to express that to the non-scientist audience through video and other communication pieces. During this time, I sort of fell into a job of training scientists in methods for commercializing their technologies. I worked with a team of business consultants from around the country to help develop and implement this program throughout the environmental management programs in the DOE complex. It was a lot of fun, a lot of travel, and I learned a lot about business development from the great and amazing group of people I worked with, mostly retired high level business executives from Fortune 500 companies and University professors.

I also loved going to school so much that in 1993 I decided to go back and get my MS degree in Management of Technology which I completed in 1995. This was two solid years of school, traveling for work and school, and writing a thesis. I learned so much and experienced so much through this process that I wouldn't trade it for anything, but I can tell you it cured me of my desire to keep going to school.

Since then I have continued to work at the Laboratory in business and program development in the energy programs and am now a program manager in the Fossil Energy & Environment program. Our program serves as the focal point for Los Alamos' efforts in fossil energy research and we lead the program development efforts for research on the use of conventional and unconventional fossil fuels and their environmental impacts. I spend a lot of time boring people with talk about carbon sequestration.

On the personal side, I married in 1992 and had a beautiful red headed boy named Ryan in 1998. He is an amazing kid - smart, funny, impressive dance skills, and remembers everything. Unfortunately, he has my ability to argue any point and I am pretty sure he was born smarter than me, so that makes life interesting. His Dad and I divorced in 2004 and I began a new phase of life, that of a single Mom. Because my job required a lot of travel and I have no family in Los Alamos anymore, this was a challenge. Luckily, I have been blessed with an amazing group of friends who helped me out a lot with Ryan, and in keeping my sanity in general. My best friend, Belinda Padilla, Susan Brockway and Lilly (Hinsley) Anaya, were always there for us and Ryan and I are both blessed to have them in our lives.

My life changed again a year ago when I met Andy Fox. For those of you who don't know Andy, he is brother to Suzy Fox from our class and part of the CB Fox clan. Andy is the most loving and giving man I have ever met and he is a fun person to be around. I am so lucky to have met him. Andy has two boys, Nolan (10) and Cottrell (8) (ten days younger than my son Ryan), whom I adore.

We fell in love and life has been a whirlwind since then. We met in October and he proposed to me in February. We took a pre-wedding "honeymoon" to South Africa in May and spent 17 days touring several different game reserves on a photo safari. This was indeed a trip of a lifetime. When we returned in June we sold my house and Ryan and I moved in with Andy and his boys who live with us half time. We bought a new home in White Rock together in August and we were married on October 7, 2006. It has been the craziest, busiest, most amazing, and fun year of my life. And who would have guessed that I would have two Class of '87 Alums as in-laws - Suzy (Fox) Wilson and Tony Keeler, who is married to my sister Julie.

While I still have to travel for my job and Andy is very busy running CB Fox, our life definitely revolves around the boys. With the multiple activities (cub scouts, soccer, basketball, fencing, tae kwon do, etc.), homework, and school projects, we have our hands full, but we still make time to play. The boys are becoming skilled chess players and enjoy beating Andy at every opportunity. We are all skiing this winter as we have snow here this year. We are at varying skill levels, but we are getting there. In the summer we hike, bike, swim, and Andy and I are hoping to teach the boys to play golf as we continue learning to play ourselves (How many years can you do something and still be a beginner?)

There have been lots of ups and downs, but mostly good times. I plan to be at the reunion (and do my best to help with planning as I am in town) and I look forward to seeing everyone and catching up!

Melissa