Ronald Charles Bunday

I worked in the telecommunications industry in Spokane, Lewiston, Id., Seattle, Phoenix AZ., Los Angeles Ca., NYC NY and many smaller places too numerous to mention. I started out as a lineman and worked up to many management positions which included managing crews, Marketing Manager and Project Manager for fiber optic projects. I retired in 2005 to Desert Aire and still take on managing occasional fiber projects to break the boredom of retirement. The rest of the time I am living the dream playing golf 4 to 5 times a week in Desert Aire which is about 20 miles south of Vantage on the Columbia River. We have a beautiful 18 hole championship rated course, local airport, great senior center, 2 parks, swimming pool, tennis and pickle ball courts and all is owned and operated by our community of about 1400 homes. Grant county PUD also recently built a beautiful boat launch with paved parking and great access to the river.

I was an underachiever in high school and was really bored with the school thing but managed to get through in spite of myself. I was more into partying and socializing which I became quite good at, however I learned in my junior and senior year this would not get me much in life. During the summer between my junior and senior year I decided to join the U.S. Army thinking I would finish high school in the service. A recruiter convinced me not to go that direction but introduced me to the Washington Army National Guard. I joined the guard and will always be thankful to him. While in the guard during my senior year I met a couple of very interesting guys who happened to be my teachers during the senior year. One was Max Schoening (spelling?) who was a Major in the guard and the other was Louis B. Hurst who was a Lt. Colonel in the guard. Needless to say I really had to shape up as a senior. The teacher who had the greatest affect on me was the woodshop teacher, Howard Allers. He had been a POW for 36 months in Germany during WWII and I learned more history from him and Major Max about WWII than I could have in any classroom. They had true life experience and shared it proudly. Five days after graduation I was in Ft. Ord, CA in boot camp asking myself "what in the world are you doing here". I served in the guard until 1969 and have never regretted a moment of it.

Meanwhile I have truly been blessed to have a great career with "MA BELL" and all the experiences life has given me. And it all started at good old L.C.