David Surges

When I graduated from Alemany, I went to Loyola for four years. After graduation I was drafted (lottery #143 – the highest number was 146) and spent time in Hawaii and Vietnam. I never saw any action except for trying to get a seat at the NCO club on Saturday nights.

I married Linda Nye while overseas, and we had one son. After 9 years I made the biggest mistake of my life by leaving her. At the time I was in banking and spending a good part of my life in drinking and partying. I also used your tax dollars to go back to school and receive an MBA!!

Three years later I married my current wife Vicki. Together we have 6 children, and 3 of our own still living with us. I haven’t been back to the Valley since 1973, but I know it has changed. Vicki and I followed one of dreams to escape SoCal so we went to Flagstaff AZ. Banking was not my passion, so I tried teaching at Northern AZ University. I found out I was having more fun teaching one night a week, than working over 40 hours.

Vicki is not only the smartest person I have ever met, but she is the most resourceful. She found an opportunity to teach business and accounting in Carson City Nevada in 1986. I taught a variety of management and finance courses for 13 years. Then we opened a new chapter in our lives. Both sets of parents had passed away, so we really had no reason stick around the West. At this time is when we both discovered a personal relationship with Jesus.

In 1999, I found a job teaching finance and strategy courses for a small Benedictine college in Northern Minnesota. It is the most beautiful country I had ever seen. We are nestled right on Lake Superior (which is my substitute for the oceans). We all extremely happy here. We are joined by our daughter Veronica; age 22, Vinnie; age 19 and little Madeleine (11), AKA God’s surprise 7 years after a vasectomy!!!

People sometimes ask why Duluth??? The health care is superb, we have no fires, earthquakes, or poisonous snakes (or other critters.) Also, our oldest 3 children were busy playing hockey. In fact two years ago the local HS was the only one to have home schooled goalies starting for the men’s & women’s teams.

I wish I had some more exciting things to offer to the best class ever from Alemany. Guess you will have read between the lines. Life is an exciting adventure when you have the Lord as your guide, and you trust his leadership.

God Bless you all.

David
Duluth, MN
09/26/06