Alemany was my first high school. I attended during my freshman and sophomore year. I left in my junior year and went to a public school: Reseda High. I was very unhappy not having any way to meet "boys" at Alemany. It’s too bad the school didn’t arrange for boys and girls to have a couple classes together, otherwise I would have stayed at Alemany.


I actually met the fella I married during graduation practice at Reseda High. Jim and I have been married for 38 Years now. We have two grown children Karri (37 yrs) and Kirk (35 yrs). Karri has two kids of her own, Chloe (12 yrs) and Tyler (8 yrs). Kirk hasn't married and is presently attending school learning Design, AutoCAD, and all the related computer stuff.

Jim and I lived in Reseda, Calif. for 9 years after we got married. Then we moved to Eagle Point, Oregon in 1978. We built a house, which we are still adding onto. We have had fixer-up homes through the years that have all been good investments. We have a rental at present that I manage.

Jim and I own a business called Protec Security and Communications Systems, Inc. He is the tech man and does all the bids, etc. I have done the networking in the community, and have done much research on the economy, as well as, the State and Local views on Technology. I was the vice president (for 3 years) of an organization called SOTTC (So. Or. Telecommunication and Technology Council). I also have been on the Regional Investment Board (3 years) for Southern Oregon. We decided policy and chose who received grants for their businesses or for public development.


Early on when I was in my 30's, I worked as a Realtor. I liked it and was good at it; I stopped though, because my small kids (8 yrs & 10 yrs) needed more attention.

When Karri was 12, I returned to school and got a Bachelor's Degree in Communication (1990), and then again for a Masters Degree in Social Science (1994).
I had a private Counseling Practice for 3 years after that. My specialty was Decision Making, Communication, and Cognitive Therapy. It was hard.... quite depressing, so I quit and started to do volunteer work in the community. I was on the "Jackson County Commission for Children and Families" for 5 years. We decided what services received grants, and determined policy for Southern Oregon concerning Health & Human Services and concerning the Justice System.

One of the most interesting things I did was a different but related endeavor. I put together Community Forums and Public TV shows called "County 101." During this period I was part of the Commission for Children and Families, as well as part of the League of Women Voters. I created the "County 101" project and worked on the Forums and the Talk Shows for a year. As a consequence of this work a bond was ultimately passed to build a new Juvenal Center (badly needed). The outcome has been very positive for the Juvenile Justice and the Adult Justice Services. They now look at the relationships between these two levels to create better family outcomes.

This year is reunion year for both Alemany and Reseda High. It will be fun to reminisce. Sherry (Evanson) and Lynn (Carter) were good friends for my two years at Alemany. I can't say that I ever met anyone more like me through the years than Sherry. Certainly we shared the Catholic upbringing. That did shape my worldview, and my interest in working for a healthy community and the kind of opportunities that enable people to become the best they can be. I guess I think that we should help to create a good and successful community filled with moral caring and productive people.

That's the quick summary of my life. I'm glad you asked about my life, because I had been wondering what I would tell people at the reunion about what I became! The answer is "a Little Bit of This & a Little Bit of That!"

Currently, I have been regrouping, taking time to take care of myself. It's time to squeeze more fun into my life.... you know what I mean? So I'm not doing any heavy duty thinking this year. It would be nice to catch up with friends, both old ones and new ones!

Best Wishes,

Trudy (Barela) Bridgers
Eagle Point, Oregon

(Ed Note: With our apologies to Trudy, in the vast morass of pictures and bios, this bio (which was intended for the 40th Reunion Book) was inadvertently omitted. We belatedly have corrected our oversight.)