DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT
July 10, 2026
Today is the 50th anniversary of the day that I left Maryland and moved to live in California for the rest of my life.
In July 1976 I was living in College Park, just a few blocks from the University of Maryland. I had purchased one home on Norwich Road and had a fixed-price option to purchase a second home just six houses away. My parents had moved into the second house and I allowed them to take over my purchase of it. I had a great job working in the president's office at the University and was raising my two daughters as a single parent (with the generous help of my sister and my parents). I should have been content with my life, but I wasn't.
I applied for a job at the University of Southern California working in the budget office for David Shawaker. In May, David had arranged for me to fly to Los Angeles for an interview with the senior leadership there. They made me a generous offer, resulting in a disquieting debate inside my head on the long flight home -- what should I do?
My parents told me all the reasons why I should stay in Maryland, and every reason made sense. But I felt that there might be a bigger future for me in California, and I chose chance over complacency, opportunity over orderly.
On Saturday morning, July 10th, the day before my mother's 52nd birthday, she stood in the doorway of her home and cried as I backed my 1968 Chrysler out of the driveway to begin the trip across the country. My clothes were piled in the back seat and personal belongings to get me through the first month in LA were in the big trunk. I also brought my Craftsman tool box, just in case.
I had planned out the entire trip with brief stops at a few places of interest. But I needed to get to LA to start my new job as soon as possible. I had never been west of the Appalachian Mountains and never on such a long trip. I had (naively) made reservations at Holiday Inns in the city planned for each night's stop, meaning that I needed to cover about 500 miles each day or pay a penalty.
Driving I40
Arriving at the USC campus at 3:07 PM on Thursday July 15th after driving a distance of 3,258 miles in six days for an average of 543 miles per day.
Tribute to David and Pat
Thanks to David
On July 21 I sent a seven-page, hand-written letter to my parents describing the trip. I highlighted the things I saw, the places I visited, and my first few days in California. My closing paragraph said, "I'm going to do a good job out here, and all of you will be proud of me."