Tracy KrebsI am blessed with a wife that is the joy of my life, and two daughters that ,inspite of their father, are beautiful. They are part of the great focus of my life. The other being our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I left CRHS and attended the University of Portland for four years leaving with a Bachelor of Music Education degree (of course!). In May of 1974 shortly after my graduation Terri and I were married. I had a great deal of trouble finding a job and ended up teaching in Spokane in the Fall of 1974 during the World’s Fair. It was an experience. I taught in a school that had 40% Indian, 40% African American, and 20% sons and daughters of the most wealthy Doctors and Lawyers in town. It was crazy! Somehow I survived, and in April I came to Lebanon, Oregon to interview for the only job I might be interested in. I’m still here! I remember walking into the school the first day teachers reported and finding out I was the youngest staff member and one of only two males that had not served in the armed forces. It took a lot of working in to be accepted, but I was fortunate to have good co-workers and I learned a tremendous amount of educating. Along the way in 1976 my wife and I got our 5th year in education at Western Oregon State College. Don’t ask me what they call it now, the name has changed a few times! We were now two really employable music educators. We were employed too, and stayed that way! In 1978 we paid off our lot in town and got a loan to build our dream house. Well, a new house anyway. With the help of my father and family we worked every weekend from August 28- December10th, except two (we couldn’t get trusses one weekend in September, and we took Thanksgiving off). We moved in and are still in the same house at 1611 Post St.. Our daughter, Jen, was born in August of 1979, and Ali came along in March of 1989. Since then we have been learning to be parents. Sometimes I actually think we are OK at it, and then I usually wake up. Jen is a junior at Oregon State after two years as the setter, and one swollen knee) on the Humboldt State Volleyball team in California. Now volleyball is for fun! Ali is 10, in the 5th grade, and plays piano (what did you expect?), volleyball, softball, basketball, and the radio. In 1991 Terri and I we laid off (only to be hired back in a few weeks) for the third time. She decided maybe teaching music was not for her, so while she was working she went back to school and completed 31 hours of class work for a new elementary certification. We didn’t see her much for a year, and my 5 year old truck with 5k miles suddenly had 19k! I was teaching a class a day of one of my favorite subjects in school, US History. I decided I would take the National Teachers exam to see what I would have to study to pass and get a Social Studies certificate. I passed the test! What a nice bonus! Now I am in front of about 40 other teachers when it comes to layoffs. In 1987 the Vice Principal ( that’s the one in charge of vice at your school) came to me and asked if I would coach volleyball. I knew nothing (and I mean nothing!!!) about volleyball. I gave in to him thinking that since they couldn’t get anyone else to do it, it would pay for a nice vacation to Disneyland. It did, and I’m still coaching it. In 1992 He came back and told me they needed a softball coach. My daughter was on the team, (she was a good pitcher) and I was not sure about it, but he got me again. We went on that year to be undefeated in league and finished third in the State Tournament! It was time to retire! But I’m not that smart. I still coach softball and basketball too! What is incredible is that my teams actually win more games than they lose. I am 5 years from retirement and not looking forward to it (yet). In 1998 a big event happened for us, you may remember it. One of the kids that I had in my band a few years earlier, (in fact he was my Drum Major), Andy Propst, was kidnapped in Russia, along with another young man from Arizona. They were Mormon Missionaries. We live about a block from him and I have worked with his mother for years, so Terri and Jen took over some food for the house full of company they had. As a result we were later baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was the best thing we have ever done. The peace and joy of Jesus Christ are always with us. I would have considered myself to be about the last person to convert in the world. People used to ask me where I went to church, and I would answer," I worship at the Pineway Chapel, third hole!" I liked to play golf on Sunday. Sadly that has been somewhat diminished. Our lives are about as busy as yours. We run from school, to sports, to church, and meetings. I deal with concerts and rehearsals, and Middle school aged kids. Gray hair is starting to show (yes I do have hair!), and that is a subject that could fill a novel! (I have lots of hair.) If you pass through Lebanon be sure to call and stop. Until then, may the love and protection of the Savior be with you always. Tracy Krebs 541-259-1640
|