CLASS OF 1970
******************************
DOUG PESCHKA & HIS WIFE DAYNA WEILER
A Little Bit About My Life:
I was a late addition to the ranks of Salt Hawks. After I finished my Sophomore Year at Great Bend High School in the Spring of 1968, my family was in the process of moving from Great Bend [home of the Panthers] to Hutchinson right before, during, and after the time Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles. The night he died, the beautiful redhead who would later become my wife, Dayna Weiler, graduated from Southwest High School in Kansas City. I did not meet her until 1977, but for us, those three simultaneous events, in our hearts, will forever be linked together at that one moment in time.
I came to Hutch just in time for my Junior and Senior years at HHS. These years gave me a new opportunity to learn and grow, and learn from some mistakes, which I did. My learning took place not only in the classrooms, but in the cafeteria, at football and basketball games, and other places surrounding our school.
After Graduation, I went to Hutch Community College for 2-1/2 years.
Hutch Community College was followed by a 6-year enlistment in the Naval Reserve, featuring two years active duty at COMSUBPAC Staff at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was my privilege to serve with good and brave professional men, many of whom were submarine sailors. The Navy will forever have my everlasting appreciation and respect, as that tour, far from home, provided me a greater chance to grow up a little better.
During the years since September 11, 2001, I have proudly worn a “U.S. Navy Veteran” cap, as an ever-present reminder that we are all beneficiaries of the sacrifices of others.
Near the end of that tour of duty, not long before I returned home, I surrendered my heart to Jesus Christ, and He is my True Compass. It’s a journey that never ends, at least until God calls us Home.
In 1975, I saw what God and the power of prayer can really do, when my Dad was struck by Lung Cancer, and, through surgery, Cobalt radiation, and, above all, many prayers, survived that cancer. The surgeon who operated on Dad said later that it was God’s hand, and not his own, that steered the scalpel that day in the OR. Dad lived miraculously for another 11 years, to become a proud grandfather three times, and to see me find and marry Dayna.
I still have family in Hutchinson and in Wichita, and I get back to see them when I can.
In the late 1970s, I completed my BA in Communications at Fort Hays State in 1980.
Thus, I have been a Great Bend Panther, a Salt Hawk, a Blue Dragon, a Navy Man, and a Fort Hays State Tiger.
In 1977, I met Dayna Weiler, who grew up in Kansas City, and our marriage, which has been a great blessing to me from Day One, began on July 28, 1979. At our 2010 reunion, Dayna was told she is now an honorary member of our class [Thank you, Adrienne!]. I second the motion, and the “Ayes” have it!
In our spare time, Dayna and I have done some volunteer work in Kansas City for Heartland Habitat for Humanity, and also fro United Methodist Church of the Resurrection’s “Bless The School” projects. We joined that church in December 2009.
We now live in the oldest part of Olathe, Kansas, where we have been happy homeowners since March 1999. We are owned by cats, who seem to network with each other very well when we’re not looking!
I have worked since 1996 in the field of manufacturing Quality Assurance, in ISO-9001 certified environments. You can find me on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Dayna and I are both vegetarians; she, since 1982, out of having a loving heart for kindness to God's creatures. In 2002, I did likewise, and we've both been healthier for it.
As of our 2010 reunion, I am and have been employed for one year at Torotel Products here in Olathe. One of my duties there, in Quality Assurance, includes inspecting parts that go into the triggering devices on Hellfire II missiles. So now, I’m supporting our troops – for a living!
In 2010, for the first time, Dayna and I attended a reunion of our class, and it was long overdue. As Kay Gordon reaffirmed when I arrived for our Salt Mine Tour - “IT’S ABOUT TIME!” Although away from our class for 40 years, this Salt Hawk was never alone.
God willing, I’ll be back for every HHS Class of 70 reunion from now on, as long as we’re here to have them. This Salt Hawk / Navy Man has finally returned to Home Port!
As we all “March Forever On”, “Until we meet once more, here’s wishing you a happy voyage home!”
Doug Peschka / June 27, 2010
© Daydream Dezigns / Hutchinson High School Class of 1970, 2010. All Rights Reserved.