Newark High School

Gerald Juniper

Steve and I were good buddies in high school. We almost went in the Army together except while he was enlisting I was chasing skirts, especially in Utica. When he came home on leave after basic training he convinced me to volunteer for the draft. He said "That way you get away with two years instead of three". I did volunteer and was drafted in October 65. Going in the Army was a smart thing for me to do and I aways felt Steve was the one that convinced me to do so. Steve was stationed in Alaska during the time of the '64 earthquake. I remember that he sent pictures of the damage home and they were printed in the Advocate. Steve worked at the Air Force Station after he came home from the Army, but I don't think he ever fit in. Too much government regulation. I did see him a few times during that period but we eventually drifted apart. My best memory of Steve was when I took him to Ft. Knox, KY. He had been assigned there after his tour in AK. He had bought a 641/2 Ford Mustang. I drove him from Newark to Ft. Knox. It was a flying trip both ways. He didn't know whether he could have a car on post. Apparently he could, because a couple of weeks later he came back to Newark, got his car and went back to Knox. The last I heard, which I think was in '93, Steve was driving a truck for a living. I am very sorry Steve is gone.