Get to Know Tuck

 What was my first job???  Could it have been shoveling that dreaded snow in the cold winters of Illinois?  Maybe it was mowing lawns in the hot summers. However,  thinking way back,  I mean it must have been when I was about 9 or 10 years old,  my first paying job was carrying out the garbage for one of our neighbors.  I got paid 5 cents for taking out the garbage, and 10 cents for burning the papers for Mrs. Jenny Van Dyke.  That name sound familiar?  Well it should.  She was the grandmother of comedians Dick and Jerry Van Dyke. She lived on Woodbury St. right around the corner from our Franklin St. home.
    Then I started not one, but 3 paper routes for the Danville Commercial News.  I probably did that for a couple years,  then at 14,  I started working after school and on weekends at Marty K's, a fast food hamburger joint.  During the summer, when I was 16 I had a stinking job.  I worked at the Sanitation Plant, near Grape Creek.  Oh,  I forgot, there were a couple of summers that I worked in the hot cornfields de-tasselling.  Whew!!  Then I started a new part time job working once again for the Danville Commercial News in the mailroom. I would go in on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, and early,  I mean early, Sunday mornings wrapping papers to be delivered by mail.
     After graduating from Danville High in 1971 I had a 4 year tour of the world by joining Uncle Sam's Canoe Club,  otherwise known as the US Navy.  After leaving the Navy,  I went back to America's Finest City,  San Diego California. I had a couple of different odd jobs, one of driving an ice cream truck around the streets, and another working in the warehouse of Evangelist Morris Cerrello. Then I received a phone call from the family back in Danville that I had been offered a job at one of my hometown radio stations, WDAN-WMBJ.  Had the pleasure of working under the tutelage of veteran news reporter Bill Pickett.  Worked at the station for about 4 months.  The Danville Police Department looked really inviting, so we started as a Cadet and also attended Jr. College at the same time.  Duties were very interesting, as I made prevention patrols, booked in suspects, and rode with sworn officers. Then the chance to follow in the footsteps of my Dad came along,  that of being a Danville Firefighter.  I started in June of 1978, and stayed until August of 1984.  Dad made a 22 year career of firefighting,  but to be quite honest,  it was not for me.  I enjoyed the rescue/emt work,  but decided in 1984 to give it up, and head back to the big city,  no more snow!!  Arriving back in San Diego in September of 84,  obtained a job in Security at the San Diego Padres stadium.  Was able to be there when the Padres clinched the 84 pennant. Started working with Continental Maritime, a shipyard on San Diego bay. Then came a chance of a lifetime. Applied for , and obtained employment with the San Diego Trolley as a train operator. Have been doing that since Feb of 86 till now.