Alan Opstedal

          Saint Monica’s High School and the friends, studies and activities of the time, are some of my fondest memories. In the year following graduation, I attended SMCC and my attempts to decide on a career path were near impossible. With no desire to be drafted, Joe McCormick and I enlisted in the US Navy. We processed through boot camp in Company 415 at the San Diego Naval Training Center. As a result of the US Navy testing programs, I was informed as to the career path that I would be undertaking. I received orders for Electronics Technician Class “A” School at Treasure Island, San Francisco. An FBI background check cleared me for a Top Secret security clearance, which was required to qualify for the classification of Communications Technician Maintenance. I served 3 years at the Naval Communications Station, Honolulu. While stationed in Hawaii, I played Basketball for the NavCommSta Comets of the Hawaii military inter-service league. I surfed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the island lifestyle. I once volunteered for sea duty aboard the USS Pueblo while it was in at Pearl Harbor, but I lost out!
          After my discharge from Military service, I sub-contracted to several garage door companies in Santa Monica to repair radio controls, requiring on-site service calls. I attended Loyola University for a year with an Electrical Engineering major. The process was moving too slow for me, so I enrolled at Control Data Institute in Los Angeles, CA and studied the CDC3100 mainframe computer and the associated peripherals. It was during this time, that I met my wonderful wife, Deanna. She was born and raised in Kansas City, MO. We were married in January 1971 at St. Mark’s in Venice.
          Upon completion of the Control Data Course, I was hired by American Regitel, a Motorola owned company in January of 1972, the same day our daughter, Heidi, was born. It was time to get a real job! A year later, Motorola relocated our family to Silicon Valley. Deanna gave birth to our son, Chad, in August of 1973. In 1974 I hired on with Calma Company as a Technical Support Engineer. Calma was a small company specializing in Computer Aided Design Systems for Integrated Circuit design. Over the next 10 years at Calma, I experienced extensive international travel to Canada, England, Europe, and Japan. In 1980 GE purchased Calma. Silicon Valley was booming and I changed jobs for an opportunity at Weitek in R&D. This startup company pioneered the fabless Semiconductor business. Initial products consisted of math co-processors, floating point chips, adders and multipliers. In a joint development program with Intel Corporation, we produced the 1167 math co-processor for the Intel 386 CPU. Weitek went public in 1988. I then moved to another startup, Hifn, specializing in data compression and encryption chips. The age of the commercial internet had begun. Hifn went public in 1998. Since 2000, I have continued working within the Engineering departments of several startup companies, the latest being Lilee Systems, focusing on IP based communications and software defined radios for the transportation industry. I should be retired but I still enjoy my work, for I am nonetheless still useful.
          Deanna retired in 2010 from her Registrar position. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the grandchildren and her Tennessee Walker Horse (Lucky). Dee also plays golf on occasion, with a swing that I wish I had. Daughter, Heidi, graduated from Chaminade University in Honolulu. She and her husband, Andy, have two adorable daughters, Kylie (8), and Makenzie (6). Our son, Chad, standing 6’4” while attending Archbishop Mitty High School tossed the first no-hitter in the school history. His pitching career continued on at the University of Iowa. He completed his college education at the University of Washington. Chad and his lovely wife Bethany have two children, a sweet daughter Morgan (3) and son Reid (8 months).
          A few of my hobbies include riding my road bike and bogey golf. Our family enjoys numerous outdoor activities. Skiing at Kirkwood in the Sierras and water skiing and house boating on Shasta Lake are a two of our favorites. However, Hawaii remains our preferred location for vacations. Deanna’s nephew Sean adds some excitement for the family, while driving his Top Alcohol Funny Car in competition around the Western states.

We are so looking forward to the reunion and wish everyone all the best!