Susan Olson by Maddie H, Tiffany G, Steven P.
Susan Olson (1971-1975)
Susan Olson attended Cascade High School from 1971 to 1975. She then attended Edmonds Community College for two years, and transferred to the University of Washington, where she became involved in the social work program. Her graduation was in 1979, but she had no success finding a job in the social work field. She later did get a job at Boeing, bought a house with her husband, Michael, and had her first daughter Shannon, who is now 26. They were married for six years. During that time, Michael had a kidney transplant, after which he passed away. Susan continued to work for Boeing through the 1990’s and met her 2nd husband John, with whom she had two more children, Sarah and Katie, who are now 17 and 18. In 2005, John had a heart attack and passed away. She now works as the office assistant at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, and has recently married her husband 3rd Marlon. She currently lives in Marysville with Marlon and children, and her favorite hobby is sewing.
High School Experience
I was a member of the Bruinettes, which was like a mix of colorguard and cheerleading. We would join in parades with the band, wore interesting outfits, and overall had a lot of fun. I was also in Girls Club, where I was in charge of the uniform coordination. (We had matching dresses for the first school year and would change them in the spring).
I wasn’t in too many of the higher-level classes, and actually struggled through school. I took French for three years, although I no longer am able to speak any. At that time we had Home EC, which was my favorite class. I also took sewing courses and choir.
Because it was so long ago, it’s difficult to remember all my teachers, but one stands out in particular: My choir director Margaret Snavely. Everybody called her ‘Snave’. She was a little harsh and a bit scary, but an interesting woman for whom we had a lot of respect. I remember her because she oversaw the Bruinettes, and was always there when we traveled, which I appreciated greatly.
In high school I was quite shy, and felt somewhat alone and out of the loop. I was very self-conscious, always looking at these close groups people, and then at myself. It wasn’t easy. However, I had a small group of people I hung out with – if we were feeling wild on a Friday or Saturday night, we would get in the car, drive down Colby, and eat at the burger joint called Herfy’s. I didn’t have much money, so we never went to the movies; instead we stayed home and watched TV. My time was spent mostly at the youth group of my church, which was called the ‘Lutheran League’. We would travel to conventions and stay at fancy hotels, which was a lot of fun.
My most memorable high school experience was when, on the first day of school, I accidentally walked into the men’s bathroom. I was pretty nervous, especially because I was so shy. In fact, high school in general was hard for me; I mainly just hovered around. I’d attend dances and would end up standing on the side, because nobody asked me to dance. It was hard to know what to do with myself, as everybody was dancing except for me. It was traumatizing how I kept hoping someone would ask me, and they never did. Once I actually asked a boy to go to Tolo, but he turned me down. That is something I regret: not ever getting to really ever experience the dances.
In high school, I worked in a fabric store part-time during my junior and senior years and two years afterwards. I got to meet some really nice people and set up store displays, which was a lot of fun. On top of that, I did a little babysitting.
While I was in high school, we wore fluffy sweater vests, flare jeans, and shag haircuts where you would actually use a razorblade! It was really, very unattractive. And, of course, everyone had braces and glasses. I wasn’t really into fashion though, back then.
Overall, I really enjoyed making the friends that I did in high school – I’m still in contact with several of them! High school is a time to mature, a stepping-stone. I believe that people who make an effort in high school and are involved in some way can come away with some very valuable lessons.
Events of the Time
Nixon was president while I was in high school. I remember him walking up the steps of an airplane, turning around, and doing the peace sign with tears in his eyes. It was a very sad time, because he covered up things that people were not happy about. All the trust eventually was gone. The Watergate Scandal was a big cover up where everybody became involved. It was definitely an unsettling time in our political arena.
The Vietnam War ended in May of 1975 and my class graduated in June of that same year. There was huge relief among my fellow students, because this meant that the young men didn’t need to worry about being drafted. I remember in grade school when I was sitting in the music teacher’s class and the teacher broke down because she lost her husband. The war was very real, close to home, and people were grateful to see it over.
Susan Olson attended Cascade High School from 1971 to 1975. She then attended Edmonds Community College for two years, and transferred to the University of Washington, where she became involved in the social work program. Her graduation was in 1979, but she had no success finding a job in the social work field. She later did get a job at Boeing, bought a house with her husband, Michael, and had her first daughter Shannon, who is now 26. They were married for six years. During that time, Michael had a kidney transplant, after which he passed away. Susan continued to work for Boeing through the 1990’s and met her 2nd husband John, with whom she had two more children, Sarah and Katie, who are now 17 and 18. In 2005, John had a heart attack and passed away. She now works as the office assistant at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, and has recently married her husband 3rd Marlon. She currently lives in Marysville with Marlon and children, and her favorite hobby is sewing.
High School Experience
I was a member of the Bruinettes, which was like a mix of colorguard and cheerleading. We would join in parades with the band, wore interesting outfits, and overall had a lot of fun. I was also in Girls Club, where I was in charge of the uniform coordination. (We had matching dresses for the first school year and would change them in the spring).
I wasn’t in too many of the higher-level classes, and actually struggled through school. I took French for three years, although I no longer am able to speak any. At that time we had Home EC, which was my favorite class. I also took sewing courses and choir.
Because it was so long ago, it’s difficult to remember all my teachers, but one stands out in particular: My choir director Margaret Snavely. Everybody called her ‘Snave’. She was a little harsh and a bit scary, but an interesting woman for whom we had a lot of respect. I remember her because she oversaw the Bruinettes, and was always there when we traveled, which I appreciated greatly.
In high school I was quite shy, and felt somewhat alone and out of the loop. I was very self-conscious, always looking at these close groups people, and then at myself. It wasn’t easy. However, I had a small group of people I hung out with – if we were feeling wild on a Friday or Saturday night, we would get in the car, drive down Colby, and eat at the burger joint called Herfy’s. I didn’t have much money, so we never went to the movies; instead we stayed home and watched TV. My time was spent mostly at the youth group of my church, which was called the ‘Lutheran League’. We would travel to conventions and stay at fancy hotels, which was a lot of fun.
My most memorable high school experience was when, on the first day of school, I accidentally walked into the men’s bathroom. I was pretty nervous, especially because I was so shy. In fact, high school in general was hard for me; I mainly just hovered around. I’d attend dances and would end up standing on the side, because nobody asked me to dance. It was hard to know what to do with myself, as everybody was dancing except for me. It was traumatizing how I kept hoping someone would ask me, and they never did. Once I actually asked a boy to go to Tolo, but he turned me down. That is something I regret: not ever getting to really ever experience the dances.
In high school, I worked in a fabric store part-time during my junior and senior years and two years afterwards. I got to meet some really nice people and set up store displays, which was a lot of fun. On top of that, I did a little babysitting.
While I was in high school, we wore fluffy sweater vests, flare jeans, and shag haircuts where you would actually use a razorblade! It was really, very unattractive. And, of course, everyone had braces and glasses. I wasn’t really into fashion though, back then.
Overall, I really enjoyed making the friends that I did in high school – I’m still in contact with several of them! High school is a time to mature, a stepping-stone. I believe that people who make an effort in high school and are involved in some way can come away with some very valuable lessons.
Events of the Time
Nixon was president while I was in high school. I remember him walking up the steps of an airplane, turning around, and doing the peace sign with tears in his eyes. It was a very sad time, because he covered up things that people were not happy about. All the trust eventually was gone. The Watergate Scandal was a big cover up where everybody became involved. It was definitely an unsettling time in our political arena.
The Vietnam War ended in May of 1975 and my class graduated in June of that same year. There was huge relief among my fellow students, because this meant that the young men didn’t need to worry about being drafted. I remember in grade school when I was sitting in the music teacher’s class and the teacher broke down because she lost her husband. The war was very real, close to home, and people were grateful to see it over.