John Lutes

 

        

                Then                                          Now   

Home:    4208 N.W. 145th Street
             Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73134

Phone:   (405) 751-4161

E-Mail:   jwlutes@hotmail.com

Bio: 

After DLHS graduation, I went on to DLC for two years.  My major accomplishment there was to meet my future wife, Nancy Burkett.  (By the way, Nancy tells me that we met by accident – her friend was taking her to the Student Center to meet Larry Johnson.  I was there with Larry, so while the friend and Larry talked, Nancy and I got acquainted, and made a date for church that night.)  After my sophomore year, I transferred to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.  A year later, December 1966, Nancy and I got married.  I continued on at ERAU, graduating with a degree in aeronautical engineering.

At that time the space program was in high gear, so we moved to Huntsville, Alabama where I worked on several engineering related projects primarily in the space program.  After several years of doing engineering (my major at ERAU) work I gravitated into data processing (my minor).  Our two older children were born in Huntsville.  Our daughter, Cherie, was born in 1970, married in 1991, attended Oklahoma Christian University and Abilene Christian University (Elementary Education), and lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, David Wallace, and their four children – Joshua (11), Micaiah (10), Christine (8) and Jadin (3).  She is a stay-at-home mom who has her own out-of-the-home business and helps David with his business.  Our son, Mark, was born in 1971, married in 1999, attended Oklahoma Christian University (Graphic Design), and lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife, Jennifer, and their two-year-old daughter (Ainsley).  You must check out her, the baby's, website at www.lutesbaby.com.  He works for a consulting firm, EDS, on the new business acquisition team

After several years in Huntsville, we decided we wanted to live in the western portion of the country, and since we enjoyed being around Nancy’s parents, who had retired and moved to Oklahoma, we did also (moved not retired).  At this time I moved out of the scientific and into the commercial data processing field.

In 1978, I accepted an offer that took us to the Washington, D.C. area.  We enjoyed the sightseeing opportunities and the beauty of the area and stayed there for three years.  By the end of the three years, our first two kids were in the 5th and 6th grade and Jennifer, who was born shortly after our arrival in D.C., was 2 years old.  We decided that, since we wanted them to be able to enjoy the benefits of having “roots” during the middle/high school period of their lives, to return to Oklahoma.  Our youngest daughter, Jennifer, was born in 1979, married in 2000, attended Harding University (Interior Merchandising), and lives in Lubbock, Texas with her husband, Justin Cherry, and their four-month-old daughter, Rylee.  They are preparing to do mission work in New Zealand for 5 or so years and have the mistaken idea that they are going to take our newest grandchild with them – not going to happen – however I have been wrong before!

As far as current employment goes, Nancy works for the Oklahoma House of Representatives as support staff supervisor for the House staff and I work for the Federal Aviation Administration – still in the IT arena.

Work and family take up most of our time.  Nancy’s mother lives nearby, and is recovering from triple bypass surgery – which at age 91 is quite a feat.  We did have an opportunity to make a trip (vacation) to Europe earlier this year with Nancy’s brother and sister and their spouses (some of you may remember Nancy’s brother, Gerald Burkett, who taught Spanish at DLHS for a time).  We visited four countries, saw many beautiful sights (such as the Trevi Fountain in Rome), and generally had a great and unforgettable time!

We worship with the Memorial Road Church of Christ on the campus of Oklahoma Christian University – a very involved congregation.

I (we) have enjoyed reading all the bios of the class of ’63 and look forward, if all goes well, to visiting with everyone at the reunion.
 

Last updated:    September 2005