Saturday, February 10, 2018

NPHS Reunion Interview: Maggie King, Class of 1968


Maggie King at a Virginia conference for writers in October 2017.
In 100 words or less, describe your career.  
I started out as a retail sales manager but spent most of my career in IT, as a programmer/analyst, web designer, and PC trainer. My best career is my current one as a mystery writer.

Where do you live now and where have you lived since graduating?
In 2002, my husband, Glen, and I moved to the great city of Richmond, Virginia. We live with our cats, Morris and Olive. After college graduation in 1972 I lived in Boston (‘73-‘75); back to North Plainfield (‘75-‘77); out to Los Angeles (‘77-‘96); back to the east coast, this time in Charlottesville, Virginia (‘96-‘02).

What was your sense of community in your class/in the school at NPHS?  
I made many good friends during my high school years, and our relationships endure.

What experiences in high school, positive or negative, helped to shape you as a person? 
High schoolers are challenged with giant social, personal, and physical changes, resulting in frustration and anxiety—in other words, teen angst. I wasn’t immune and dealt with my angst through journaling and writing really bad poetry. I still have the journal and the poetry. And no, I’m not sharing. 

The journal entries and the angst continued throughout my life. In the nineties, I turned to writing mysteries, often incorporating my strong sense of justice into my work. And my political reps get a piece of my mind on a regular basis.     

Do you have any regrets about your experiences during your high school years?
I wish I’d been more serious. My mother always said I had high potential and when was I going to reach it, or even approach it? But studying and school activities (except for the social ones) didn’t top my list of priorities. The opposite sex took that honor.

Now, 50 years later, has your perspective on your high school years changed at all?  If so, how? 
This is the most interesting question that’s been asked for this interview.  Back in the day, I didn’t expect that everyone I knew, classmates included, would have an effect on my life, in big and small ways. But now I see that this is true. Reconnecting at reunions and on social media has made this realization all the more apparent.

What is your fondest memory of your years at NPHS?  
I performed a parody of Don Quixote for Spanish class. It was fun and the students and Mr. Kianese enjoyed it. 

What was the craziest or stupidest thing you did in high school?  
Lighting that first cigarette at age 14 in a misguided attempt to be “cool.” I quit and restarted many times over the next twenty years, but finally lit up for the last time in 1984. And no one thought I was cool.

What was your proudest accomplishment in high school?  
Getting my driver’s license. Being that I was the world’s worst driver—or at least North Plainfield’s worst—I was extremely happy and grateful the day I passed my test. I desperately wanted to drive. Before the day was over, I managed to back up into the car behind me at a light and smash the guy’s headlight. He took pity on me and promised not to report it if I paid for a replacement. Which I did.

My driving skills improved, but I can’t say I’m eager to get behind the wheel these days.    

Who was your favorite teacher?
NPHS was blessed with wonderful teachers, so I had a few favorites. Mrs. Charters for one. Not only was she a stellar English teacher, but she didn’t put up with any disruptive students. I remember the day she expelled the top three troublemakers. Too cool. I loved Spanish, so have fond memories of Mrs. Mayer, Mr. Kianese, and Mrs. Meise. Then there was Mr. Pecoraro (Algebra), Mr. Faulkner (Sociology), Mr. Radner (English), and several others.    

What was your worst class? 
Chemistry. Just wasn’t my thing.

What is your most powerful or haunting memory during your years at NPHS?
When Miss Irene Hutnick died from a self-inflicted shotgun wound at the age of 22. I’ll never forget the day Mr. Messer announced it on the PA system. She had graduated in my brother’s class and was in her first year at NPHS as a gym teacher. It was supposed that the recent breakup with her fiancée led to this tragedy. This was probably the first time someone I knew committed suicide.  

How did growing up at a child of the 60s – and all the social baggage and impact that it may have entailed – impact you at the time and in your young adult years? 
I often wish I’d been a hippie. In retrospect, it seems like such fun. But my family was very conservative and my brother served in the military, doing two Vietnam tours. They pressured me to be mainstream. Plus dressing well was very important to me back then (it’s ceased to be). Let’s face it, hippies weren’t the sharpest dressers.

That said, I did partake in some of the excesses of the time. I’ll be vague about the particulars.  

Parting words.
Be well, my friends. I look forward to seeing y’all at the reunion. Don’t forget to view my website/blog, or connect with me on Facebook (MaggieKingAuthor) or Twitter (@MaggieKingAuthr)

Maggie at 19.  


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