2012 Biography

Things have changed for me since our last reunion. I retired from the Oklahoma Tax Commission on 9/1/2002 and moved back to Louisiana. I stayed in Holden for a year living with my oldest sister Lydia and her husband. I went to work in Baton Rouge for a call center to make a little extra money. I moved to Baton Rouge in August 2003 and in 2005 went to work for Cingular (now AT&T Wireless). I retired from them in 2010 after 5 years (was now 65) and am now fully retired.

I was rated 100% disabled by VA and am now in a power chair. I still love to go out on the weekends and have a couple of places that I frequent on the weekends to listen to good music and meet with friends and make new ones.

Since the last reunion, I was also declared DECEASED by the VA and Social Security and had to fight to prove that I was not DEAD (hope that never happens to any of you). It seems a man from Belle Rose with the exact same name as mine passed away and somehow, I was declared dead with them verifying a SSN.

As for as my girls and granddaughters, they are doing great. The oldest graduated from OU, the middle graduated from OSU (Ok State) and the youngest graduated from High School this past May. She will be attending OSU this fall.

On a sad note, earlier this year, I lost my baby brother, Kerry. He passed away suddenly from complications with his stomach.

I am looking forward to attending the reunion.

My contact information is:

William Dupre
2750 Millerville Rd, Apt 12105
Baton Rouge, La 70816
cell: 225 229-0304 

2002 Biography

We have all had a long journey to this stage of our lives. This is how mine played out.

After graduation, I attended Nicholls State on a scholarship, but I was not in the mood to keep up my schooling. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the campus day, but was bored with what I was doing and where it was going. But it did give me an uninteresting answer to the question, "Where were you when he was SHOT?" I was in a World History lecture.

I took a break during my second semester and tried to get a job, but did not like working as hard as my lack of advanced education qualified me to get, so I joined the National Guard and went to basic and advanced training in that most beautiful part of our wonderful state known as "FORT POLK Military reservation". Five months of interesting people, places and things to do and I was ready to return to school, I THOUGHT.

I went back to Nicholls and had to work to pay my tuition and books. After half a semester, I again had enough of the academic grind and decided to join the Military, so I enlisted in the army for a while. (Little did I realize how long the "while" would be.)

I was sent to Fort Gordon, GA, where I was taught the repair of avionics on Army aircraft. This lasted for 18 weeks, after which I was sent to Ft. Benning, GA to work at that job. The unit I was assigned to did not have many planes or helicopters, so mostly I pulled guard duty and KP and prepared for one inspection after another.

I was there at Fort Benning when the 1st Cavalry Division colors came back to the United States after a long stay in Korea. I had just reenlisted to go to school for Radar repairman, so I did not get to go with them to Vietnam when the unit was sent there.

I went to Huntsville, AL for my radar repair training for 34 weeks. Huntsville is in a beautiful part of northern Alabama. I almost got married twice while I was there, but was lucky enough to escape (so I thought then) both times.

After the training was over, I got to make the 1st of my many transatlantic flights. I was stationed with a HAWK missile battalion in Hanau, Germany for three years. During this tour, I returned home on leave 3 times, for a month at a time. (Too bad they didn't have frequent flyer miles back then). I met a lot of wonderful people and learned about a whole new culture. I enjoyed all parts of my tour except for the nights that I spent on icy, wet or frigid radar mounds and bunkers. I also developed a love of German cuisine and Rhine Valley wines.

Upon completion of my tour of duty, I was reassigned to Fort Rucker, AL (An Army fort surrounded on all sides by dry counties). I drove to the Fort along the Gulf Coast on the Saturday before the most devastating Hurricane to hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast made its landfall in 1969. As there were no Missile batteries there, I was assigned to an Engineer Battalion commanded by a Major, who happened to be my brother Glenn's best friend in high school.

I was there for 8 months when I got a friend in personnel to get me on orders to return to Germany. This occurred one week before a by-name levy came down to send me to Vietnam. This levy (VN) was canceled and I was sent to Germany. I was assigned to a 175mm Howitzer Battalion in Babenhausen, West Germany as a field wireman. I was soon transferred into the Fire Direction center and promoted into that MOS.

It was while stationed here that I met my first wife, a young German woman named Rita. We were trying to get married in Germany, through the military (A true bureaucratic nightmare), when I received new orders for Vietnam. I sent her home to Donaldsonville, La, to my parents home, before I left Germany. I then went home on leave and we were married in my Mom and Dad's house in April of 1970. She stayed there while I went to Vietnam, to serve with the same 1st Cav Division that I had helped to pack up in 1965.

I was in a 105mm howitzer battery in the jungles of Vietnam for 11 months, before rotation back to the WORLD a month early. After all this field duty, I finally got a decent assignment, I thought. I was assigned to teach at the Training Center for Artillery at Fort Sill, OK.

This was a wonderful 39 month assignment on the windblown plains of OKLAHOMA. I found out a lot about our education system during this assignment. I found out that since I had graduated, they had evidently stopped making kids learn the basics of Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Supposedly we were getting the higher caliber of trainees for training in our specialty, but I had to teach remedial math to most of them. This still was, however, a great assignment. Including another promotion.

But all good things come to an end, and I was reassigned to Germany a third time. This trip was with a 155mm Battalion in Schweinfurt, West Germany. This assignment cost me my wife and any chance for a promotion. Rita was an extremely jealous woman and we had problems that escalated into my sending her to her sister's home in Kansas. There were many ups and downs during my tour and I was close to being an alcoholic when I left there after 3 years. During this tour I made another 2 trips home for leave and one for additional training.

When I finished my tour, I was again sent to Ft Sill. I was again an instructor. The trainees were getting dumber. Some of my friends were getting into trouble for fraternization with female trainees, whether it was true or not. I also tried to reconcile with Rita and failed, so we were divorced after a year of separation, during which time I met my second wife, Brenda.

We were married soon after the divorce was final and I found out that if I remained in the service, I would be sent to Germany again. Since my stepdaughter was in high school, my wife had a good job, and I was not happy with the environment, political or economic, in Germany, I decided to get out of the Army and go to College and to work. This time I was ready to do both at the same time, and I went to Cameron University, in Lawton, OK and got my accounting degree. During this stay in Oklahoma, I lost my mother to cancer complications. Upon graduation, my father visited to attend the ceremony. After graduation, I applied and tested for the state of Oklahoma for an auditing position and was hired on August 15, 1983.

When I was hired by the state, we moved to Oklahoma City, and I have lived in the metro area since. Brenda has two daughters from a previous marriage, who gave us three granddaughters.

However, I did lose my Dad to heart failure, and lost my sister Barbara to a heart attack in Sept., 1999. My wife and I were happy for about the first 15 years, but the last five were anything but. We finally got a divorce in March, 2001.

It was real nice seeing everyone at the 40th reunion for the 61 DHS class, and am looking forward to our 40th this year

I am still working for the Tax Commission today, but have been eligible to retire since the 1st of November, 2001, but will work at least until May 1, 2002 so that I will get another year of credit for retirement (more money).

I am not currently seeing anyone, but have many friends from church, work and the Internet.

I can be reached at the following mailing address:

1205 South Air Depot PMB #338

Midwest City, OK 73110

Home Phone: 405-736-9563

Work Phone: 405-522-5934

Cell Phone: 405-328-0029

my e-mail address is wdupre@mmcable.com at home and wdupre@oktax.state.ok.us at work.

Bill Dupre

PS. Since I finished this some time ago, I have had another major adventure. On the 24th of January of this year, I was involved in a major car accident. I rear-ended another vehicle after I passed out (from food poisoning). I was very fortunate that I was not injured seriously. (God must not be finished with me here on earth.)

1993 biography

I went to NSU in Thibodeaux for two years.  After that I enlisted in the Army.  Spent 14 years before I gave it back to them.  During that period of time I spent two full three-year tours in Germany, one fifteen month tour in Germany and one twelve month tour in Vietnam.  I also met, married, and nine years later divorced my first wife.  I met my current wife in Lawton, OK while stationed as an instructor at Ft. Sill, OK.  I got out of the Army rather than spend any more time our of this country and in the field.  I went to Cameron University and got my BA in accounting.  I them went to went to work for the state as an auditor for tax compliance.  My work phone number is (see above).

My grandchildren and children are from my second marriage (step kids).  I currently am auditing for oil and gas taxes.

I am a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, a York Rite Mason, and a Shriner.  I am also a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Cootie, La Societe de 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux (all veterans organizations).  I have held state offices in two of those organizations.