Born February 18, 1962, the journey for me began. My mother, named Katherine Jane Hardy, until 1960, when she married my father Ronald Edward Roggeman, and became known as Kathy Roggeman, gave birth to me at St. Luke's Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First stop; Bay View.
I really don't remember very much of my four years in my first home, but I think my first memory is of my sister Lisa learning to tie her shoe. She got very excited about it, and I remember thinking "So? What's the big deal?" Lisa was born a year before me, and my other sister Cindy (Cynthia,) was born a year after me.
Another memory I have from our home in Bay View, is that of my brother Kevin being brought home for the first time, just before my fourth birthday. All I really remember is a vague image of a bassinet.
The next memory I have, is of my toy car that I could sit in, and was pedal driven. One day my car mysteriously disappeared. I looked all over, and was getting upset when some one, I don't recall who, told me it was taken to my new house. I remember being happy about going to our new house, because my car was there. I was four years old when we moved to Cudahy, Wisconsin, where dad bought the house at 5762 South Robert avenue.
My formal education began at Park View elementary school in Cudahy, where I attended kindergarten. I remember being scared to death of going back the second day, because the first day, I was unable to skip ... turned out they didn't do "skip to my loo" every day, and I learned how before we did it again.
At the end of 1967, my brother Robert (a.k.a. Bobby, Bob, and Rob,) was born, thus completing our immediate family. While I was spending half a day in school, the workmen were busy building a new grade school just a couple of blocks from my home. In fall of 1968, I started the first grade in a brand new school. Grade school in Cudahy, went through the sixth grade, and so in spring 1974, I was completing my last year at General Mitchel School.
The end of summer vacation marked the beginning of the next stage of my educational and social development. For the next three years I attended Cudahy Junior High West. Of course East was our rival in all sports. This was kind of interesting, since the tenth grade merged East and West students at Cudahy's only Senior High School, where I began the final stage of my secondary education.
In June of 1979, upon completion of my Junior year at Cudahy Senior High School, my parents along with another couple bought Lakeside Resort, renamed it The Great Escape, we loaded up the truck and we moved to Phelps ... Wisconsin that is. The "northwoods," "God's country."
Moving to Phelps was great, like going on vacation and staying. We lived in one of the six cottages on the resort for the first few days, while the former owners finished moving out. The cottages are on the shore of North Twin Lake, and the bar with adjoining duplex just up the hill at 2510 Highway 17..
When the former owners completed moving their things out of the duplex, we moved into the upper half while the co-owners moved in to the lower. My brother Kevin and I later moved to a camper trailer on the grounds of the resort, where we lived until it was gutted by fire. (My dad would really like me to write that story.)
Phelps High School was quite a change for me. A change for the better. With only 15 in my class -- yes, that's including me -- I had more friends than I did in Cudahy. For the first time, I actually felt as if I had a social life. This is when the party really starts..
After graduating from Phelps High School in 1980, ending my secondary education, I went on to North Central Technical Institute (NCTI), which changed it's name to the now Northcentral Technical College (NTC), and is about 95 miles south of Phelps in Wausau, Wisconsin.
I attended NCTI from 1980 - 1985, starting out as an auto mechanics major, changing to an insurance major, then ending up with an Associate Degree in accounting, and another Associate in data processing.
First attending a one-week evaluation for the Auto Mechanics program at NCTI, I was able to evaluate the Visually Impaired Persons (VIP) program as well. I stayed at the Newman Dormitory for the visually impaired on Bridge Street in Wausau.
In fall of 1980, when I moved to Wausau to begin my post- secondary education, I accepted an invitation to live with a local family, native to Wausau. I lived with them for the next 2 school-years.
The summer of 1981, I was the sole proprietor of The Ice Cream Shop in downtown Phelps. Living back at the resort's duplex, and running the business was only the beginning. Most of the summer was engulfed in an incredibly thick alcohol fog.
All parties must end sometime. Summer over, it was back to my home away from home, and back to the books.
The summer of 1982 brought another big change. I accepted a live-in position as Resident Assistant at the Newman Dorm. For the next year and nine months, I lived in a convent.
By the beginning of 1984, I had enough of the dorm drama and resigned my position moving to an apartment on Thomas Street. That same summer Kevin, who had just graduated from Phelps High, moved in with me. We now refer to that apartment as "Animal House."
A blind woman and her husband whom I knew from the VIP program, started a taxi-cab service called "Special Escort." I took a job there as dispatcher. I was the extra person who fills in when others are sick or otherwise detained. I worked some very strange hours, often on short notice.
It was in November of 1984 when I met Julie. She was a Senior at Wausau West High School then and living at home with her family. I often teased her that I dated her only to gain access to the laundry facilities at her parents' house, and that I needed a chauffeur at the time anyway.
After graduating, it took a while to land that first "real job," and so money being tight I moved in with Kevin, who had just move to his own place on Second Street.
I finally got a job part-time as an Instructional Assistant in the Microcomputer Learning Center (MLC) at NTC, and after working there for a semester landed my first full time job with Graebel Van Lines the summer of 1986. Now employed full-time, I moved again to my own place, this time on Third Street.
Still working Saturdays at NTC, the future looked pretty bright so I proposed to Julie the following Christmas, and she accepted. The date was set for August 6, 1988.
In preparation for our life together, Julie and I began looking for an apartment. We found one we both liked rather quickly, and moved to our first home, on Chicago Avenue in May of 1988.
In July of 1988, one month before my wedding, my supervisor asked me to join her in the conference room. Since I was not keeping up with the rest of those in my department, I was asked to resign. It was discrimination, and would be illegal now under the ADA, but at the time there was not much I could do. They would not even consider accommodations which would have made me more productive.
We got married anyway, and although it took a while I got back on my feet. I took on a paper route while trying to start a consulting business, and got my former hours back at NTC in January of 1989.
Through a tip from a student in the MLC, who worked for SNE Enterprises -- apparently SNE doesn't stand for anything --I applied for a full-time position as a Console Operator. I started work for SNE on November 6, (Julie's birthday) 1989. While working full-time at SNE, I continued working part-time at NTC.
In April of 1991, our landlord discovered that we had a cat. It was either get rid of the cat or move. In May we moved into the lower half of a newly remodeled duplex on Jackson Street.
There were rumors circulating for years that my job at NTC was in jeopardy and the end was always imminent. In spring 1993, when my position actually was eliminated I was both surprised and relieved. Working two jobs was getting to be too much and I was glad for the time off.
I was hesitant at first but in the fall of 1993, accepted an offer from the Center For Students With Disabilities, at NTC for the position of Instructional Assistant in their lab. The center runs a summer evaluation in June each year, and I had been co-instructing with another assistant for the past few years. The experience gained in that lab was worth the sleep deprivation endured, so I reluctantly resumed working two jobs.
By the end of 1995, I was finding it more and more difficult to juggle my schedule. As my work at SNE became more demanding, I had to make a choice. I made what I now believe to be the wrong choice. I quit my job at NTC, a job which I found endlessly rewarding, and began 1996 working exclusively for SNE Enterprises.
With my position at SNE to be eliminated, and my eye-sight diminishing, I took a lay-off on October 31, 1997. While I have plenty of complaints about how I was treated as an employee of SNE, I must admit that they gave me a fair severance package.
Now, I am searching for direction. When I have established myself in a new activity I will continue this story.
The above text and it's linked sub-texts copyright 1996, 1997, 1998 - Greg Roggeman. All rights reserved. Subject to revision for correction or clarification at any time, which may or may not be announced.
My main goal here is to update old friends and acquaintances
on my life's path. Updates will occur on no set schedule;
simply whenever I am in the mood or am notified that -- and
agree -- an error exists. If anyone who knows me, and
notices any inaccuracies or exclusions, please let me know.
I want this document to be as accurate as possible.
Gregory D. Roggeman
Last updated January 7, 1998.