FIRST GENERATION


1. Osborn Keith WHEELER (photo) was born on 16 Jul 1936 in Corning, Tehama Co., CA. Born and raised in Corning, CA, he attended schools there, graduating from high school in 1954. His father died suddenly when Keith was three, leaving him to be raised by mother and older sister. He began working odd jobs at an early age and was active in sports and student government during high school. He received a scholarship to UCLA as a midshipman in the NROTC program. After 1 year and a midshipman cruise to Norway, Sweden and Cuba, he resigned this appointment and left UCLA to go to Chico State College. For the next 10 years he supported himself, much of the time as a shoe salesman, while attending school and working for his BA in psychology. During this period, he was drafted into the US Army serving 1 year as a personnel specialist in Headquarters Company, Fort Ord, CA, while living much of the time in New Monterey; the second year of service, 1960-61, was a special mission assignment to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He flew to Saudi Arabia from the east coast, across the Atlantic and Mediterranean, stopping at Bermuda, the Azores, Spain and Libya. During his tour in the desert capital he was able to visit several Middle Eastern and Northern African countries (including a tour of the "Holy Lands," 2 visits to Lebanon and several visits to Asmara, Eritrea, then part of Ethiopia). He returned to the US via Pakistan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Guam and Hawaii, thereby circumventing the globe. Returning to Chico to finish his education, he worked variously as a legal investigator for a Chico law firm and for Chico State as a teaching assistant, college psychometrist, psychology instructor, counselor and test officer. He helped establish the Chico State Chapter of Psi Chi, National Honor Society in Psychology and was its first president. He received a MA in psychology and Life Junior College Teaching Credential in 1966. He then taught psychology at College of the Redwoods in Eureka for 6 years serving as Department Chair for part of this period. While trained and knowledgeable in all aspects of the field of psychology, his main interest at this time was in Clinical and Humanistic Psychology (and what was then known as the "third force" in psychology) and was involved in experiments in group process. He maintained membership in the American Humanist Assoc., American Personnel & Guidance Assoc., Student Personnel Assoc. of Calif. Colleges, National Council on Measurement in Education and Northern Area School Psychologists & Psychometrists (CASPP Affiliate). He was active in developing new programs and classes at the college and served as faculty advisor to several student groups and clubs. During this time he received his MFT (then known as MFCC) therapist license and counseling and psychometry credentials. Joining the "back to the land" movement in 1972, he and his wife, Peggy, and their 4 children "dropped out" to "homestead" 20 remote acres in eastern Humboldt County. During their 16 years at Buck Mountain, they built their own house, barn, out buildings, hydro-electric system and self-sustaining lifestyle. While there, he worked at such jobs as logging and lumber mill work, substitute teaching, therapist and for the US Forest Service. While starting out with the Forest Service as a firefighter, he spent most of the 6 years he worked for that organization in the Engineering Department as an Engineering Tech, Construction Inspector and in facilities and water systems maintenance (obtaining state licenses in those areas). When Peg went back to school in 1988, he took a position as a clinical therapist with Trinity County Mental Health in Weaverville, later taking a position as a licensed counselor for a hospital-based drug-alcohol program in Eureka. While in Eureka he also taught chemical dependency courses at College of the Redwoods and was a special lecturer for a Humboldt State program for probation officers. He also led recovery and co-dependency workshops. With Peg's continued employment in southern Trinity Co., he left the hospital for a position at the Ruth Lake Community Service District as administrator where he served for 2 years until a heart attack forced him into early retirement. He continued his struggle for health through bypass surgery and several angioplasties and stents. His past hobbies have included listening to classical music, reading, gardening, tree planting and care, home handyman projects and learning new skills (from blacksmithing to bee keeping). After his heart attack, he took up the less physical hobbies of genealogy and tinkering on old British sports cars (Sunbeam Alpines). He also helped his teacher wife with her school web site.  He became web master of the WheelerFolk.org family web site as well as the Fram Lodge No. 13, Sons of Norway, web site.  In Apr 1999 he underwent his second open heart bypass surgery. With the health improvement resulting from this second surgery, he and his wife are again starting to enjoy traveling. In the summer of 2000 they took the "trip of a life time" and spent a month in Norway. Here they visited some of the tourist sites but also researched and visited many of the places where Keith's Norwegian ancestors once lived. In December of 2001 they spent the Christmas holidays on the Slogvik farm in southwestern Norway. Keith and his son Patrick traveled to Lebanon in the fall of 2002. Keith and his wife Peg were back in Norway in February 2003 for a one week visit with friends in the Rogaland fylke area of southwest Norway.   In the summer of 2003 Keith and his wife spent three months in Thailand where they taught conversational English to nursing students and other medical personnel, while touring various parts of Thailand and surrounding countries in their free time.

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