My name is Gordon John Olver. I was born in England just before the end of WW2. My family emigrated to the US in 1957 when I was twelve. I have three sisters and no brothers. I attended Giannini Junior High School and Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco where I was a 3 year letterman in soccer.
After high school I worked for a year and then, rather than being drafted into the army, I enlisted in the navy. I became a naturalized citizen and served my new country during the Vietnam War. After being discharged from active duty, I returned to school and graduated from Cal-Poly in San Luis Obispo with a BS in Industrial Technology. As a student at Cal-Poly, I also worked part time creating detailed drawing plans for a company that provided all of the piping at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
As a graduate student, I completed my Clear Standard Teaching Credential in 1974 and began teaching in the state of Washington where I taught for 25 years at Interlake High School in Bellevue. During this time, I coached boys and girls soccer for 23 years. I moved back to California in 1999 and taught for one year in Thousand Oaks before accepting my current position in 2000 at DHSHS.
While teaching in WA state, I became heavily involved in swimming officiating. I began as a timer at my children's swim meets and eventually became a U.S. Swimming National Championship Official. I officiated many national championship meets all over the country including 2 Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. I also became an NCAA official and while spending time starting meets for the University of Washington and Seattle Pacific University, I was also one of the starters at several PAC-10 men's and women's championship meets.
I have two children from a first marriage, a daughter and a son, whose names are Alison and Brian and two children from a second marriage, a step-daughter and a step-son, whose names are Allison and Bryon. Yeah crazy, I know. Together, my wife, Susan and I, have six grandchildren ranging in age from 4 to 17. I enjoy golf, traveling, reading, and every four years, watching the World Cup soccer matches and various summer Olympic events on television. Surprisingly, I have also become quite a good cook. I have discovered that I really enjoy challenging myself by attempting recipes that are new to me. The best part of learning to cook is being affirmed by those who enjoy eating the meals that I have prepared.
After high school I worked for a year and then, rather than being drafted into the army, I enlisted in the navy. I became a naturalized citizen and served my new country during the Vietnam War. After being discharged from active duty, I returned to school and graduated from Cal-Poly in San Luis Obispo with a BS in Industrial Technology. As a student at Cal-Poly, I also worked part time creating detailed drawing plans for a company that provided all of the piping at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
As a graduate student, I completed my Clear Standard Teaching Credential in 1974 and began teaching in the state of Washington where I taught for 25 years at Interlake High School in Bellevue. During this time, I coached boys and girls soccer for 23 years. I moved back to California in 1999 and taught for one year in Thousand Oaks before accepting my current position in 2000 at DHSHS.
While teaching in WA state, I became heavily involved in swimming officiating. I began as a timer at my children's swim meets and eventually became a U.S. Swimming National Championship Official. I officiated many national championship meets all over the country including 2 Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. I also became an NCAA official and while spending time starting meets for the University of Washington and Seattle Pacific University, I was also one of the starters at several PAC-10 men's and women's championship meets.
I have two children from a first marriage, a daughter and a son, whose names are Alison and Brian and two children from a second marriage, a step-daughter and a step-son, whose names are Allison and Bryon. Yeah crazy, I know. Together, my wife, Susan and I, have six grandchildren ranging in age from 4 to 17. I enjoy golf, traveling, reading, and every four years, watching the World Cup soccer matches and various summer Olympic events on television. Surprisingly, I have also become quite a good cook. I have discovered that I really enjoy challenging myself by attempting recipes that are new to me. The best part of learning to cook is being affirmed by those who enjoy eating the meals that I have prepared.