John Hubbard greeted me at the door and I immediately got the impression of a friendly, straight-forward, good-natured man. His wife, Lane, joined us at the kitchen table at John’s request because “she can help me remember.”
John was born in Bantam, CT, which is “actually part of Litchfield,” and attended Bantam Elementary until he was 11 years old. I asked what he remembered about those early years and he said, “Bantam was a small town, a dairy farm community of blue-collar workers. My parents were middle America; dad worked and mom stayed home. All of us kids rode bikes like crazy, everywhere. We also played lot baseball, hiked in the woods, and went hunting and fishing.“
For junior high and freshman years, John went to Litchfield HS. “I never was a great student, although I did enjoy math and history. I was more interested in sports. I played fullback on the soccer team; we didn’t have enough kids for football.”
The family moved to Warren, CT, when John was a sophomore and he attended Wamogo Regional HS. “Wamogo was a made-up word to show that the students came from the towns of Warren, Morris and Goshen. To get to school I had to catch the first bus at 7:00 a.m. to arrive by 9:00 a.m. Once, my parents drove me 95 miles so I could attend a party in Goshen. During the summer I had jobs at small, family-owned grocery stores.”
I asked about his summer activities and he said he “spent some idyllic times” at his grandmother’s cottage on Long Island Sound, CT. “I went there from the time I was 9 until about 13. I swam and played baseball. My grandfather had purchased the house in 1914 and its still in the family today. Unfortunately, my grandmother died the first year I went.” When John was 14, his father purchased their first house. “It was located between two summer resorts on Lake Waramaug. I just loved it. There were just my brother and I, and he went off to college. I water-skied and my social life in the summer was with college kids and staff at the resorts. It was kind of like the movie, Dirty Dancing, but without the dancing.”
In 1962 John went off to New London, CT, to attend Mitchell College for an associate degree in business administration. “As a freshman I lived in a dorm; as a sophomore I lived in a private home.” He then transferred to the University of Hartford and matriculated in 1966 with a BS in business administration /marketing. “I worked hard and played hard at Hartford. I was the resident counselor in the dorm and treasurer of Beta Sigma Gamma.”
In the summer of 1964, John met Lane through a friend at the summer resort. “I met Lane at a staff party and took her out the next evening; she left for her home in Orlando, FL, the next day. We wrote to each other a lot; we also met one day in New York, and then again at a fraternity party in April. We visited each other during summer 1965 and got engaged at Christmas in Orlando. During spring break in April, I joined the Florida National Guard and returned in May for weekend drill. In June, after my last exam at Hartford, I flew back to Orlando immediately to begin two weeks of Guard training. Lane and I got married a week later.” John and Lane have two daughters and two grandchildren.
John’s first job was in sales with Combined Insurance Companies of America. Eight months later he was called to active duty by the Florida National Guard. He took basic training at Fort Polk, LA, for nine weeks, then spent 13 weeks at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio (three weeks for leadership/squad leader training, and 10 weeks of advanced individual training to become a combat medic). He returned to Orlando and, in September 1967, transferred to the Connecticut National Guard to finish six years of service as an E5 Medic Specialist.
We took a short break at this point when Maggie the cat strolled toward the door. John explained, “Maggie is a rescue cat.” Lane adjusted the door partially open because “Maggie likes it that way.”
In 1967 John went to work for G. Fox Dept. Store in Hartford, CT. He worked as Assistant Sporting Goods Buyer and later as Buyer for Candy and Gourmet Foods. In 1972 he worked for Holland’s Dept. Store as Assistant Manager in Watertown, NY. Next, deciding to “get out of retail,” he moved to Syracuse, NY, where he joined the Burroughs Corp. as Large Accounts Sales Manager. Next, he moved to Charlotte, NC, as Small Accounts Sales Manager for Sperry Univac. Still in Charlotte, he joined Infinite Corp. selling Network Management Systems in North and South Carolina and Georgia. In 1983 Infinite Corp. transferred John to Atlanta. Over the next 17 years, John continued his sales career with leaders in the data and telecommunications industry. John retired from Westinghouse Communications, a division of Westinghouse Electric Company, after opening and managing their southeast district office.
I asked John what job he liked the most. “I enjoyed selling network system solutions to medium and large companies. There was more money involved and I liked the Quota Club trips. We went to Portugal, Rome and Puerto Rico.”
In 2002, John opened his own business, Pak Mail, located across the street from the YMCA on Roswell Road. In 2007 he sold the business and retired.
In 2012, after 29 years of living in East Cobb, John and Lane sold their home and moved to Bridgemill subdivision in Canton. At church they met Don Billion, who invited John to join Kiwanis MGK in 2014. John is a volunteer at Northside Hospital in Cherokee and is MGK Chairman of See’s Candy Sales. He has also been elected as a board member for the next two years.
I asked John what advice he’d give his younger self. “Find something you’re really passionate about and go forth.”
What habit would John like to get rid of? “I got rid of smoking years ago. Now I’d like to lose some weight.”
For fun, I asked John what animal would best describe who he is. After several moments of bewildered pondering, Lane rescued him. She said, “I think he would be a dog. He’s loyal, dependable and loves unconditionally.” John grinned and piped in, “and you call me for dinner.”
This article, written by Fay Orchard, originally appeared in the Golden “K” Club of Marietta e-Newsletter June 27, 2016.
