I was employed by the Federal Highway Administration from the mid 70s to 2008. I did work in many subject areas over this time but am probably known most for managing one of the big discretionary programs, for creating Interstate designation content and for research and management in the area of highway economic development.
I did other things over the years: e.g., taught people in the FHWA how to play the card game called "schafskoft", raised a family, served in the US Navy reserves, served on the board of various civic and religious organizations.
My daughter lives in Israel and the rest of the family have visited there many times.
Coke Bear was at his computer terminal one day and received a variety of messages from other stuffed animals.
It seemed a lot of these animals were facing difficult situations (for example Graduation Bear's problem with college debt as noted in the post below). So he decided to become a consultant to the stuffed animal world in addition to his work for the Coca Cola Corporation.
Graduation Bear got his degree in Communications back in 2002. He got the degree from an exclusive northeastern private University. Because tuition was high, he borrowed the money for tuition and living expenses.
He spent the next six years going to parties and interest on the borrowed money piled up. He also got fined for delinquency because, the debt-holder said, he did not make a reasonable attempt to pay the loan back. Graduation Bear thought he would get out of this by simply declaring bankruptcy. Graduation Bear went to Alligator to discuss it. Unfortunately for Graduation Bear, according to Alligator, tuition debt is in a similar class with debt owed for child support or criminal restitution and is not terminated by bankruptcy.
Bummer!
Eventually he had to take a job that he didn't like.
