CHARLES J. O'NEILL
In September 1956, I began
studies at Drexel University's College of Business Administration
Co-operative Education Program. I alternated six months work,
as an accountant with Henkels & McCoy Construction Company,
with six months of classes at Drexel University. In 1959,
I left Drexel to work in Washington, DC, for McCloskey & Company,
a large Philadelphia-based construction contractor
On Saint Patrick's Day 1961, Jeannette Newcomb (LAHS Class of 1958) accepted my marriage proposal. We were married in September 1961. In 1962, I accepted a job at Boeing Vertol in Ridley Park, PA, where I became a supervisor in the Finance Department. While working at Vertol, I obtained a BS Degree in Accounting from St. Joseph's University Evening School. In 1971, I accepted a position with General Public Utilities (GPU), a New Jersey-based company which owned three electric utilities: Pennsylvania Electric Company and Metropolitan Edison Company (MetEd) in Pennsylvania and Jersey Central Power & Light Company in New Jersey. The rest of my professional career would be with the GPU System. First, as the onsite cost and schedule representative at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Station (TMI), which was being constructed for GPU's three electric utilities. Upon completion of construction at TMI, I accepted a Manager's position in MetEd's Treasury Department. I returned to TMI for six months of 16-hour days/7 days per week as part of the "incident" recovery team. I retired as Finance Administration Manager in GPU's Treasury Department, responsible for the issuance, and ongoing administration, of all debt and equity by GPU and it's three electric utilities. We lived in Buckingham (Bucks County), PA, for the four years preceding my retirement from GPU and Jeannette's from Corestates Bank.
We have three children and nine grandchildren.
While our kids were growing up and involved in many activities, I was an easy touch to also be involved as a leader in some of them. I also served on our church boards and as an elected member and president of our town council.
Since retiring in 1996, Jeannette and I have divided our time between our Nags Head, NC, house, RVing, and visiting our grand children and their parents. The highlight of our RVing was a three-month trip to Alaska in 2001. We winter in Florida in our RV and, for fun, work part-time at the Tower of Terror and
Rockin' Rollin' Coaster attractions at the Disney MGM Studios Theme Park in Walt Disney World. We recently turned ownership of our Nags Head house over to our son Dave and his wife. In May 2006, Jeannette and I moved into a new 55+ active community in Lancaster, PA. We raised our children there and returning allows us to be closer to family, including my 94-year-old mother, and to friends.