John Pugh

I was born in Barmouth on March12, 1949, in a nursing home, which was somewhere on Barmouth's main street at the time. I lived at 3, Heol-y-Llan, attended the original primary school in Barmouth's main street next to the railway station and the new one on Marine road later. I attended Ysgol Ardudwy which at that time was a mixed boys/girls school under 'Pop', our headmaster, a great guy.

I left Barmouth in 1967, to go to University in Cardiff and become qualified as an Electrical Engineer, never to return permanently. I met Judith, my gorgeous wife from Bromley, Kent, whilst attending Cardiff University. We got married after my degree was completed and I worked at Cardiff high school for one year teaching Physics. I enjoyed teaching, but don't try to run a family budget on what teachers are paid! I had to move on to survive. Computers became my source of livelihood when I joined IBM soon after leaving the teaching profession.

I never quite got over leaving Barmouth and I still can't resist returning to visit whenever I get the opportunity. My memories of growing up there are strong and vivid, and the views I see in my mind from 'The Peak', Panorama, Barmouth bridge, the old harbour, the estuary, Llanaber and the quayside to name a few are as strong now as they ever have been. There are also always some very special people living there!

My parents had to relocate later because of my father's job with Crosville bus services. They went to Denbigh and then to Llandudno Junction and finally stayed in Deganwy until my mother died in 2006. Barmouth became a little less accessible to me from that time on. Dad now lives with my brother on the Isle of Wight

We have lived in London (UK), Toronto, Belleville, and Ottawa in Canada, Stonybrook Long Island, New York, Melbourne Australia, and finally Durham, North Carolina. I still haven't found anywhere that really compares with the area of North Wales that I frequented in my youth but North Carolina affords access to many new treasures.

Judith and I have three great children and our cat,  'baby', named by our daughter has now, sadly, passed away. Mark, my eldest son a computer nut (like father like son), is now married to Mercy (Mercedes), and  living near Wake Forest, North Carolina. They have a son named Duncan Emlyn Thomas Pugh. My daughter Rachel is married to Scott and has suspended her teaching at a Kindergarten in Wilmington, North Carolina to raise my grandson, Alexander Richard Schultz and now a grandaughter, Alison.. Kingsley, Macy and our third grandchild, Sunshine, live in Ashville NC and are teaching us new ways to stay healthy with their knowledge of organic products and herbal remedies.

My Hobbies: Mainly piano, some music arranging, sailing, golf, video and multimedia production

My Work: Nortel Networks, Global Telecommunications Standards. I retired from Nortel Networks in December, 2004 and now work for "Measurement Inc" as a Project Manager for Software Products.

The U.S.A. Pughs

This is my family, the accomplishment I am most proud of. From left to right (back) Mark, Me and Kingsley. Front row, Judith and Rachel who is now a Schultz.

Mark and Mercy

Scott and Rachel