I went to Kearney State College after high school and graduated in '82 with degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science. I started my working career as a programmer with Delta Air Lines in Englewood, CO. I initially developed ticketing software for Travel Agencies, and back in those days the only way to get software installed was to go there, so I did lot of traveling, all over the United States.
I married Marilyn Williams, whom I met at college, in June 1983. We celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary this year. We have two children Ashley, 20, who is attending Emory University in Atlanta, and Brian, 19, attending Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, GA. Ashley’s claim to fame is that she graduated Valedictorian of Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone in 2007 which landed her some terrific scholarships. Brian’s claim to fame is that he was born at home one Memorial Day weekend in the master bathroom and was delivered by his father. He’s delighted that his birth certificate does not sport the unusual name of some hospital. Obviously I will never forget the event, and vividly recall the fact that even the guy from the video store was there to watch (a lot of volunteer emergency people showed up after I dialed 911. He was one of ‘em).
I worked in Denver until July 1988 when Delta transferred me to their headquarters in Atlanta. I worked as a Supervisor until 1990 when Delta and several other airlines started a travel automation company called Worldspan. I spent a few years at Worldspan leading a team of PC developers, and then bridged back to Delta in 1992. I was fortunate enough to hook up and work with a team of really sharp people and for the next 15 years we created some cutting edge data eventing technology that put Delta out in front of the other airlines. The highlight of my career occurred in 2002 when Delta won the Smithsonian Award for Innovation after we showcased our digital nervous system. Our small team along with the IT executives attended an awesome black-tie affair in Washington, D.C.
I left Delta Air Lines in 2008 (after 25 years)CIO, Keith Halbert, to help build and implement new technology and bring United to the forefront in its IT capabilities. Incredibly, my family and I decided not to relocate from Atlanta to Chicago, so I have been commuting back and forth to Chicago for over a year - staying in an apartment during the week, and flying home to Atlanta on weekends.
I have been very active in the Methodist Church, and been a scout leader for over 14 years. I led both a Cub Scout pack and a Boy Scout troop. I started the Boy Scout troop from scratch in 1994 and grew the troop to 43 boys before turning over the reins when I headed off to Chicago. As Scoutmaster of Troop 79 of Tyrone, GA I am proud to have produced 12 Eagle Scouts, including my son Brian.
Talking expensive hobbies, I took up scuba diving in 1996. Over the next several years I earned my open water, advanced open water, and Rescue Diver certifications which gave me plenty of opportunities to dive the Gulf, Caribbean, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Since my kids were taking karate, I decided to take it along with them, and earned a black belt degree 4 ½ years later in 2004. Somewhere along the way I decided to get a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) so I could drive the church’s big activity bus. It’s funny how things go… the High School called on me from time to time to transport kids by bus to academic competitions. I took the H.S. math team to the University of Charleston in South Carolina many times. I'm still quite active and run 5K and 10K races throughout the year, and very much enjoy riding my motorcycle.
What’s next? Now that the kids are grown, I can tell that this new "empty-nester" stage is going to call for some real adjustments.
Best to everyone in the Class of 1979.
Duane Ellis
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