The Requa family has lived in the New York area over 300 years. Gabriel Requoi was born in Tremblade, France in 1678 and came to the new world in 1690 with his Father, Claude, and his mother, both of whom died before reaching New York. He later married a girl named Jeanne whom he had met on the ship and they lived in New Rochelle where they had their only child, Claude, in 1700. When the family moved to Philipsburgh Manor where the Dutch immigrants had trouble pronouncing their French names, they changed their last name to Requa and their son's first name to Glode.

Glode had eight children including Glode, aka Captain Glode Requa, in 1727.
Glode had nine children including Samuel in 1764.
Samuel had eleven children including Jacob in 1794.
Jacob had eleven children including Samuel in 1826.
Samuel had five children including Harry in 1861.
Harry had eight children including James Williams (my grandfather) in 1891.
James Williams had two children including James Russell (my father) in 1916.
James Russell had five children including James Russell (guess who) in 1945.

1945

I was born on February 9 in Fallon Nevada. My left leg was 3/4 inch short and had no fibula. Otherwise it was fine and has continued to be. Now it's about 6.5 inches short.

1946

We moved to Nyack, New York.

1947

The Great Blizzard of 1947 struck the Northeast on January 1. I remember my dad carrying me up the hill to my grandparent's house. I was not yet two years old. My sister, Maria, was born on October 10 in Nyack. Yes, I remember that too.

1948

My best friend, Ina, started school. I missed her.

1949

I started kindergarten at Saint Ann's School.

1950

I graduated from Saint Ann's kindergarten - still have the diploma.

1951

My sister, Anita, was born on April 5 in Nyack. Soon after that, my mother had a nervous breakdown and was committed to a hospital.

1952

Doing badly at Saint Ann's School, I switched to Liberty Street public school.

1953

We moved to our summer house in South Salem, NY and I started 4th grade at Lewisboro School. It was my first experience with a school cafeteria. Lunch was 25 cents; milk was 3 cents.

1954

My mother returned and we moved to Long Island and I started 5th grade there.

1955

Finished 5th grade in Long Island and moved back to the South Salem house.

1956

Graduated from Lewisboro elementary school, started junior high.

1957

Started working as a mechanic for Merwin Dickens, a friend of my father and an owner of Lighthouse Motors, a boat and car dealership. With some help from a classmate I got together with Gwen, my first steady girlfriend. She went to Europe for the summer. I missed her.

1958

My father and I drove to Florida in his Austin Healy 100-6 and went to various cities looking for a job.

1959

Dad and I left home with Frances (whom he later married) and their daughter Melody and moved to Gainesville, Florida where he taught school and I continued 9th grade. In the fall I started 10th grade and spent Christmas in South Salem with my mother.

1960

At the end of Christmas vacation I stayed in South Salem with my mother so I could be closer Gwen. Soon we broke up but I stayed there anyway. During summer vacation Mom took Anita and me on a six week car trip across the country.

1961

Finished 11th grade at John Jay High school - the first time I enjoyed school and did well since the first grade.

1962

Graduated from John Jay High school. I was still working summers and weekends for Merwin Dickens, as a mechanic at Lighthouse Motors. On July 12, we went to lunch at a diner as we did many days and he said, "Well, Jim, I'm half a century old."

1963

Finished freshman year at RPI. During the summer I got a First Class Radiotelephone Operator's license and worked a transmitter watch at radio station WVIP in Mount Kisco, NY.

1964

Started 3 year Electronics Technology course at RCA Institutes. Heard Bob Dylan for the first time - haven't been the same since.

1965

Worked part time as Chief Engineer and as a DeeJay at radio station WBRW in Brewster, NY. Worked part time at WVOX in New Rochelle and still worked part time at WVIP.

1966

Graduated from RCA. Started working part time at Chas. H. Sells Surveying and Engineering, Inc. as a keypunch operator. Soon was hired full time as a computer programmer.

1967

Quit my mechanic and radio station jobs.

1968

Travelled to Florida to visit my sister and met Jeanie there. She moved to New York and we were married in October.

1969

Moved from Mahopac to a small cabin in South Salem.

1970

My son, James, was born on January 5 in Mount Kisco. We moved to Pleasantville (to be closer to my job and have more space) to a bigger house (that James calls the little house).

1971

I left my job at Sells where I had been promoted to department head and took a programming job at Information Displays, Inc. (IDI), a manufacturer of computer graphic displays.

1972

Spent six weeks at "the lab" in Los Alamos, New Mexico working for IDI.

1973

Bought the old summer house in South Salem and moved in.

1974

My son, Dana, was born on March 20 in Mount Kisco.

1975

Dissatisfied with my marriage, I started attending a TA therapy group. Jeanie joined the same group.

1976

Switched to another TA group - thought I could do more without her in the room.

1977

I took the est training and started attending est seminars.

1978

Made a new agreement with Jeanie that permitted us to date.

1979

Left Jeanie and rented a room in a house in Ossining. Met my brother John for the first time ever. We stayed up all night amazing ourselves with how similar we were.

1980

Jeanie and I reached an agreement and got divorced.

1981

I left IDI where I had become Director of Programming. Jim and Chris, who had worked there with me, also left and we started a new company, EXEYE Software Tools, Inc.

1982

Moved to Haverstraw, NY to be closer to EXEYE. Met Elys who moved in with me. Got first IBM PC.

1983

Moved both EXEYE and ourselves to Fort Montgomery, NY where Chris bought a building.

1984

Started converting all EXEYE programming work from FORTRAN to C.

1985

IDI went out of business. EXEYE worked with Design Futures to buy IDRAW, the drafting system we had developed at IDI. Elys moved out. We dated each other and others. We never were very monogamous, actually.

1986

I took the est Six Day Course.

1987

We finished converting IDRAW from the Varian 620 to the IBM PC.

1988

My son, James, graduated from high school.

1989

Decided to join the swinging lifestyle after getting tired of dating women who want me to stop dating other women. After a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, Mom pointed out that I hadn't had any turkey. I decided it was a perfect meal anyway and I haven't eaten meat since.

1990

Went to the Lifestyles Convention in Las Vegas. Went to Phoenix Naturist Resort, my first nudist experience.

1991

Got to know some swingers and started going to monthly parties.

1992

My son, Dana, graduated from high school. I Met Vivian, started dating her, moved in with her in a couple months.

1993

Had a head-on car collision in a snow storm on February 16. Broke right femur. Was in the hospital four weeks, then home with Vivian who took care of me. In July we drove to Luthersville, Georgia and visited my father. In November I sold my interest in EXEYE and we moved to Luthersville and rented a small house from my father.

1994

Vivian and I were married on January 1, my second marriage and her third. I started working alone doing computer programming and support work as TerraGraphics.

1995

In January we went to New Orleans, LA for our first anniversary (and one year late honeymoon). On February 9 I called Merwin Dickens who lived in New Mexico then. I reminded him of what he said in 1962 and told him, "I'm half a century old." A few months later he died, a man who made a giant contribution to my life. In February Vivian and I went to New York to visit our families. While we were there, my mother died - completely unexpectedly. We all miss her. In August Vivian bought a used book store named Book Stop and Swap. In October, we bought a house near Senoia - a 1400 sf ranch in a small clearing in 10 acres of woods. It's about 12 miles from Luthersville where my dad lives. The folks that sold it to us left about a dozen chickens and 5 turkeys.

1996

I opened TerraGraphics Computer Shop in part of Vivian's book store. Vivian got to know more about chickens and was really enjoying them. I started travelling to NY to do work there. I started this website in the free space that my ISP gave me.

1997

We built a big, fancy chicken coop for our 50 or so chickens. Now we call this place Happy Farm. Here is a web page I made for it around then.

1998

Internet domains went from $50 a year down to $35 and I couldn't resist - bought requa.net and moved this website to it. We closed the book store and computer store. We bought my father's house from him. He thought he would die in a few weeks but he was wrong. I'm so glad.

1999

Paved our driveway. Built a new porch off our kitchen. Helped my sister, Maria, buy a house (to rent). As she sends me money, I save it for the mortgage on my house and in two years we will have both houses paid off. That's what can happen when you don't have to pay interest.

2000

Fixed a few Y2K bugs. We went to Tampa to the "Partners in Paradise" swinger's convention. Started digging a basement under my house. Digging an hour a day, it will be done in two years. Design Futures abandoned IDRAW.

2001

Started the new year at Carl & Elaine's wonderful party. Happy birthday, Carl. Finished paying our mortgage. No more banks! The house is ours!

2002

Started the new year at Carl & Elaine's wonderful party - oops same as last year. Well, it was. Now it's 40 years since I graduated from John Jay High School and we had a big reunion in September.

2003

Bought a house in Maine. Vivian will live there and I will live in Georgia, New York, and Maine. She wants to be in cool weather near her daughter and I want to be in warm weather near my father (GA), able to take care of my customers (NY), and with Vivian (ME).

2004

New Year's day was our tenth anniversary. Vivian rented a motel room with a hot tub and we spent a day and night just enjoying each other. It was so nice. In March my son, James, and his sweetie, Jaja, had a son, James Roman. My dad's wife, Stella, died and we had a small graveside funeral. James and Jaja got married. Dad and I went to the wedding in Cartersville, GA at James's mother's house. There were four generations of James Requa there - my dad, self, son, and grandson. Cindy told me she was the one I was looking for. We started dating and were soon living together. We moved into the small house behind Dad's house. Vivian and I went through some pretty bad stuff and ended the year getting separated - getting along again but now legally separated. We found a trailer (mobile home) in NY for her.

2005

Bought the trailer and worked at getting rid of the mold that made it impossible to live there. Cindy and I do just about everything together when I'm in GA but I'm in NY half the time. Vivian's health is not too good. Cindy and I went to Maine and brought Vivian back to the trailer. My dad got married on Christmas eve - his fifth time. Here are some photos.

2006

Cindy and I got married on June 23. Now I have four more children and a bunch of new grandchildren. On the way from GA to NY we bought a new Honda Civic hybrid - small, pretty, comfortable, will pay for itself in saved gas if we keep making a 2000 mile round trip each month. Now we travel together and work together. Vivian went to Maine for the summer again and decided to stay there. Cindy and I moved into the trailer in NY and visited her in Maine for Christmas.

2007

Mostly we are in NY now travelling to GA once a month but we skipped a few. My son, James, moved into the house in South Salem which Maria and I had been renting out for the last twelve years. Dad is in FL with his new wife, Lucile. They decided to give up the GA house and just stay in FL.

2008

Cindy's daughter, Mary, moved into Dad's old GA house. James and Jaja, had their second son, Jazz Monroe. I'm a grandfather for the second time (or the 14th depending on how you count). We sold the house in Maine and Vivian moved to New York, into another mobile home about five miles from Cindy and me.

2009

Dana, graduated from nursing school. He's an RN now. Maria and I sold the house in South Salem to James and Jaja. Cindy had open heart surgery at NYU hospital. This is to correct a birth defect that we discovered recently. Dad died a few days before Thanksgiving. He was 93.

2010

James made his singing debut at Georgetown Saloon on his birthday. I took Vivian to a doctor appointment one day and he sent her to the hospital, and a few weeks later to a rehabilitation facility. She keeps smoking and getting worse.

2011

Cindy went to GA in July and did a lot of work on the house. I joined her after about a month for a short trip there and to FL to see my sister, Maria. In October we began a new diet that included juicing vegetables and we lost weight and were feeling better by the end of the year.

2012

Got elected to the board of directors of our manufactured home park. It's one of just a few in the state and I'm pleased to live here. We (about 50 of us) collectively own the land and each own our individual house.

2013

Joined a health club (gym?, spa?) for the first time ever and started swimming almost every day. Cindy and I started going to new doctors to learn how to be healthier than the normal doctors can help us be. Cindy had open heart surgery again, this time at Columbia hospital. After the first surgery, the bad tissue that was removed grew back. This doctor says it won't happen after he's done.

2014

Some good friends encouraged me and I ran for president of the co-op. Being president was hard at first but, as the year progressed, I was glad I did it.

2015

Now I'm 70 years old, only half a century to go. Yes, I'm planning to retire at 100 and die at 120.

2016

Dad would be 100 years old this year. My sister, Maria, came to NY for his birthday and we went to see all the places we lived and houses he built when we were young.

2017

Broke my ankle. Before you start in about old people with brittle bones, let me tell you that my doctor checked my bone something - whatever it is that they check - and said it is excellent for any age. We got a bicycle seat attached to the back of Cindy's electric cart and she carried me and my crutches through the airports. For Thanksgiving week we stayed in a log cabin in Georgia.

2018

Another Thanksgiving in a cabin at FDR State Park in Pine Mountain Georgia. Maria came to visit.

2019

A third Thanksgiving in a cabin at FDR State Park in Pine Mountain Georgia. We are back to the first one this time. It's smaller but we like it better. Maria could not come visit this time - missed her. The town we live in (Philipstown) decided to renovate its wonderful old (about 150 years) town hall building that has been deteriorating for some time. Everybody moved out to temporary offices. My job was to move all the computer equipment. They plan to move back a year from now.

2020

We let the Honda hybrid go and got a new Tesla Model 3. The Honda was good but a hybrid is complicated and not much more efficient, if any. I've been watching Tesla since we bought the hybrid and, when they got the price down to $35000, we bought one. A week later, Corona virus got bad and the governor sent everybody home from work. Within a day, I had most of my biggest customer's people working from home. Over the next few months I was busy doing the same transition for other customers. No Thanksgiving trip to GA this year - Covid.

2021

The town offices moved into the newly renovated town hall. It's the same old building on the outside but all modern and "up-to-code" on the inside. I moved the computers over the weekend and everybody was able to pick up Monday morning right where they left off Friday night. Thanksgiving in a cabin again - a different one this time. There was still some Covid concern, so we did Thanksgiving dinner outside at the park in a pavilion with about 20 picnic tables.

2022

Got elected president of the co-op again - starting my fifth two year term. I've learned a lot in eight years, still glad to be doing it, and looking forward to finding somebody who will do it better. Went to Tesla for our first biennial service - that's right it gets serviced every two years. This first time it was $150. Other than two tires, that's all we spent on it so far - and it's really good on electricity - about a fifth the cost of gasoline and here in Philipstown NY we get our power from wind.

2023

Bought a solar panel for the Shed. The shed will have normal house wiring and light switch and standard light sockets but the light bulbs will be 12 volt LEDs that screw into standard sockets. The solar panel will keep a 12 volt battery charged so it can power the lights.

2024

Traded in the 2020 Tesla on a new 2024 Tesla Model 3. It's the one people call Highland and it is much nicer.