By taking evening classes, John was able to complete the degree requirements for a BS in engineering at Northrop Institute, from which he graduated magna cum laude. While at the Inglewood facility, John participated in the design and development of numerous high performance military aircraft for the Air Force and the Navy, from the F-100 Super Sabre fighter to the B-1 bomber.
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John may have retired from Rockwell, but he did not retire from working. In 1989 he joined the consulting firm of Booz, Allen and Hamilton in Bethesda, Maryland. He formed a group of engineers to provide technical support to the Director of the Space Station program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. His office in Washington was located across the street from the Smithsonian Aeronautics and Space Museum. His assignment required travel to the European Space Agency (ESA) headquarters in Paris, France, the ESA design center at Nordwijk, Netherlands and the Russian space design bureau, NPO Energia, near Moscow.
John retired (for the second time) from Booz, Allen & Hamilton in 1995 when NASA terminated support contracts. However, Booz-Allen brought him back as a private contractor to assist in the preparation of proposals to the US Coast Guard and to Saudi Arabia on the development of vessel tracking systems respectively in the US and in Saudi Arabia.
So John retired for the third (and final) time in 1995 and began his post-retirement quest for a retirement location, which ended here at Blacklake.
Darlene is a genuine native Californian, born in Huntington Park, but raised in Burbank and Glendale in the San Fernando Valley. She attended Glendale High School, and since Glendale High was a perennial performer in the Rose Parade, each January 1 would find Darlene waving her pom-poms down Colorado Avenue.
Darlene received her AA from Glendale College, and went to work for the telephone company as a service representative. After marrying John, and while she was raising their children, she took evening courses in bookkeeping and got a job as DMV expert at various automobile dealerships. Her “other career” was breeding Bassett hounds.
So, how did this “Valley Girl” and engineer from New York happen to meet?
In the 1950s, the Lake Arrowhead-Big Bear Lake area was the “in-place” for young singles to spend the Labor Day weekend. Darlene and some girl friends rented a cabin at Running Springs. At the same time John was staying at a lodge in Big Bear with some of his friends. They both happened to be at the same dance hall on Saturday night. After a couple of dances, John succeeded in getting Darlene’s phone number. Or so he thought. When he returned to Inglewood following the holiday, John informed his friends that he had at last met the girl that he would marry.
However, when he tried phoning Darlene, he discovered the phone number was a phoney!! (No pun intended) But John had memorized the license plate number for Darlene’s car, and a little investigation yielded her address and real phone number.
They were married on May Day 1954. Shortly afterwards they bought a home in Granada Hills. In August 1955 North American sent John to Japan on an 18-month assignment. A few months later Darlene joined him. Their pet beagle and cat traveled on the same plane as Darlene, sharing a pet carrier in the cargo hold. The 18-month assignment was extended to 3 years. John’s assignment required travel to Korea, Okinawa, Taiwan, and the Philippines, as well as to Air Force bases all over Japan. Living at Tachikawa near Tokyo, John and Darlene were able to enjoy holidays at many Japanese resorts. John got to climb Mount Fuji.
The DeYulia’s have 3 children, Mark, Paulette and Steve, all adopted. Only Paulette, who lives in Colorado, gave them grandchildren: 4 girls and 2 boys. and also one great-granddaughter.
John & Darlene have been Gyros since October 2000. John served as club President and as District Secretary-Treasurer under Governor Roger Lindley. He has been editor of the Blacklake GYRO SCOOP newsletter since 2001. Gyro International presents an annual award for the best club newsletter, and the GYRO SCOOP received that award for 3 straight years while John was editor.
Both John and Darlene were avid golfers until recent knee problems affected their play. However, good knees are not required for bridge playing, and both are still able to enjoy that game. John is Treasurer for the Nipomo Newcomers Men’s Investment Club. Darlene is Recording Secretary for Nipomo Newcomers and for Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos. She is also active in Kiwanis. Both John and Darlene are election polling place precinct volunteers.
