Peter Baas
Shortly after graduating from CHS, our family left the CZ for good. My dad had just retired from the Royal Netherlands Steamship Company after being with them for 42 years, of which the last 12 were in Cristobal. My three older brothers and sisters were already in the US studying or working, and my mother was on her way to Nassau, Bahamas to work with a financial company. My dad, Christina, Tom, I, relatives and friends including Carol Conyne went to Holland and Spain where we spent a wonderful summer.

After settling in my temporary new home in Miami, I went to technical school for about 1 year, but got caught in the draft. The selective service devised a new plan to draft eligible men, by lottery, into the services based on the birthdays in 1969, needless to say, my number came up as 9. In June, 1970 I enlisted in the Air Force, missing being drafted into the Army or Marines by 1 day.

I got out of the Air Force after 5 years, but continued in the Air Force Reserves until October 1998. As a reservist, I was able to revisit the CZ on three occasions, the first being during "Operation Just Cause".

After getting out of the service in 1975, I went to college in Florida & in July, 1978 I started work at the Naval Oceanographic Office in Mississippi, where I am still employed. I always liked Oceanography and getting this job was a dream come true.

In 1984 I married my beautiful wife, Jean,, an Ohioan transplanted New Yorker. We have 2 wonderful girls, Lauren 18, and Emily 13. Jean, growing up in Bagel country, seeing that Mississippians didn't know what a bagel was, started a bagel factory in Gulfport in 1998. She is doing well & last I checked is the only one in Mississippi. Retirement for me will hopefully be in the near future.

Born November 12, 1949 ~ New York, New York

The cayuco race is one of Pete's main interests. He participated in it in his Freshman, Junior and Senior years. He was a member of the football team. Pete plans to attend college.