Have you ever done anything sort of stupid that actually worked out okay without any consequences? I know I have more than once, but I will only relate two right now.

During my senior year in high school my friend Ray McInroy said he had a great idea. Right there I should have said “Stop,” but oh no, I listened. He thought it would be fun if I went to school with him for a day. Even though we lived in the same neighborhood, we went to different schools. I went to a technical school where I got my first basic engineering training. Ray went to the neighborhood high school, which was more general education oriented. 

For who knows what reason, I thought that would be fun. So I didn’t go to my school and went to his with him. Of course, a lot of the other students knew me from the neighborhood and the grade school we all went to. What I didn’t think about was my dad’s job. He was an elementary school music teacher who traveled to each school in that district a half day each week. He was also somewhat known to the adults in the neighborhood and many of the teachers in the local high school.

As a result, when I went into the school office with Ray to register as a visitor and he told the secretary I was his cousin from out of town, it didn’t fool anyone. But for some reason nothing was said and I was given a visitor’s pass. I attended Ray’s classes all day, but when I got home I was afraid I would be in trouble so I told my mom and she and dad just laughed and nothing was ever mentioned again. My mom even wrote me a note the next day excusing my absence from my school.

The second may have had more serious consequences if I had been found out.

One day when I was about 20 I was visiting my friend Johnny Somppi, and during our chatting he mentioned he should probably get his driver’s license. I was surprised he didn’t have one since he had been driving since he was at least 16 and had been in the Oregon National Guard and was a truck and heavy equipment operator. When I asked him why he never got his state license he said he just never got around to it, and with work he didn’t have time. 

So, in my brilliance, I said I could get it for him if he wanted me to. He thought that was a great idea, so I got an application for him to sign and made an appointment to go take his driving test. My being able to impersonate him was possible because there was no photo taken for the license at that time.

On the day and at the appointed time, I was sitting in the waiting room at the Department of Licensing thinking about the test and who knows what else. A voice called out, “John Somppi…” And again, after a pause, “John Somppi…” Then I realized, oh hell that’s me! Deep in my thoughts I forgot who I was but I woke up in time to answer before they went on to the next person.

When the examiner and I got into my car he asked me if this car was mine. No, I said, I borrowed it from a friend. That was all, and I proceeded to follow directions and breezed through the test including parallel parking. After we got back to the office the examiner looked at me and said, “For a person who hasn’t had a license you sure are a confident driver.” He then handed me the results; he said I had passed and to go in and they would give me the license.

I didn’t say a word and went inside. The next day I gave Jhonny his license and we had a good laugh over a beer.

Ken Kaiyala
4-12-2025