Joe Vaughan, the man who wrote this blog, and several others, passed away on June 20, 2023 at 6:20AM. Joe lived a life of service to other people. He was born during the Great Depression to an unwed mother, and lived in his Grandfather's house with many aunts and uncles. As a child, he took any job he could find to help his family make ends meet. During the winter he delivered papers, worked sweeping up at the local YMCA, and helped make margarine during the World War II. He graduated from High School in 1952 and went into the Air Force, where he was stationed atop a mountain in Germany and decrypted radio signals during the Korean War. After the war, he went to Boston University where he earned his Bachelors degree. As soon as he graduated, he married his long-time sweetheart Elaine Langlois. They moved to Baltimore, Maryland when the Social Security Administration recruited him to be a Claims Examiner in 1960, but he quickly transitioned to computers. He became a Branch Chief, where he earned a reputation as a champion of his staff; often going to bat for them despite pressure from superiors to back off. He was a civil servant for more than 35 years, finally retiring in 1996. Then he volunteered for the SSA Alumni Association, NARFE, Carroll County Triad, AARP, and other organizations where he typically served as officers. His wife passed away in 2000, and Joe would wait several years before meeting Elaine Lottes. He lived with her until his passing at the Carroll Lutheran Village.
I am Joe's son, and I'm very proud of my dad. He's told me thousands of stories and left behind lots of articles and thoughts that I will share with people on a new Blog named "The Spirit of Prepop". Until then, thank you for reading Prepop's blog.
