Resident Stories

You just know when an engineer says a product has real value that he has taken the time to research all the details to substantiate his statement. That's true with long-time Thousand Oaks citizen and early University Village resident Hal Bordner. He was one of the first to move in and one of the few to observe every step of our community's construction — from an engineer's point of view.

What made Hal so interested in the construction of University Village? It is what he has done all his life as an electrical engineer in the Air Force, as a student of architecture at the University of Southern California, and as a construction and project engineer for several private companies in the aerodynamics industry.

Born in Grand Island, Nebraska, Hal's family moved to the Long Beach and San Pedro area in his youth. He graduated from high school and went to work for Bethlehem Steel as a designer of marine equipment. Hal then enlisted in the Army Air Corp with a B-24 liberator bomber group, and spent the next ten-and-a-half years in the Central Pacific working in communications and electrical engineering while island-hopping. He was on Okinawa when the war ended and came back to California in late 1945 to start his civilian career.

Hal married, had two girls and one boy, and worked in aerodynamics at several of the big companies in California. At Litton Industries, he was plant engineer at their corporate headquarters for 25 years. Hal was a member of the American Institute of Plant Engineers until he retired in 1988.

Hal's second marriage to Dorothy doubled the size of his family to six children, five of whom still live in Southern California. Hal sees his children, nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren quite often these days. In fact, two of his grandchildren live in Thousand Oaks. Dorothy developed Alzheimer's 11 years ago and Hal became her sole caregiver, until his children intervened and suggested he get additional professional help.

"All my children were in favor of my move to University Village," says Hal. "Much more so than some of my friends, who were only considering day-to-day living and not the future. I've been here with my terrier, Blue, for a year-and-a-half and now these friends are changing their minds. They see how happy I am and realize the tremendous value that security for the future truly provides. The main reason University Village represents such value for me is the availability of future health care at OakView at University Village Thousand Oaks, if I ever need it."

University Village offers the kind of life Hal wants to live right now, too — active, stimulating and around wonderful people who have amazing backgrounds and are fun to talk with. He sings at his nearby church, goes to the community's fitness center three to four times per week and takes part in numerous University Village outings. He still has plenty of time for celebrations with his family and for his volunteer work at the Thousand Oaks Library, where he's been for 15 years.

Hal always likes to throw in a word about the quality construction of University Village — after all, he was there when the cement was poured and the walls went up. "A great design and top-notch construction," he says. And he loves his wonderful view of the pool, fountains and beautiful landscaping from his one-bedroom Lakeview apartment home. Yes, it has certainly all come together at University Village for Hal Bordner. It could for you, too.