I was born and raised in Fairview, Oklahoma, son of a small town jewelry store owner. I apprenticed under Pop and was repairing watches, clocks and jewelry from the age of 12. Always strived to make C's in school, and I seldom erred on the high side. Played quarterback at 125 pounds and survived it. Connie was raised on a wheat farm/cattle ranch in the Oklahoma Panhandle and survived it. We met midway between the two at a tiny teachers' college nobody ever heard of where Connie graduated (cum laude) one year ahead of me and taught a year of high school music and speech while I finished my senior year and graduated (Lawdy how cum?). We got married right after her graduation and have thus far survived it. Neither college degree was ever used again.
Having a strong aversion to foxholes and Army green, I joined the USAF, and 90-day wonder 2nd Looootenent J. Gard reported to DLF class 69-03 along with the rest of ya's (that's New Jersey for "you-all"). T'was the best, toughest, scariest, most rewarding year of my life up 'til that time and since. And I was surrounded by the best, toughest, scariest classmates one could ask for. Because I had joined the Air Force to see the world, it seems only logical that I would spend my entire 5 ½ year career in Texas. Yup, OTS: Lackland AFB, TX; UPT: Laughlin AFB, TX; T-37 PIT: 2 weeks of ground school at Sheppard AFB, TX followed by local PIT at (you guessed it) Laughlin AFB, TX. Then there was the 4 years of Tweet instructing back in good old A Flight with Turlich, Merson, Rinker, Melsted, Sies, Ware, Dauler, Edwards, et al. Spent my last year as A Flight Commander (junior Captain with a DOS!)…..they wuz short of folks.
I became a civilian at the earliest possible second to chase airlines... (remember how it was back then?)... "choose wisely, grasshopper; you can't have both". In other words, he who had celebrated his 29th birthday was not going to be hired as an airline pilot. And the competition was fierce. I blew my VA educational benefits on CFI, CFII, full Flight Engineer rating and was a week away from the ATP checkride when Eastern Airlines called…..thus beginning a most unremarkable commercial flying career. After 3 months on the line, I was furloughed for 4 ½ years during which time I "flew" as quality control weenie for the Singer-Link Simulator Co. in upstate NY. Most of that time was spent in development and on-site installation of the next generation (you guessed it) T-37 and T-38 simulators at all of the UPT bases. Kinda humbling, but I ran into a lot of old friends who had the brains (insight?) to stay in the club. Many of them later became 45 year old airline pilots. After recall to EAL in '78, I flew Engineer on the B727 and L1011, then 727 Cohero until the music stopped in '89 with Frank Lorenzo killing the company. I dropped water on forest fires for a while (see it on U Tube "what I did with the summer of '90) until I got on with TWA where I flew one trip…..yes, ONE TRIP!....as B747 F/E before the whole class got furlough letters. Got hired by UAL in '91 where I worked (no furloughs!) for 13 years as 727 F/E and F/O, 757,767,777 F/O and 4 years A320/319 Captain. My final year, they cut the Airbus flying waaaay back, and I wound up back in right seat of the 777. Retired per FAA mandate at age 60 and they changed it to age 65 only months thereafter: non-retroactive. In other words,I had a 32 year airline career with 4 of them in the left seat.
Two ESOP (employee stock ownership) plans were made worthless by bankruptcies and 2 pensions made nearly worthless by (unnecessary) takeovers by the PBGC. Probably should have stayed in the Ahr Farce.
Now the good news!
Saint Connie the Tolerant and I are both in good spirits and good health and living on the Jersey shore (35 miles N of Atlantic City) where we would love to have guests from the distant USAF past who might happen this way. Lots to do….an hour to PHL or NYC. Boychild #1, David was born in Del Rio in 1969 (now 40!) and lives 8 miles from us with wife Diane and sons Ethan and Noah. He is a news photographer and travels all over NJ. Boychild #2, Bradley was born in 72 and lives with us; his daughter, Kiya lives with her mom in PA, but we get to spoil her here alternate weekends. Brad is a woodworker and furniture designer. Brad and I gutted and remodeled, refit, rerigged, the old 20 foot sailboat that we bought in 1970 in DelRio….better than new, and now a family heirloom. We also had the adventure 2 summers ago of crewing the 6th place boat in the Newport to Bermuda race on its return trip to Newport. Classic all wood 1952 Concordia 40 Yawl.
Connie remains employed as a school secretary to support my retirement habit, keep us out of the poorhouse, provide medical insurance….and she's not too sure she could take me 24/7 (hell, I can't take me 24/7). We belong to a new, start-up church of used-to-be-Methodists (long story), and we meet in the local school gym where Connie plays the keyboard and I run the sound system and pass the plate. (Church Motto: "Tired of organized religion?....Come worship with us; we're as disorganized as it gets.").
I took up golf at age 62 and hope someday to shoot a score with only 2 digits. I have not flown any airplanes since retirement, but when I need to taste fear I ride my motorcycle.
I think it is most excellent that Bob and Steve and Bingo have started this ball rolling to get us all back in touch and caught up. To repeat myself (which Connie sez I do a lot)….The year of UPT was a life-changing event which I had forgotten way too much of, and thank you all for helping to bring back the great memories! Cheers.