Cowboy Bob

In the Fall of 1972 we went to Phoenix, Arizona to start my training in the F-4 at Luke Air Force Base. That's where I met Bob. Bob was the real thing. He was raised on a 10,000 acre ranch in Wyoming. He would ride his horse into the mountains for days at a time to bring the herds down to safe pastures for the winter. He participated in the local rodeos. A Catholic, for a time he considered becoming a priest. I was a student pilot and Bob was a student Weapons System Operator. We were paired together as a crew.

At first, I wouldn't have anything to do with him other than our training. I didnt mean to be rude, although I probably was. Thinking back, I was frightened and in over my head. I usually put up walls when I'm feeling like that. The other student crews were becoming friends and they took notice that Bob and I weren't. Some of them asked me about it. I just didn't see that bonding was necessary.

Perhaps someone said something to C, or perhaps her instincts kicked in. She had me invite Bob to dinner one night. The evening started off cordially. Then C started working her magic. She brought us together, so that by the end of the evening, a close friendship had started.

We went through the rest of the training together and had many rewarding, and sometimes hazardous, flights. Once, I almost ran us out of fuel. We made it to the base with so little gas that the indications were unreliable. I expected the engines to flameout while we taxied in. It shook me up that my incompetance had put his life, as well as my own, at risk. He told me that whatever I did, he was proud to fly with me. If that meant we became a smoking hole in the dessert, so be it. I would have never had that kind of courage.

At the end of training, Bob went to South East Asia, and I went to Europe. Three years later, Bob was reassigned to my Wing, but to a different Squadron. So we connived to get the chance to fly together again. It was wonderful to fly with him, both of us now much better at our jobs, but still like kids with a new toy.

It's been years since we've heard from each other, but we both know that a phone call would make the time disappear.

Stick With Me

"Stick with me, kid.
You'll be wearing rocks as big as diamonds."

I say this when I get something right. It happens sometimes.

Do Not Go Gentle

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Dylan Thomas

My parents bought a school bus

When I was in High School, my parents bought a school bus.

In the 60's there were many desegregation initiatives one of these had to do with busing kids from one district to another to achieve a better mix of races in the schools. In our school this meant that many black students were brought in from schools that had been primarily black. Surprisingly, this was not a problem. We accepted them and got along as well as any teenagers can.

The problem was that any students who had traditionally transfered from smaller school districts to my school were no longer aloud to keeptransfering. We lived in a rural community that had done just that. We were all going to have to change to a school that was poor, not black, just poor.

My mother went to this new school and got a tour escorted by the principle. She wanted to see how stong their math and science department was. It was bad. The chemistry class had one lab table for the teacher, desks for the students. The physics class was shared with the Spanish class, and had a dusty pinata hanging from the ceiling. She opened a drawer of the teacher's desk and found an empty pint whiskey flask. Her boys were not going to this school!

After a number of meetings with our local school board, my parents, the school superintendant, and another concerned mother decided to make a trip to Austin, Texas, to talk to the State School Board. The lady that accompanied my parents on the trip to Austin was significant. She was a black woman, who also wanted her children to go to a good school. No doubt this helped convince the board that this was not a segregation issue.

The State decided that our community could continue to transfer to our school, but that we would have to provide our own transportation. Later the superintendant agreed to sell my parents a bus from their motor pool. This bus had been scheduled to be scrapped and was in bad shape but my dad and a close family friend worked nights overhauling it.

About twenty families in our community were represented in that bus. Those families owed a debt to my parents, but more so to our school, because the school sold us the bus for $10.

Danger In The Ginza

Be very careful when walking through the Ginza District of Tokyo.

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” - Joseph Campbell

Lunch With My Protege

I have a protege. Doesn't everyone?

We met at Salty's on Alkai Beach for a nice visit and wonderful food. She paid.
It wasn't always that way.

I met her twelve years ago. I was flying corporate jets, and she had never flown anything but light, piston engine planes. Our group was pretty tough on her. But I felt we had an obligation to train her to be as good a pilot as she could be. It turns out she was, and is, a good pilot. I wasn't very happy with my job or the people in our organization at the time. Partly to show everyone up and to have something to distract me, I decided to coach her in the ways of the Citation III. At first, she was in over her head. It took her several months before she could land it to suit me. One night she got it. I had talked her through a visualization of the final approach and landing and then said, "Make me proud." She did, and she has ever since.

Not long after that, I got promoted to a better job and left the group. We stayed in touch and I gave her as much encouragement and advice as I could. It got pretty grim for her. Finally, she got a break and got hired by a major airline. But that was rocky as well. Economic downturn left her on the street, as we say; layed off. When I saw her during those times, I listened and chose my word very carefully. Eventually, she got recalled to the commuter service of her carrier and finally got back on line with the big jets. Now, she is a pilot on both the Boeing 757 and 767, flying to Europe, Asia, and Hawaii. She told me that on her check-ride in the 757, the evaluator said he liked the way she handled the V-1 Cut (a simulated engine failure at the most critical time on takeoff). "I did it just like you tought me, Uncle Don." Her parents might be more proud of her than I, but it's close.

In the past, when we met for lunch, I was always "there" for her, listening, encouraging, advising, and paying. This time, I could just enjoy visiting with her. We are both very happy with our lives. She, at the beginning of an adventure, and I, near the end of one.

Mrs. Palfrey and the Queen Mary

We went to see "Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont" in a poorly run art house in the U District. They seemed to have trouble with the sound system. During one preview, there was no sound at all. During the feature, the sound went out momentarily, twice. Never the less, we enjoyed the show. C was crying at the end.

Since we went to a matinee, we were ready for lunch afterward. I suggested we see if "The Queen Mary Tea Room" was still serving. They were, and we had a nice lunch. As the owner took us to the table, I balked as I looked around and saw no other men. Mary, the owner said "you'll be the most handsom man here." OK.

As we finished, the waitress, very cute, asked if we'd like desert. C said no, but I asked what was on the menu. She recited everything, then giggled when I said I didn't want anything, just wanted to hear her tell us. Mary, also cute, came to our table and said "I hear you made my waitress recite our dessert menu and you didn't order anything." I confessed I had. As we were leaving, I caught our waitress and said, "You tattled on me." She laughed and said it's OK, Mary likes you two very much. She hugged me as we went out the door.

That was a good day.