I joined the U.S. Army in October of 1970, during the Viet Nam War. I was released in April of 1972, after serving my time.
I grew up on a little spread my Dad called, "His Little Ponderosa". All of my life, I was raised around all kinds of livestock, so I guess you could call me a Cowboy. I am a Cowboy, that is over one fourth Indian! Do I play the Cowboy or the Indian?
I started showing registered Quarter Horses when I was only seven years old. I participated in rodeos and showing horses from that young age up until I entered the military service. In 1971, while in Austin, Texas, I took up "Rodeo Clowning". I then "retired" from it in 1973. Two years was enough of that "bull"!
I was hired by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company on February 4, 1974, as a Lineman. I worked all around the West Texas area. I transferred to Austin, Texas in December of 1986, and worked there as a repairman until July of 1989. I progressed through a lot of phases and titles until reaching my current title of a Communications Technician here in Abilene, Texas. Where I go from here is anyone's guess.
I grew up in a world of Rock and Roll music, drinking, drag racing, drive-in theaters, and the old drive-in hangouts with the car-hop waitresses. The book and movie, American Graffiti, was the theme of my younger life style. I collect articles and memorabilia from this show. I love the "Oldies, but Goodies" music. I have two restored Wurlitzer jukeboxes that have the good old 45's in them, that I play every so often.
I am a single guy, 6 feet tall, 212 pounds, auburn hair, baby blue eyes, and a medium build. I am trying to rearrange all of this by working out in a gym and home! And yes, I do wear boots and a cowboy hat or a baseball cap all of the time! I am a funny guy that loves to make and see people laugh and smile. I like to tell funny stories and jokes. I have been known to pull a few pranks and/or tricks in my time, too! Some were really good and some were pretty bad! (I do not know which catagory moving the outhouse stunt falls under. It was one heck of a mess!)
My Mom's and Dad's names were Margie and Floyd (Red). My Dad was the Superintendent for Parker Drilling Company in Odessa. He also was the owner of Trio Equipment Company. My Mom was a mother and a housewife. I have one brother, Jerry, that is two years older than me and one sister, Lynda, that is four years younger than me. That makes me the "Middle Child"! I have two nephews and three nieces and now a new grand-nephew!.
I have a lot of very true friends, that I do not have the space to name here.
I have some "Very Special Friends", that mean the world to me and that I can not say thanks enough for being there for me.
I am currently working on a 1968 Chevy short-wide bed, "Show and Go" pick-up truck, that I call "The Toy". I have built several street cars and helped build a few show cars over the years. I have owned several classics and sports cars. My first car was a 1956 Chevy 2 door hard-top, bought in 1968, which I still own today. The newest passions in my life are "Julie" and "Jenny", my 2002 Chevrolet 35th Anniversary SS Limited Edition Camaros. One is a coupe and the other is a convertible. I since have retired them from the show circuit. I have now purchased a rare 1972 Chevy Cheyenne Super which we are totaly restoring from the frame up. It should be finished around Christmas time if all goes well. These are what I spend my free time and extra money on, at least for now!
I have been involved with computers since 1984. I have attended colleges for a Computer Science Degree. I still need a few classes to complete my degree plan. I still have maintained a 4.0 GPA even at my age!
I love motorsports! This includes Nascar racing, drag racing, and drag boats. Every since I was a little guy, I wanted to drive race cars. A big dream came true, when I bought my first street racer, a 1970 Boss 302 Mustang. (I am trying to purchase another one that is identical to my first Boss Mustang.)
Drag boat racing is something I like to watch on TV or in real person. It is a very fast and moving experience. You have to go to Waco, Texas and just feel the "thunder"!
In March of 2003. I went to my first Nascar race at Texas Motor Speedway. It was as exciting as I ever thought it would be. I was the guest of Mobil One and their team won the race that day! This made it a very memorable race for me! Nascar is somewhat of a hobby of mine too. I have a very large collection of rare and collectible Nascar die-cast cars, that I have acquired over the years.
I learned to scuba dive in March of 1979, and enjoyed it so much, I became an assistant instructor to the instructor, Milton Tharp, for seven years. I have taken many underwater pictures, which also came from my interest of photography, that started in high school.
I am currently in the early stages of designing the layouts for a book, with photographs of old houses, widmills, and barns, which I am investigating and photographing. I am going to title my book, "If These Walls Could Talk".
I became involved with livestock shows when I was in FFA in high school. Jim Bob and Jon Mark got involved with FFA while attending Wylie High School. This brought me back into the show animal circuit. We attended major shows for over five years. We participated in our local Wylie, Taylor County, and Jones County shows. We also attended the Permian Basin Fair in Odessa, Fort Worth Livestock Show, San Antonio Livestock Show, Brenham Swine Sift, Houston Livestock Show, and San Angelo Livestock Show. We had a lot of fun and gained a lot of valuable knowledge from these experiences.
What does it count?
