After graduation, I entered the Army with the intention of going to OSC and flight school Once in the Army, I just wanted out. I then chose paratroopers and aviation. After two years, I was out because of my back.
I worked about six years in a modern chemical analytical lab, while attending Georgia Tech at night. I went to Viet Nam in 1968 as supervisor of a lab in support of the Army aircraft. After 25 months, I returned to Atlanta and bought interest in an engineering firm and started the analytical lab division. It was very successful, but I didn't have a phD like the pres, and felt that I was more employee than partner, even though my division made all of the money. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, so I resigned (stupid!) and started a printing company.
After five years and growing it to 19 people, I sold my 51% share and started a printing franchise chain. I opened 35 stores from San Diego to Boston, but most were in Georgia.
Always undercapitalized, in 1996, I decided to sell the franchise to a firm in Florida and continue working on salary with them, hopefully until retirement. Six months later, and without all of the insurance that I had with my firm, I got sick with a rare kidney disease (Wegener's Disease). The company resold the printing business, and I was terminated without a parachute. I had chemo for a year, and didn't work until summer 1998 when I moved to Houston and had a brief job as a stockbroker with Morgan Stanley.
I didn't have the energy to work the long hours, and I didn't make quotos, so I was fired. I have moved back to my home town of Foley, AL (March 2004).
My kidney function in May 2004, is down to about 16%, so I have nausea most of the time, and am very anemic. After fighting social security for two years, and with an attorney, I was awarded disability in May 2001.
I was married briefly for four and a half years, 1982-1987. Built a nice house for them. Eric is a CPA and Christopher is an attorney near Philadelphia.
As seen by the photos below, I have always loved flying and have flown radio control models for nearly 40 years (don't have them anymore). I fly in small aircraft whenever I get a change.
worked, was all sand. This was my office and lab for almost two years. The second photo is an
aerial photo of part of Cam Ranh Bay.
P-51 and T-28 had flaps and retractable gear, 1.5hp engines, flew about 80-90 mph. About 5ft span.
