A Wild Ride so Far

My Life Story

Got started with an education out of High School until Uncle Sam came calling, interrupting my college education, 1st marriage and 2 new sons. Ultimately found myself Vietnam bound on the Flight Deck of the carrier Ranger CVA61. Just prior to that though….

I have been flying since about 10 years old, so went into an aviation rating in the Navy. Aviation Fundamentals and Navy “A” school in Radar and Computers in Millington, TN.

After almost 1 1/2 years gone, an all too typical Vietnam homecoming story of departed wife and family. Oh the differences between letters crossing in the mail, almost 2 month gap between responses, and what troops have today. Internet, web cams…. etc. Communication, if you can call it that,  with a loved one was an entirely different scenario back when……

Went on to further my computer and business education and aviation experiences. Spent 36yrs as a computer professional. Highlights included numerous years working for NASA at Jet Propulsion Labs, in the 70′s, at Pasadena, CA. Worked on projects Mariner, Pioneer 10 & 11, Viking (mars lander), and Voyager. My signature is on the Voyager plaque (WELL outside our solar system years ago) and on the leg plaque of the Viking Lander on Mars.

Married a real Sweetheart of a woman Cheryl LaGue in 1976 and we moved to Oregon.

Aviation went to new heights for me with purchase of a 4 seater Piper and later subsequent building of a very high performance bi-plane (Christen Eagle) in my living room (well… it moved to a hanger once the wings needed to be hung.. HA). I flew aerobatics in it in weekend airshows all over the greater NW of the US for the next decade (80′s). They say there are “Old Pilots and Bold Pilots but very few Old Bold Pilots”. I feel fortunate in being one of the latter.

Most recently was “put out to pasture” in the computer field, after several 2nd and 3rd level management positions for Intel and Tektronix.

Computer field followed a similar path to medicine, where the fields split from General Practice into MANY specialized fields. Sooooo…. time for a new profession. Decided to start a trucking company and that’s where I am today.

36yrs as a computer professional to buy a house by the beach (In Wilmington, NC), only to become the owner/operator of a “hi-tech big rig” where I live most of the time. Truck is equipped with “satellite this and satellite that”, 40″ hidef big screen, Bluray hidef DVD, and home theater surround, and tons of creature comforts (refer, microwave, computer, etc).  Sooooooo…. things could be worse. My dog and I are quite comfortable.

UPDATE on paragraph directly above:  I’m now fully retired and living the good life in that “house by the beach” as of the first of the year 2010! YAY!!

Please stay tuned as life is just one big adventure and mine isn’t quite over yet.