USAFA Class Heritage

Born in 1940 in Elkins, WV. The eldest of 6 children of a CPA who was unconventional to say the least. He had two separate practices in towns 60 miles apart. When I was 15, we drove in a 1955 Chevy station wagon, pulling a homemade trailer to Alaska, down to Mexico and back across the southern USA in a two month long adventure. My house was under a low level route for the B-36 bombers. Maybe that was the spark, but when I read in Boys Life magazine a one page article telling of the first class entering the USAF Academy, I decided that's where I was going to go. In 1957, one Senator from WV died in office when the first Republican governor in over 30 years was in office. A good friend's father had been the Republican Secretary of Agriculture for WV during that time, and he told me he thought he knew who would be appointed, and if he was right, he had some influence. He was right and I got appointed. I barely graduated; 492 out of 496 I think. After pilot training I flew C-124s out of Hill AFB,  UT, then volunteered for Vietnam, as that was perceived as necessary to get ahead. Received the usual DFC and several Air Medals in Vietnam flying the C-7A Caribou. Came back to the KC-135, and stayed with some version of that airplane the rest of my career. Received the AF Commendation medal in Alaska for solving a long standing security problem that many before had tried, but failed. Also received my first passover to Major where the wing commander was not man enough to tell me himself. Was promoted via a "change of insignia" promotion to permanent Major, which allowed me to retire with 21 years. I bought a franchise from Success Motivation Institute and operated it about 15 years before a fall out. I've been an active soccer referee since 1976. I do about 100 high school and youth games a year. I married Jeanne graduation day. We had met on a blind date at Christmas our doolie year, and dated more off than on until First Class year. We have three children and three grandchildren. Life is good.