I graduated from Siloam Springs (AR) High School in ’67. A couple months later I joined and served in the Army for 24 years with a couple breaks in service. After retiring from the Army I used my G.G. Bill and earned an AAS in Electronics and another in Communications at Heald Institute of Technology. I worked for about 10 years in the Computer/Information Technology Industry with the bulk of that at Syva (Dade Behring) in the Cupertino & San Jose Ca area. After surviving a bout with cancer we decided I’d retire and we’d move to the country that I ran so fast from as a teen. Now I’m a hobby farmer/rancher.
I’m married to Karen, a wonderful loving woman, who seems to delight in my tinkering around the place. My adult sons, Elton and Kenneth, are doing their own thing in the San Francisco Bay area. My daughter Shannon has enlisted in the Army. My younger son Mike intends to be a teacher and Matt has about completed his Army Signal Corp training and is scheduled to spend his first Permanent Party tour in Germany.
I’m a relatively new born again Christian. How I could have doubted there was a God and He does love us is beyond me. I wish I didn’t borrow trouble. Whenever something can go wrong I fret over it. I’m learning to put it in His hands the world comes crashing down. Like my friend Patricia says, "When I finally do let go and give it to Him, it leaves my hands with claw marks all over it."
When I let it be known I was retiring my friends asked me, “Why Oklahoma?”
I said, “I miss the beautiful country. I’ve family there. I can afford to retire there.
“But, what will you do?” they’d ask.
“I’ll dig in the dirt when I want and set under a tree and sip a Mint Julep when I want.” I would respond. Now I spend much of my time doing whatever moves me. Right now I’m having fun learning html. A couple weeks ago it was fencing. Before that it was working on a log splitter. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.