I was born 17 October 1945
Of 5 boys and 1 girl, I was the fourth son and child.
After a Freshman year majoring in Physics at Texas Tech (okay, I played arcade games more than I studied), the Draft Board (1965) decided to draft me for Vietnam, but I became a legal draft dodger by enlisting in the Air Force instead. I enlisted on Friday 26 November 1965. While in basic at Lackland AFB, I received 2 letters from the Draft Board telling me I had passed the entrance tests and physical and was to be inducted.
I was trained for Aircraft Control and Warning Radar Maintenace(AC&W or as we said Always Cleaning and Waxing) ground maintenance in Mississippi. Because of the Vietnam forces buildup in 1966, we attended school 6 days a week. After completing a 52 week school in 28 weeks, I was stationed at Condon Air Force Station, Oregon for 19 months, Crystal Springs Air Force Station, Mississippi for 1 day, and Dauphin Island Air Force Station, Alabama for 19 months.
After my enlistment, I used the Vietnam GI Bill to get a BS in Electrical Engineering. I started in the Spring Semester of 1970 and finished in December of 1973 with a total of over 260 semester hours (155 counted for the degree and the others were earned while I was in the Air Force).
Less than two weeks after getting my degree, I went to work for Texas Instruments Equipment Group in December 1973 on the last Friday of the year because of benefit changes effective 1 January. In May 1974, I went to Iran to support and train members of their Air Force on a weapons system. I returned state side before Thanksgiving in 1975 just long enough to exclude $25,000 from taxes each year for 74 and 75.
After I returned, I did design work on magnetic anomaly detectors (MAD), various airborne and ground based radars, and forward looking infrared (FLIR) systems (military and law enforcement).
I stayed there until they sold the division to Raytheon in July 1997. Raytheon laid me off in October 1998 (me and a few hundred others). Due to terms of the sale, I received my last paycheck from Raytheon on 30 May 1999. I went to work for Lockheed-Martin Vought Systems in Grand Prairie, Texas on 1 February 1999 for about 30% more than I had been getting. Later we became the Lockheed-Martin Missiles and Fire Control Systems Division.
Katharine Dale Davies Starnes (Kay), my wife of 40 years 4 months and 9 days died on Thanksgiving Day, 23 November 2017 at 4:35 PM Dallas time. She survived four strokes and a heart attack and only required minimal assistance to get around our home. The strokes were in August 2009, August 2011, June 2014, and September 2014. The heart attack was November 9, 2016. MRIs taken after the heart attack showed blockages so they installed 3 stents. On Monday, 30 October 2017, she couldn't stand so I called 911. ER did an MRI and CAT scans which revealed multiple 2 cm masses in the liver and pancreas. Biopsy on 3 November confirmed the masses were cancer. We received the diagnosis on 8 November and were told she might have 15 months. She didn't EVEN live another 15 days.
Thank you, Harley, for keeping me sane and grounded
UNTIL I GIVE PERMISSION, I'M NOT YOUR BABE, DEAR, SWEETHEART, SWEETIE, HUN OR ANYTHING SIMILAR. CONTINUED USE WILL GET YOU BLOCKED. I WILL CHAT WITH EVERYONE THAT IS NOT BLOCKED. I DO NOT GO OFF-LINE, SKYPE, TEXT OR OTHERWISE COMMUNICATE OUTSIDE OF FUBAR! ANYONE ASKING is asking to BE BLOCKED!
My gorgeous, talented, Fu Wife Harley (Suzanne) AND Best Friend. Go love her (Like, Rate, Fan, Crush and Comment). Thank You
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