Posted by Karla Lofgren Davis (July 16, 2007)
Years ago I bought a bumper sticker that says,
“Humility is that certain feeling that others will discover just how wonderful you are.”
I have “displayed” this slogan in the privacy of my closet through the years as a gentle and somewhat humorous reminder that – while I want to be humble, having been taught that humility is a virtue – the truth is that I do want others to think well of me, I do want them to know what I have accomplished. Having admitted that, I realize I am not humble at all! Alas!!!!! I am human indeed!
The significance of that slogan comes back to me as we embark upon this blog experience, especially as I have encouraged each of you to tell us about your lives during the last 47 years. If you are like me, you have probably wondered, “What shall I tell them about myself? What is significant? What is appropriate?” At that point we have probably all measured ourselves against what we know about others and either determined that “who I am and what I have done is not sufficiently significant to tell”, OR that “if I tell of my accomplishments it will seem as though I am bragging”.
Let me assure each of you that who you are and what you have done is both significant and appropriate to tell – regardless of any other criteria than because, well… that is who you are, that is what you have done, and we care about you! What is success anyway? It really is a very relative concept. In my estimation, faithful service on any job or fulfilling the role of husband/wife/mother/father/friend/Sunday School teacher/scout leader, etc truly is as significant as a string of degrees and awards. So, please feel free to tell us about any and all of your life experiences through the years. We want to know the road that you have traveled and the person you have become.
Bragging? Because we have all been together through our formative years, we can all feel proud of the accomplishments of each member. “He’s a fellow classmate!!! She’s a Milbyite!!!” And how shall we “discover just how wonderful you are” unless you tell us? So please feel free to tell us of your degrees, awards, professional status, etc. We really do want to know!!! We really are proud of you!!!
So, regardless of how you measure yourself, regardless of what you have or have not accomplished in life . . . please – tell us!!! Let us celebrate your life with you. Each of our lives is enriched by sharing in the life experiences of the companions of our youth.
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CHARLES SIMMONS' JOURNEY Posted by: Charles Simmons | July 16, 2007 at 02:39 PM
After submitting a retirement photo to the “Milby Family Photo Album”, Karla somewhat coaxed me into providing more retirement information with her inserted photo caption; so, here goes.
After leaving Milby, several of us in the band went on to the University of Houston. I received a partial scholarship on the trombone and played in the University of Houston concert and marching band for two years. Mathematics was my major with a strong minor in chemistry; but aviation became my passion about half way through college. After getting a BS in Mathematics, most of us in those days had some unattractive choices to make – the draft, enlist, hurry-up marriage or continue to work in a draft-deferred job. I wanted to be an airline pilot so I signed up for the Naval Aviation Flight program. After five years of getting shot off of aircraft carriers and then landing on same in the middle of the night, I’d had enough!
During the stint in the Navy, I married a beautiful Houston girl, Hilda Hogue. A few years after we were married and while living in Houston, Braniff Airways called and wanted me to fly for them. We packed up our belongings and moved to Arlington, TX. Been here ever since. I worked for Braniff until their demise in 1982 when Piedmont Airlines of North Carolina hired me along with 300 other Braniff pilots. That was a blessing from God. USAirways bought Piedmont in 1989 and I retired as a captain in 1999. That retirement was not planned! A heart attack ended my flying career 31/2 years too early. But, after flying in and out of every major city in the U.S. and dodging more than enough thunderstorms and terrorists, I’d had enough!
One thing I haven’t had enough of is Hilda. We’ve been together 39 years and loved every minute of it. We never had children but nieces and nephews supply that void.
People ask me if I’m traveling during retirement. After I pick myself up off the floor from laughing so hard, I explain that I traveled the world in the Navy and spent four days out of every seven traveling with the airlines. A cup of coffee with my wife by my side and looking out on our patio works just fine for now!
I hope everyone will share his or her retirement activities on this blog. It will make for some good talking points at our fiftieth!
JOHN ECHOFF'S CAREER Posted by: Karla, Publishing John Echoff's Story | July 17, 2007 at 12:34 AM
John Echoff is a good example of one of the faces of success - a life lived in service to others, often at cost to self. I want to share with you the bio information he sent to me.
John writes:
My life may not have been the stellar success of some of our classmates, but it hasn't exactly been boring either. Thirty-eight years of wearing a badge in the nations second largest Sheriff's Department has given me the opportunity to study mankind at its very best and worst.
During my Law Enforcement Career I have served in many capacities. Some were fun and some were down right scary! I have been assigned to the jail, Booking and Releasing, Patrol, Traffic Division (Accident Investigator), Academy Classroom Instructor, Firearms Instructor, and Adjunct Instructor at the U of H downtown. I am a fixed wing and helicopter pilot and have also worked motorcycle patrol and served as a Police Motorcycle Instructor.
I have cleared over 2,000 felony crimes, arrested 147 "uncatchable" miscreants, and survived five shoot-outs. I have had the good fortune to be in the right place at the right time and as a result been directly responsible for saving 17 persons’ lives, three of whom were fellow officers in imminent danger of being killed when I intervened. I have been instrumental in furthering the modernization of police training by instituting new standards of training courses while teaching at the Academy. I was a member of an inter-agency task force (criminal intelligence - is that an oxymoron?). I also served on the Governor's task force for C.L.E.P. (College Level Entry Program), a program in which police officers can challenge college courses by testing. I was part of a research group at the FBI Academy for a program to standardize police instruction nation-wide. Concurrent with my law enforcement career, I was in the Army Guard for 25 years and retired in 2000 as a Colonel, commander of a Military Police Regiment.
My wife Linn also works for the Department. She is a Sergeant in the downtown jail, having been there for a little over 22 years. She is also a certified Police Motorcycle Instructor and taught with me for about 17 years. She no longer rides police motors, but has a Honda Goldwing 1800 for pleasure riding. Linn has two grown sons and one granddaughter. We live on a few acres in Santa Fe (halfway between Houston and Galveston). Although I am long past being eligible to retire, I am finally beginning to think about pulling the pin and hanging up the gun.
It's been a long, sometimes bumpy road, but like the sign says "The journey to the grave should not be an effort to arrive in a beautifully preserved body, but rather broad-sliding in, totally worn out, completely used up, proclaiming WOW, WHAT A RIDE!" And that is about where I am at this point.
Thanks, John, for the work you do on our behalf, and for sharing your story with us! Karla
KARLA'S SON'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE NASA SOPHIA PROJECT Posted by: Karla Lofgren Davis | July 29, 2007 at 10:24 AM
The two greatest successes in my life are our two adult sons. They and their lovely wives have given us three beautiful grandsons, and these seven people are all tremendous blessings to us and within their particular spheres of influence.
I will surely find many things to tell you about these offspring as this blog continues, but I especially wanted to refer you at this time to a website:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/SOFIA/index2.html (see link in right sidebar). Our older son, Jonathan, is a structural engineer at L-3 Communications, Airborne here in Waco. He has been working for 9 years on the NASA SOFIA project (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) described on this website. This April there were several initial flight tests of the integrity of the structure (having been modified to hold the telescope). The photo below and the photos on the web link are of those test flights. (double click on photo to enlarge)
The "bulge" in the rear section of the plane is where the port opens to reveal the telescope, and Jonathan has been directly responsible for the support beam that will hold it all together. (That's a mom's lay version of a very technical description)
It was a thrill for me as the plane and its two escort jets actually took off and landed within 2 miles of my school and I was able to observe it all from our school parking lot.
GLADYS MARIE PAYNE BOHAC'S STORY Posted by: Gladys M. (Payne) Bohac | August 27, 2007 at 09:23 AM
Hello Everyone: Just a quick line to tell about our retirement. After working in an office for almost 25 years and then working in Mary Kay Cosmetics as a Sales Director I finally retire to go over seas with my husband Bo. He worked for Saudi Aramco for nine years and what a wonderful experience we had. You know I never lived anywhere but Houston/Katy all my life so you see this was a huge jump for me. By moving to Saudi Arabia this afforded us to travel so much and have the funds to really enjoy our lives. In 1999 when we retired back home in Katy I had a lot of health issues, doing fine now though. We love to get together with old friends and family members. Bo and I have seven grandhildren between us. I have a son & daughter and Bo has the same. Our family keeps us busy. We are active in 2nd Baptist Church West Campus and love every minute of it. Bo will be going back to substitute teaching for the third year. What a great way to supplement our income. We have enjoyed the reunions for the past three times and looking forward to see everyone again for the BIG 50th. Life is good for Bo & I and we count our blessings everyday.
Karla, thank you so much for all the hard work for your classmates of 1960. I look forward to hearing from my classmates.
Gladys Payne Bohac
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