Drop in on any hanger flying session and somebody is probably retelling their first solo flight when the instructor steps out of the plane and says, “Fly around the field twice and then come in.” The mother of four wrote that her heart started palpitating. Slightly “rattled” she turned onto the wrong taxi strip, a mistake similar to driving the wrong way on a one-way street. She called the airport tower and asked permission to
Author: Dick Elam
World War II Remembrances
The summer I graduated from high school, the Japanese surrendered. World War II veterans I met in college, and after I went to work in Abilene, told me their experiences. Here are four deceased veterans who I will never forget. In Abilene, Lee Finch managed a regional insurance office. In the Philippines, Marine Sargent Lee Finch fought on Corregidor Island. When General Stillwell surrendered, the Japanese imprisoned Lee in a Yokohama POW camp, forcing him
Passwords
You may have seen those dreaded words…”reset password” and almost cried. I did. When you have exhausted all your children’s birth years, spent your graduation dates, sacrificed the last four digits of your zip code, what other numerals can you easily remember–if any of the above? If you reset your password with something similar to what you used before, how does that inanimate machine know to tell you not to repeat yourself? To paraphrase Rudyard
Tailgate Party
A recent tailgating invitation from the editor of the Texas Exes Alcalde magazine noted that space for tailgating was available in the parking lot. The email reminded me of my first tailgate party. As the new broadcast and film chairman at University of North Carolina, I was invited to tailgate with one of my new colleagues. The University of North Carolina was playing Texas Tech. We didn’t like when they came to my home town
Barefoot Football
If you played football in Hawaii, you played barefoot. Sure, if you played football at the University of Hawaii, the manager issued you shoes with cleats. But because the weather rarely gets colder than 80 degrees, because there’s not many who could afford football shoes, and because everybody grows up walking and running barefoot, why would a Hawaiian parent buy expensive football shoes? The better to put your toe into an extra-point attempt, you might
Alex’s Courtroom
My long-time school and sailing friend, and political opposite, was Alex Eastus, Esquire. Alex’s favorite lawyer story happened in the Abilene Texas, Taylor County courtroom. The case concerned a vehicular accident at the intersection across the road from where Old Mose had sat in his front porch rocking chair. In the courtroom, Mose used his walking cane to help him take the witness chair. Blinked often. Rubbed his eyes. “I seen it all…” Mose testified.
A Fine Coach
He was a fine coach, although I don’t think he ever played football. Mr. Jeffries was a fresh graduate out of a nearby Abilene college. He studied to become a teacher, and Mr. Jeffries taught us well in the fifth grade. I still remember he told us to ask for a free Texas road map at a Hamlin service station, draw lines as he suggested, and make cards for Texas industries. The classroom game was
Bosun Mate, the cat
Our sea-going cat was named Bosun Mate. Boatswain Mate is correct spelling for the Navy rank, but our Bosun Mate wasn’t always correct. When Bosun was a kitten, we took him aboard the Makaleka, our 36-foot Pearson sloop. Bosun shared the boat with Captain Jack, our 85-pound golden retriever, who also sailed the North Carolina waterways with us. Bosun must have thought he was a dog. We found that out on his first summer voyage
West Texas Distance
In West Texas, what we have most is distance. To get somewhere, you often have to step a little farther, stride a little farther. That’s my philosophy: when troubles increase, just stride a little farther. That’s why the Lord must have given me long legs. My measured stride is 35 inches. One winter day, fellow Boy Scout Hubert Seale and I walked from Buffalo Gap to Abilene—about 21 miles—in three hours and a few minutes.
Prettiest Airport
If you know a friend who flew, or flies, a private airplane there’s a high probability your amateur flying friend can tell you a harrowing flying story. Private pilots wait for the weather to improve before they roll their single-engine, small planes from the hangar. If more than one pilot waits, they gather and tell stories about their flying exploits. Such a gab session pilots call “hangar flying”. Here’s one example: My sports photographer friend