updated March 2007
I left the Galveston December 1968 with orders for Qui Nhon, Vietnam where I spent my last year of service running harbor patrol boats, made E5, and crewed or captained many boats from boston whalers to a swift boat. I used my GI bill to attend college where I met my wife, Kathi, and earned an Accounting degree.
I spent 15 years in various corporate accounting positions as staff and controller before becoming an elementary school teacher where I taught 3 rd & 4 th grade for 12 years before retiring in 2004. All I accomplished in accounting was nothing compared to all the kids I taught how to tie bowline and square knots. Sometimes I even slipped-up and taught them some new English/Boatswain words.
Kathi and my greatest achievement has been raising two great daughters, Megan & Lauren. Megan graduated from University San Francisco and now works as a trust officer with Wells Fargo Bank. Lauren will be graduating cum laude from NYU in a few months.
Since retirement, Kathi and I have traveled around the U.S. and Europe. In 2205 we took a Med Cruise that included four ports the Galveston hit in 1967. Also in 2005, I spent a month in Ghana, West Africa where Lauren was attending an NYU semester abroad.
An old shipmate, David Love, called me last year and said I had to attend the 2006 Galveston Reunion just down the road in San Diego. Love and I along with another 1 st Division shipmate, Dave Smith, had a great time sharing old sea stories while our wives enjoyed each other’s company. Shortly after the reunion Soupy, the Association Secretary/Treasurer, shanghaied me and another shipmate I met at the reunion, Keith Hedley, into rebuilding the Galveston’s website. This duty has become a hobby where I’ve learned a lot more about the Galveston and web publishing in general. But it's just another something to keep me busy while waiting for grandchildren. This last line has been written for Megan & Lauren who advise me to, "Just get a dog, Dad!". |
