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Dealing with the name calling was hard other things were much harderwalking down the hall and haveing guys in a group calling names then have one run and jump andkick/push to see how far I'd fall and slide was the worst, and it was always groups never alone. Typical coward and bully behavior. Going to the principal was useless so I just lived with it.

Home was not much better,  my dad had  always had a mean streak especially when he drank, and he did drink. when I was 6 or 7 he dtarted making me go with him. I would sit and have a pop and fritos while he sat and drank and talked with his buddies.  By the time I was 9 I was driving him home.

So after my folks picked me up it was a long ride home. My dad said very little, in fact he was pretty quiet all week end. Then all hell broke loose. I expected punishment but this was almost surreal. It was a nice day sunny warmand just sfter lunch he exploded. It was just him, my mother , an me at home . It started slow like a volcano.  He started say stuff and then how I ruined his life. I guess his drinking pals started saying things, to the point he had to change bars. He started pushing and punching and throwing me around the house. The he pulled out a butcher knife and trowing it at me yelling I ruined his life he wanted me to KILL HIM. This lasted for what seems like hours.  My mother just screaming and crying. She couldn't stop him and neither could I. By the time it wss over I wanted to fill his wish.

The only reason I added all this to the story is I have had so many who knew the basic story comment how proud I should be of it. How amazing it was. An amazing adventure and so on. I am not criticizing any one, I think that what the result was for me was a wonderful career. I went on to fulfill my dream of flying. I will say that my dad did become very proud of what I had accomplished.  Even took him with me on a few freight flights.

This is pretty well the whole story of my taking the airplane on April 30 1965. As I said this is part of what is just one chapter of my life.  I'm not sure I have ever told the whole story to anyone. It has taken a long time to open up on this. I know I have told some.

Like I said this was a very big event in my life and had a large effect on who I am. The story continued for  several years, this was the worst part. The legal result was I was put on probation until I was 18. The only condition was that I could not go to the airport with out an adult. At 14 I joined the Civil Air Patrol and was at the airport for the next 40 years.