The Middle Son

I was born in the Panhandle of Oklahoma in 1930 during the peak of the Dust Bowl.

My parents abandoned that region of economic and environmental disaster for the bustling town of Enid in northwestern Oklahoma where they shook off deep poverty and gave their children stability and security.

This is my account of growing up, going to college, raising a family, serving in the military, and developing interests in agriculture and aviation.

I trained to be a pilot in the early 1950s at the newly established Army Aviation School at Fort Sill and the Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker but made my career with the United States Department of Agriculture.

I reached progressively higher levels of research management before retiring with 30 years of government service and launching a new career operating my own farm in eastern Oklahoma.

After farming for 20 years, I retired again for good; however, I remained active in the volunteer community, especially as a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist.

This story is one of challenges, perseverance, and travel through the United States and around the world while dealing with what life brought my way.