Bobby's Story

We graduated June 1, 1956. I was not sure I was going to graduate because I was such a poor student in Miss Clark’s English class. I think I made 69 the first semester and required a 71 for the second to average out to 70. My mother called Miss Clark and told her that I was going into the Navy and that I was not going to college. I to this day don’t know if Miss Clark felt sorry for me or what but I did get 71 and made the graduation.

I departed La Grange on Sunday, June 3,1956 for Atlanta to take the physical exam for the Navy and Tuesday I was sworn in and departed with 5 other guys for San Diego, California on the train. I had the highest grade on the GCT tests and was put in charge of the other recruits. This was not to my liking when I reached San Diego and that old Chief met the bus and cursed me and called me all kind of names because I did not come forward from the back of the bus with the orders. I was beginning to wonder did I do the right thing. I did finish boot camp training and was sent to San Francisco to Treasure Island Naval Training Station for Electronic Technician A school. The school was 26 weeks of 8 hours class each day and 4 hours in study hall each night. Boy, did we really enjoy the weekends and I had lots of fun in the San Francisco area.

After electronics school, I was assigned to the USS Ajax which was in Japan at the time. I flew commercial to Honolulu and then military transports from Hawaii to many stops and on to Atsugi Air Force Base Japan. I later flew for the first time on a seaplane to Sasebo, Japan to meet my ship. We departed Japan after about 3 months and back to San Diego. I arranged to get transferred to Hawaii for shore duty after one year on the ship. I made one trip back to La Grange before reporting to Hawaii. I saw a notice on the bulletin board for help in driving to Newnan, Georgia from San Diego. This was Bill Avery from Newnan driving his car home before going back to Japan. We drove his car back and I got out in La Grange. We hitchhiked back to San Diego. We started hitch hiking out at Lee’s Crossing and had about 6 rides before getting to Selma, Alabama. We got a ride with an Air Force officer going to California, so we helped him drive and went straight through. In El Centro, California, the officer was going north to Edwards Air Force Base and we got out of the car and a shipyard worker picked us up and took us to the pier where the ship was tied. By the way Bill Avery now lives in Florida and recently stopped by to visit after over 40 years ago sharing that trip.

I was sent to Pearl Harbor in 1958 to the Naval Communications Station. They assigned me to Lualualei Naval Radio Transmitter Station. I was there for the next two years. We only had 85 men at our station and the married people had their family on the base. This was really a nice place and I enjoyed the work that I did there. I received a letter of commendation for modifying some of the high power transmitters to transmit to the submarines under the ice cap. We were the only naval station able to communicate with the first submarines under the ice cap at that time. I was discharged May 23,1960 after having a scare when Gary Powers U2 plane was shot down over Russia. We were on alert and I thought I would not get out in time but everything turned out ok and I returned to La Grange for a short vacation after 2 years in Hawaii.

I then got a job with RCA on the missile range in the Bahamas. I worked for 2 years down in the Cays off the coast of Grand Bahama and Abaco Island. I was on one island, Allan’s Cay for 1 year with only one other person. He was a retired submarine chief and maintained the electrical and building systems. I maintained and worked the tracking of missiles and communications equipment. I was involved in the tracking of both Alan Shepard and John Glenn. After 2 years of down range, I decided to come back to Georgia my home.

I returned to Georgia in August of 1962 and applied for a job with Delta Air Lines. I was hired as an aircraft radio mechanic. I had never worked on aircraft radio equipment, but was able to make the transition ok. I worked the hangar and line maintenance for about ten years. I worked as a radio mechanic and line mechanic and then avionics technician. I did see Austin Simmons several times as he was flying for Delta. I met my future wife,Peggy Sue Carr from Ohio who was room mate with Brenda Ashley from La Grange in Hapeville at the time. Peggy was also working for Delta but in a different area than I was. She was a Teletype operator at that time and later a computer network analyst. We were married June 1. 1963 and I am proud to say still together.

I transferred to Delta’s ground radio department in 1972 and worked on all the ground base electronics. We had equipment at every airport that Delta goes to and in many remote sites away from airports. I later made lead technician. I was asked to transfer to the Communications department as a telecommunications coordinator by one of my old supervisors. I later was promoted to his job and I was Supervisor of Communication Services. I spent a lot of time attending airline related meetings to coordinate services between other airlines and planning flight information systems for new airports. I also did some engineering on Delta’s air ground radio system and updated all the systems to touch screen control consoles.

In 1992, Delta was making some changes in the medical insurance for retirees and I elected to take advantage of the old policy. My wife Peggy and I both took early retirement. We have been living near Sharpsburg, GA since 1978. We have enjoyed our retirement because we still have travel privileges and have no real plans or commitments to tie us down. We spend time with our neighbors at their condo on St. Simons Island quite often and Peggy’s relatives in Ohio. I did have a home inspection business for about two years but decided to sell the company as to be profitable, I had to spend a lot of time working. I am enjoying my hobbies and just plain loafing now after many years of working odd hours and travel to many cities and spending nights in motel/hotel rooms.

Please send email to classof56@hotmail.com if you have any questions.