Yesterday, December 23rd would have been my father’s 78th birthday. He passed-on eight years ago now, having lost a battle with lung cancer. Growing-up I learned many things from my Dad and in so many waysh aside from basic reading and arithmetic skills, my education took place in spite of the time I spent at school.
Dad was quiet and humble in heart and a very intelligent individual. A Physics major at the University of Houston, he had the unique understanding of both how and why something works and more importantly how to fix it. As an inventor he researched how to permanently store information to disk. Had he been successful at just the right time you would be reading the words of a very wealthy writer. But his inventive efforts were by no means failures as he funded my college education through patents he sold, one of which hangs on my office wall. As pilot he owned a number of airplanes and had quite the stories to tell. He learned to fly about the same time he started driving. I grew-up on small airports in Central Texas climbing in and out of airplanes like other kids would on jungle gyms.
Dad was an entrepreneur, a sales rep in the resistor industry, an avionics engineer for American Eagle, a history buff and one who was very skilled with his hands. I spent hour-upon-hour with him while he fixed everything from airplanes to automobiles to reconstructing a house. He taught me to work hard, to work my problems one by one and do everything with my best effort. Dad would often say, “Whatever you do, just be the best at it.” He had a way of both giving liberty and challenging me to strive towards excellence.
These days I miss my Dad. Since his passing I’ve been more involved in technology than ever and have more questions about my career, about parenting and life in general that he would have real wisdom to give. I don’t know if he from heaven is looking down upon my life to observe what I’m doing, but I think he’d get a kick out of it.
Thanks for everything Dad and Happy Birthday.
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