Gary Wall:  

Hi! After graduating from NA I went to John Carroll University in Cleveland for 2 years but lost my student deferment (remember the draft?) due to an illness that caused me to drop out of school for a term. When I got my invitation to come down for a PRE induction physical I knew my civilian time as a student without a deferment was limited. So, I enlisted in the Navy for a 4 year hitch. Honestly speaking, it was one of the best life decisions I made. The Navy was very good to me and I got all, and more, than I was promised on enlistment. I chose to become an Air Traffic Controller and went to the ATC tech school in Georgia after Boot Camp in Illinois. From there I chose my sea duty assignment for the next two years aboard the USS F.D.Roosevelt. FDR was a Midway class aircraft carrier...1000 feet long, 64,000 tons, 73 aircraft, and 4,800 men. Our travels included the Atlantic coastal waters for a while on sea trails after an overhaul then on to Mayport, Florida which was our homeport. In the fall of 69 we went down to Guantanamo, Cuba for 2 months of exercises in the Gulf. We were briefly interrupted there when hurricane Camille decided to chase us out of there while it did urban renewal on the Gulf Coast. In January of 70 our orders to Vietnam were changed to a Mediterranean cruise of 6 months. We saw port visits to Barcelona, the Baleric Islands, Naples, Malta, Athens, Cannes France, and then to Rhodes Greece where my 2 years afloat came to an end and I flew back to the states for another ATC tech school in Georgia where I learned how to do precision radar guided talkdown approaches. Naval Air Station Lakehurst New Jersey was really awesome duty. I worked there in the Ground Controlled Approach unit for 2 years and really loved it. The Navy moved me back to Pittsburgh after my discharge in April 72 and I got a job working in Mellon Bank downtown for a year til the FAA hired me as an Air Traffic Controller in the radar center in Jacksonville, Florida. I sure liked the guys and gals I worked with there but FAA really sucked BAD! The equipment was poor with no backups and working conditions left a lot to be desired. Working 20-30 jets at a time wasn't uncommon and got pretty scary especially during computer/radar outages. During my time there the 300 coworkers of mine elected me as secretary treasurer of our PATCO local. In August of 81 PATCO and Reagan had a parting of the ways and almost all of us got fired for striking. That was a decision I've never regretted. I went back to college on the GI Bill at that time and got a second bachelors. ...Industrial Technology..from Univ of N.Florida. Texas Instruments recruited me from UNF in January of 83 and moved me here to the north Dallas area. I worked in the Defense Systems and Electronics Group, Missile Systems Div. as a Missile Systems Engineer for 8 years til the plant began downsizing radically. It closed down a year after I left. I decided to go into teaching at my wife's suggestion and got my certification as a Special Education Teacher. I worked mostly in middle school for 15 years and retired in May '07 to become a man of leisure. I have to admit that I'm thoroughly enjoying retirement! Hobbies and activities keep me busy but it sure is nice not having a boss, a work schedule and all the other things that go with working full time. My wife of 27 years, Mary Anne, was sister to one of my best buddy controllers in Jacksonville and we married in 82. Her brother died back in 91 of a heart attack at age 42 and is sorely missed. We have one son, Andy, who's 20 and currently a junior at University of Texas in San Antonio 300 miles south of here. Andy has been the joy of our lives. I got to spend 12 great years with him in boy scouting and went thru all the adult leadership trainings. I was asst scoutmaster of his troop. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout when he was 15 in 10th grade. I was and still am a very proud dad. I think I had at least as much fun during those years of scouting as he did. It kept me from becoming a couch potato. Currently, I'm an avid sailor. I still have the 11 foot Sunflower I bought in 1970 at Lakehurst that I learned to sail in, but I recently bought a larger sloop, a Catalina 25, that I keep docked over at Lake Grapevine near DFW airport. I also had a 23 foot sloop when I lived in Florida but sold it back in 81. I swim about 3+ miles a week at a local indoor pool to try to keep in shape. So far it seems to be working since I'm +/- 5 lbs of the same weight I was 30 years ago. My wife recently said she thought I was getting FAT! I mentioned this to my doctor during a checkup and he sent her a LETTER two days later telling her my weight is stable and not a concern. Now THAT'S a great doc! He's my HERO! I have the letter framed now too. There's a certain sweet satisfaction seeing one's mate be humbled a tad. I also still do Chess coaching at my old middle school every Wednesday which is a lot of fun for me. I take the club to the Texas Regional Championships every February and we usually finish in the top 5 teams there. We've finished 1st, 3rd and 2nd in the last 3 years. Recently I've been asked to assist coaching 2 days a week for an hour each time at a local grade school as a volunteer and that's going quite well. My other hobbies are collecting ancient Roman coins and also building scale military models. I give one hour lectures at local schools... history classes and history clubs.. using my collections as a focal point. Someone once asked me what my golfing handicap was and I had to tell them it was basic ability. I enjoyed the game but seemed to spend most of my time in the woods hunting for my ball or watching them splash into the nearest water hazard. It's amazing how water attracted my golf balls like a magnet! I never seemed to remember to bring along my mask, snorkel and fins to hunt for the balls I lose. I did keep a snake bite kit in my bag and a compass in case I got lost and couldnt find my way back to the clubhouse. My dad was a great golfer, rest his soul, but it sure wasn't in my genes! I guess practicing more than once a week would have helped. My skills were honed to a dull edge! I think I'll stick to sailing. I can always blame mistakes on the weather. Well, if you're still awake after reading all of this you have my sincere sympathy. Kidding aside, I'd love to hear from you so get in touch with me. I promise to respond asap. Classmates won't allow me to put other email addresses or phone numbers here but do email me here and we'll hook up somehow. I live in Highland Village, which is 25 miles north of Dallas. Large 2 story house with pool and hot tub and gazebo out back. Come visit. NEW NEWS! On Feb 14, 2009 my Chess club won the first place team trophy at the Texas Region 2 Scholastic Championships here! The team played 5 rounds each and...Expand for more