Freddie Holt:
CLASS OF 1961
Pyote High SchoolClass of 1961
Pyote, TX
Freddie's Story
It was a warm sunny day in early January 1962. Pancho and I were standing by Highway 80 just west of Pyote. We were there to hail a Greyhound bus to take us to the Air Force induction center in Abilene, Tx.
I took the oath on the 8th of January. Pancho for his part, told me that he didn't do well on the battery of test so he wouldn't be joining me on this great adventure. (I have all ways felt he got cold feet and decided he needed more time to make such a commitment). So I found myself waiving good-by to a dear friend as he stood there in the dark with cold and rain waiving back to me as the bus left the station heading for San Antonio.
I was heading into the great unknown, but, curiously I found, I was thinking more about what I was leaving than the adventure I was about to embark on. Pyote had been my life, every thing I knew, everything I had experienced, all the people I knew, friends, family all had happened there, are was there,. I truly led a Huck Finn life and would not trade the life I had there for anything.
I spent four years in the Air Force and was trained as a Jet fighter mechanic. I spent 18 months with the 18th TAC Fighter wing in Okinawa
and rotated back to the states and was assigned to the 23 TAC Fighter Wing at McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas. I was dischared Jan 7 1966. I immediately found employment within the federal service at Kelly AFB (433AW/68AS) in San Antonio, crossed trained to the flight engineer field and there I remained for 32 years until my retirement in January 1998 along the way I was basic engineer later an instructor engineer,flight simulator instructor, a flight evaluator and eventually the chief engineer. It was my pleasure to have been a crewmenmer on the old C-124A, The C-130B and for the last 12 years of my career the C-5A/B. I was fortuniate to have been able to fly all over the USA and throughout the world.
I was married to Miss Kay Whitley from Breckingridge, Tx. Although the first few years of that marriage wasn't working well, we finally got it together and spent the next 29 years in a very loving relation...Expand for more
ship. We had two boys(one lives in San Antonio and the oldest recently moved from Nashville, to Dallas) from these boys I have three Grandaughters and one Grandson.
Unfortunately, my dear Katy passed away in Jan. 1990. In the previous 14 years she had undergone several heart by-pass operations following a major heart attack. It was a sad heartbreaking time.
I remarried three years later to Eileen Gates Vaughn. Upon my retirement we traveled around the US in our motor home and after four years, She had had enough, so we bought some acres and built a home out in the country. We live About 10 miles northeast of the town of Boerne Tx which is located about 17 miles north of San Antonio off of I-10W.
Eileen has a little antique shop in Boerne, which keeps her busy. I lead a quiet life. I've been picking on the banjo for the past 40 or so years that does take some of my time and owning few acres of land seems there is always something needs taking care of,so I do stay as busy as I want.
I have made a few good choices and a lot of bad choices. I didn't have this choice to make, but being placed in Pyote as a youngster and growing up there did have a profound positive effect on me(which I didn't realize until later in life) Joining the military is an experience that I believe could benefit all young people.
Marrying Kay was probably the best choice I ever made and right there with Kay was my mom, I thank the good Lord for putting me with mom.
I thank Mr. Timmons for his faith in me. (I certainly couldn't see it). I think Coach Stovall for all of his patience with me. I had great respect for Roger Lasater, for his innocence. If ever any soul stands before judgement with a completely clean slate it will be Roger. I thank Pancho and Darrell for being my friends, I miss all three of these guys. They were taken much to soon.
Through my life I have had many
associates and have stood side by side with them for many years, yet, there is something special about the people I knew in that dried'd up little desert town of PYOTE,
Fred D. Holt
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