Rickey Mathis:  

Life OK - where to start. I guess 34 years ago today (May 24, 1973) I graduated from WHS without a clue on what my future had in store. I went off to college at Angelo State University (ASU) and got a BS after 5 years (had to wait on those advance math classes to materialize or as I like to say "the right Professor"). I decided to go to engineering school after ASU but did not get accepted until the Spring semester of 1979 so I packed my bags and moved to Vernal, Utah and worked on a drilling rig. I never saw so much snow in my life. Finally headed to Austin and to "The University of Texas" on January 1, 1979 (right after one of the worst ice storms to hit Texas). After 3 (fun and I mean FUN!!!) years of living and going to "The University", I finally graduated and accepted a job as a Petroleum Engineer with Gulf Oil Corp. in Monahans, Texas. Talking about going from one extreme to the other as for living conditions. Anyway I survived Monahans (where I finally got married at 28), Odessa, Midland, Sundown/Levelland, Midland, Crane, and Midland - what a tour of duty. Then I made the big leap - "International Assignment". Yep - pulled the U.S.A. plug and headed off to a 28/28 assignment in Cabinda, Angola where there had been a civil war going on for some time. Arrived in July 2001 and lived the next 2-1/4 years offshore and loved every minute of it. Caught lots of fish and saw some interesting sights while in Africa. After Angola, I accepted an assignment in the Partitioned Neutral Zone between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Loaded up the family (in Midland, TX) and the dog (Sandy - Shetland Sheepdog) and flew to Kuwait where we lived for the next 4-1/2 years in the little town of Al-Zour (Mina Saud), Kuwait. It is located approximately 65 km south of Kuwait City or about 20 km north of the Saudi Boarder. The Arabian Gulf was 30 meters out our back gate and the summer time t...Expand for more