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Charlie Doolittle
Updated January 20, 2012
[Editor's Note: The President's Message is a little "mixed-up" this time since I'm combining a couple of months of the Rusty Pipeliner. My apologies -- it will be straightened out soon -- I hope!]
I have heard of several newsworthy persons referred to as “self-made men”. Well, that didn’t happen in my lifetime. My mother and dad taught me from my early childhood. My mother taught me how to write a school essay. My dad taught me that patience was not only a virtue, it was mandatory. My fourth grade math teacher was very strict. She had a German accent and when things were not going well, she sternly stated a German expression which meant “half as dumb is dumb enough”. But when I did something well she would pat me on the shoulder and say “yah Charles, dots gutt”. A butcher taught me how to cut meat and mind the store when he was away. A pharmacist taught me how to decipher a doctor’s prescription and fill the prescription for his approval. When my high school science teacher learned that I was interested in photography, she came up to me a few days later and handed me a book on the Basics of Photography. She said it was a new book in the library. (I think I know who donated that book to the library) My older brother taught me how to drive a car. When I was in the Air Force I was injured in an accident on the flight line and a doctor told me that he was recommending a medical discharge. I was heartbroken. My squadron maintenance officer visited me in the hospital. We talked awhile and then he asked me what I wanted to do. I told him that I wanted to finish my tour of duty and then attend an engineering college on the GI Bill. He looked at me and said “Sergeant, if that’s what you Want to do, then that is what you Must do” He then left to talk to the doctor. Nothing more was ever said about a medical discharge. When I graduated from college, the transistor had been invented only a short time before and was not yet in the college curriculum. When I went to work for Bell Telephone Laboratory, an engineer (3-4 years older than me) took me under his wing and taught me how to design electronic circuits with transistors. Some 30 years later, there was my engineer friend’s picture on the cover of ELECTRONICS magazine. Dr. Andrew Bubeck had been selected as the nation’s foremost electronics engineer for the past quarter century. Throughout my life, I have been taught and encouraged by my family, teachers, friends, and co-workers. All I can say to a “self-made” man is: I’m so sorry. You just don’t know what you missed! We had a great turn-out at our December meeting. We handed out the remaining baseball caps and coasters that Ike Weaver, our guest speaker at the reunion, had brought. We had a wonderful time—even those of us that couldn’t remember the words to “Jingle Bells”. The members decided that I still needed some more “on-the-job” training so I will be your president again in 2012.
We had a great turn-out at our
December meeting. We handed out the remaining baseball caps and coasters that
Ike Weaver, our guest speaker at the reunion, had brought. We had a wonderful
time—even those of us that couldn’t remember the words to “Jingle Bells”. The
members decided that I still needed some more “on-the-job” training; so, I will
be your president again in 2012. Forty-one retirees attended our meeting on January 12.
We celebrated Dick Watzke’s 93rd birthday and Carleton Talbot’s 50th
Wedding Anniversary. We had a great time of fellowship. Come and join us
at the Taco Real Restaurant for our next meeting Thursday February 9. See
you there!
PUBLISHING
ANNOUNCEMENT Our “Rusty Pipeliner” Editor, Sue Gibson,
suffered two strokes in November. The last stroke was more severe than the
first one. She is slowly recovering but she will be in therapy for an
extended time and has therefore tendered her resignation as Editor of the
printed version. She will continue to work on the online version as
part of her therapy on the recommendation of her doctors. She has
performed such a great service for us over the past 10+ years. We pray she
continues to fully recover. We will truly miss her. Please keep her
in your prayers. Meanwhile, we will try to develop a similar
printed version of the “Rusty Pipeliner” newsletter even though it won’t be
as elaborate. It may take time to find a new editor and several months to
make it appear as close to the original version as possible. During
this transition time, we will not be able to include pictures or entire
obituaries. They will be abbreviated to save space especially if there are
as many as those that appear in this issue, for example. All the
Hellos and Good Byes will appear on the website in their entirety as usual.
However, if you were sending information by E-mail to Sue to include in the
printed version, please send it to me, Charlie Doolittle, at:
charlielp@elp.rr.com and it will
be published in the printed version. We appreciate your support and
ask for your patience as we try our best to duplicate the printed version.
Updated December 3, 2011 In early November, I
went on a trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma to prepare my mother-in law’s house for sale.
The house had been empty for 11 years. It became a daunting task. The housing
market in Tulsa is not good. Trying to sell a house “as-is” simply won’t work.
The house was filled with things that had belonged to my mother-in-law, her
parents, and her grandmother. Termites had virtually destroyed a shed attached
to the garage. The garage was absolutely full of “stuff” that should have been
thrown away 30 years ago. When we had the water turned on, there were three
leaks that had to be fixed. We had to tear down the shed, dispose of everything
in the garage, and move everything in the house to the garage. Then we began
making repairs and painting. We packed an estimated 585 pounds of “antiques” and
memorabilia for shipment to El Paso. We hired a couple to begin having garage
sales. When the termite control inspection man went into the crawl space under
the house, he found 273 jars of canned vegetables. It took 8
exhausting days before the house was ready to go on the market. There must be an
easier way. I think my youngest brother had the right idea. He and his wife
retired this year. They sold their four bedroom home, had a garage sale, and
bought a two bedroom condominium. If your kids don’t want the stuff and you
can’t take it with you, maybe it’s time to simplify our lives. Updated November 1, 2011 The President's Message provided by Daphne Wilson as requested by Charlie Doolittle was partially condensed in the printed version of the Rusty Pipeliner due to space constraints. Below is the unexpurgated version of Daphne's report.
Charlie Doolittle, your
President, is “out-of-pocket” right now and has requested that I replace his
monthly “Rusty Pipeliner” offering with a write up on the EPNG/MOI Retirees’
Annual Roundup held at Vista Hills Country Club on October 13, 2011. It was a delightful occasion with the retirees and
guests being warmly greeted and noted by Bubbles Eades, Jerry Bear, and Betty
Alexander manning the Welcome Desk. Coffee was provided for the “early
birds” who were able to visit with each other at their leisure. After welcoming everyone, Charlie officially started
the “Roundup” with the “Pledge of Allegiance” led by Jack Watzke, the rendering
of “God Bless America” led by Jimmy Melver, and a Blessing by Vice President,
Jimmy Angelos. He then introduced our Guest Speaker, Ike Weaver,
Manager of the Central Maintenance Department which is responsible for El Paso’s
natural gas construction projects in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, as well as
installing, repairing and inspecting pipelines. Ike gave two interesting slide presentations: the first
showed some of the construction projects and the second, a new technology
process (Pipe Viper) to efficiently repair pipe which may have been in the
ground for 50 years, removes the old coating down to bare metal and replaces
with new coating. A question and answer session followed. In addition to his slide presentations Ike kindly
brought gifts of hats, coasters and other miscellaneous El Paso mementos.
On behalf of the Retirees Charlie thanked Ike for being our guest speaker and
for the gifts. After a delicious lunch served by the Vista Hills
Country Club, the meeting continued with Charlie asking the attending Past
Presidents: Frank Smythe, Daphne Wilson, Drex Clonts, Jimmy Angelos and
Jerry Bear to stand and be recognized. He then thanked Bubbles Eades, Jerry Bear and Betty
Alexander for their great assistance at the welcome desk, Roseanne Orona for the
beautiful table decorations and Joe Carter for being our official photographer.
Also he especially thanked Linda Carter for the time and effort she had once
again put into the luncheon arrangements, taking care of the finances,
reservations and the name tags. Linda Carter then read the names of those retirees who
had passed away since our 2010 Roundup. Out of town attendees were asked to stand and be
recognized: Larry Fuller, Chino Valley, Arizona John and Wanda Moore, Augusta, Kansas Hank and Nadine Henzler, Albuquerque New Mexico Gary and Karen Mayne, Livingston, Texas Paul and
Jean Wieland, Midland, Texas According to
“Google”, Gary and Karen Mayne, from Livingston, Texas, travelled the farthest
(686 miles one way) and were awarded a gasoline card to help with their
expenses. John and
Wanda Moore, from Augusta, Kansas, were a close second with 676 miles one way –
a difference of 10 miles! Door Prizes Vic LaFave donated a jar of his delicious home-made
honey. Jimmy Melver, President of “Showtime El Paso” donated
tickets for coming performances, and as President of “El Paso Texas
Flags Across America” donated an American Flag and a couple of neck ties. Other miscellaneous door prizes were handed out. Announcements: Daphne Wilson extended special congratulations to Jim and Evelyn Pofahl who celebrated their 70th
wedding anniversary on the 6th September 2011 And to: Charlie and Carol Doolittle who were married in El Paso
on August 26, 1961 and have just celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary. Charlie ended the Roundup with thanks again to all
attendees and an invitation to attend our breakfast meetings which are held the
second Thursday of each month – currently at Taco Real, 1160 Airway Boulevard,
El Paso. Everyone agreed that a good time had been had by all
and that they would do their very best to be back for the “Roundup” in El Paso
in 2012. Ya’ll Come!! Cheers! Daphne Wilson
(for President Charlie Doolittle)
Updated September 30, 2011 Remember when
businesses used to give away free stuff? Almost every store had free book
matches, peppermint sticks, or mints. Grocery stores gave away free sample boxes
of cereal and S&H green stamps good for free merchandise. When you bought a pair
of jeans in a clothing store, they gave you a free pocket knife. Airlines gave
away free meals. I recently went through my junk drawer and found a number of
free items with business logos: pens, knives, money clips, baseball caps, and
brass belt buckles. Well, I guess it got out of hand. Now, there are so many
people expecting free stuff: housing, food, clothing, transportation, medical
care, and other people’s money. We may wake up some day and find that we have
run out of free-dom. Thirty six stalwart retirees braved the 70
degree temperature to attend our September breakfast meeting. We are looking
forward to seeing YOU at our annual retirees’ luncheon on October 13 at the
Vista Hills Country Club.
Updated August 25, 2011 Mr. George Carameros passed away in July. Mr. Carameros was the President of the El Paso LNG Company headquartered in Paris. I met Mr. Carameros in Paris on several occasions in the mid to late seventies. I always considered him to be a confident, competent, and friendly person. One of my assignments working with the LNG Company was to learn to speak and read French. Learning languages is not on my talent list. The accelerated course was absolutely brutal. I still remember sitting in a chair with the teacher sitting in a chair facing me. We were about three feet apart. He would say a phrase in French and I would repeat it. I never repeated it correctly the first time. He would keep saying “again” until I got it right. I would go home each evening with a splitting headache. My only choices were to learn French or lose my mind. By some miracle, I gradually learned to speak French AND actually know what I said. When the course was finally completed, I was told to go to Paris and speak French. I was not to talk or think in English. In Paris, I asked about my return reservations at the airport-in French. I gave directions to the taxi driver and checked into a hotel-in French. I ordered my meals-in French. I toured the city by buses and trains; talking to people everywhere I went-in French. On the third day, I decided to go shopping. My Korean War shaving kit was a bit worn and tattered. After shopping at several stores, I found a shaving kit that I liked. I took it to the counter and asked the clerk how much it cost-in French. The clerk looked at me like my fourth grade math teacher and said, in perfect English, “Sir, that item costs 60 francs”. Oh well, C’est la vie, ya’ll. Come and join us for breakfast on September 8 at the Taco Real. Don’t forget to send in your Reservation Form for the Retirees Reunion Luncheon on Thursday, October 13 at the Vista Hills Country Club.
Updated August 1, 2011 We are having a heat wave in El Paso! The
all-time high record for the most 100+ degree days was broken in June and July
is following the trend. Dry heat or wet heat, it’s HOT out there. Perhaps it was
heat stroke or hallucinations, but my thoughts turned to the winter of 1952 when
I was sent to Chanute AFB in Illinois to attend a 12 week course in aircraft
instrumentation. It was cold, constantly overcast, and depressing. The barracks
were pre World War 2 left-over’s with a coal fired furnace room on one end of
the building. One day, the barracks sergeant told me it was my turn to keep the
furnace burning from 2:00AM to 6:00AM. He told me very firmly that I would NOT
fall asleep and I would NOT let the furnace fire go out. So, I began my
hazardous mission with firm resolve and dedication. By 2:15AM, I was bored
sitting in a chair watching coal burn in a furnace. I began to nod off so I got
up and threw a shovel of coal in the furnace. As the night progressed, I got up
more often to throw a shovel of coal in the furnace to keep from going to sleep.
At 5:00AM, I was busy watching my watch tick off seconds, when suddenly the door
burst open and slammed against the wall. A very stern sergeant yelled “What the
@#$%^&*”~ are you doing?” I couldn’t think of anything. He shouted that”IT’s 120
DEGREES IN THE BARRACKS!!!” I knew he was prone to exaggerate but he was
certainly” hot under the collar”. He relieved me of my appointed duties and I
returned to the barracks. All the doors and windows were open. Men were
scrambling out of the barracks into the 30 degree weather outside. I went
inside, showered and shaved, and went to bed. I was never assigned to furnace
duty again. We had a great breakfast meeting on July
15 with 43 members in attendance. Come and join us at the Taco Real on August
11. Don’t forget our annual reunion at the Vista Hills Country Club on October
13. Charlie Doolittle
Updated July 3, 2011 When I was in the 6th grade, I memorized the Declaration of Independence. It was a very difficult assignment and I studied long hours over two months. I must admit that when it came time for my recital in front of the class, it still required considerable prompting from my teacher. I invite you to re-read key excerpts from the Declaration. It is a good thing to remember our heritage and the values that we cherish.
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary
for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with
another and to assume the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to
which the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness._______That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among
Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.________That
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the
Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form,
as to them shall seem most likely effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence,
indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for
light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that
mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right
themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long
train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a
design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their
duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future
security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies, and such is
now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of
Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of
repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment
of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted
to a candid world. Ed Note: The Declaration then lists a long list of
grievances and injustices perpetrated by the King of Great Britain. The
Declaration then concludes with the following resolution. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of
America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the
world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of
the good People of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these
united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that
they are Absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all
political connections between them and the State of Great Britain, is and out to
be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full
Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and
to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right
do.______And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the
protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our
Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
Now that is the true meaning of the 4th.of July! We had a great turn out at our June breakfast meeting (47 attendees). Join us at the Taco Real on July 14.
Charlie
Doolittle
I plan on
attending my high school reunion this year (60th anniversary) and I
have been reminiscing. Many of you had a 30-40 year career with El Paso Natural
Gas. Was it easy for you to decide your career path? Was it just the location or
because you had a friend or relative working for the company? Did someone or
some event lead you to join the company? I had a difficult time trying to decide
on a career path when I was a teenager. After World War 2, my family moved back
to our home town in Charleston, Missouri. I was able to get a part-time job at
the Kroger grocery store as a butcher’s helper. I decided that I wanted to
become a butcher. My older brother got a part-time job at Hummel’
drug store which was just down the block from the grocery store. When my older
brother graduated from high school and enlisted in the Air Force, I took his job
at the drug store. So, I decided that I wanted to be a pharmacist. Our town’s
weekly newspaper asked each high school if they would like to write a monthly
article about school activities. I was selected to write the
article for my school. I had my own by-line in the newspaper. Then I decided
that I wanted to be a journalist. When I graduated from high school and enlisted
in the Air Force, I told the recruiter that I wanted to be a journalist. He told
me to pick another occupation – the Air Force didn’t have a need for a
journalist. Well, my older brother had become an accountant clerk and he seemed
to like it, so I then chose his occupation. After basic training, I was ordered
to report for an accounting school. Then the orders were rescinded. Two weeks
later, I was ordered to report to a 26 week Electronic school. The school
curriculum was Very difficult for me to comprehend. I soon found myself
attending class 6 hours a day and then spending 4-6 hours in study hall studying
and seeking advice. I sure learned some well needed study habits. After my tour
of duty, I decided that I wanted to be an engineer and
attended college on the GI Bill. I had a great 49 year career as an
engineer – filled with challenges and wonderful people to work with.
Some people may think I was just very lucky. Personally, I believe in a
higher power that has a purpose for every life. Just keep asking for guidance.
We are deeply grateful for the financial
assistance provided again this year by El Paso Corporation to help defray the
cost of printing the “Rusty Pipeliner”. Thank you El Paso!! We had 36 retirees
at our May Breakfast at the Taco Real. Come and join us at 9:00AM on June 9. Charlie
Doolittle
I served in the U.S. Air Force from July, 1951 to July,
1955. After a year of training in electronic systems and instrument systems at
various locations, I served most of my tour of duty at Travis Air Force base in
California. I was assigned to the 84th Air Transport Service. We had
a squadron of C-124’s. The C-124 was a huge aircraft with four decks. The top
deck was the crew deck complete with a small kitchen and beds. The next two
decks were cargo decks. The bottom deck was the equipment deck. We transported
supplies destined for Korea. The midsection cargo deck could be removed so that
trucks, jeeps, fuel transport trucks, … could be transported. The nose of the
aircraft was a large clam shell door which opened to load cargo. We flew to
Hickam AFB, Hawaii and then to locations in Japan. The cargo was then
transferred to smaller aircraft or naval ships for transport to Korea. From
Japan, we brought back wounded soldiers. When the aircraft doors opened at
Travis and the soldiers were assisted onto U.S soil, we met them with loud
cheers and words of encouragement. We also brought back those that had died in
action. When the aircraft doors opened at Travis, and we saw the row after row
after row of flag draped coffins that filled the two cargo decks, it was always
a time of deep emotion. As each coffin was carefully and respectfully escorted
from the aircraft, we stood at attention and saluted our fallen brethren. This
Memorial Day, remember those that died for us, and for those that suffered life
changing injuries.
We had 38 retirees at the April breakfast meeting. Join us
at the Taco Real on May 12th.
In the late 1960’s, I was the director of
engineering at the Raytheon RAMPART facility at White Sands Missile Range in New
Mexico. Next to the facility there was attached a five story tower with a 65
foot diameter radar antenna mounted on the top. Our job was to acquire and
analyze data for the ATHENA missile project. The missiles were fired from Green
River, Utah. When the missile was launched and reached altitude, it would make a
90 degree turn towards the southeast, tilt down, and fire the “warhead” into the
White Sands Missile Range. There were no explosives aboard the warhead…just
instrumentation. We would track the missile and then track the warhead until it
impacted. On one mission, the missile lifted off, reached altitude, and made the
90 degree turn. BUT, it didn’t tilt down and it didn’t fire the warhead! We
watched the radar displays with shock as the missile flew over the Range and
kept heading south. It finally lost altitude and impacted in the desert—in
Central Mexico. Hello State Department, we have a problem!
It was great seeing Jesse Blair at our March meeting. Come
again soon Jesse. We had 42 retirees at the breakfast meeting. Join us at the
Taco Real on April 14th.
I was an avionic systems design engineer on the
A6A Intruder project. The A6A was a state-of-art Navy bomber. It was the first
time in history that the avionic systems cost more than the airframe. After the
avionic systems were designed and manufactured in Canoga Park, California, we
moved to the Grumman Aircraft facility near Riverhead, Long Island, N.Y. After
the systems were installed in the A6A’s, flight tests commenced. The initial
flights were flown by Grumman test pilots, and then the Marine test pilots
arrived. Initial tests went very well. A Grumman crew chief and an avionics
engineer were assigned for each aircraft. The aircraft I was assigned to
had just undergone an engine replacement. We watched on the tarmac as the A6A
taxied to the end of the runway, revved up the engine, and began its take-off.
BUT SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG. The aircraft lifted off early, made a sharp right
turn, and began dumping fuel. It circled the field, touched down on the runway,
jettisoned the canopy, deployed the brake parachute, and taxied to the tarmac.
The crew chief went up the ladder on the pilot’s side and I went up the ladder
on the navigator’s side. The navigator leaned out and said”Charlie, don’t touch
anything, it’s hot in here” We went to the briefing room. A major mistake had
been made when the new engine was installed. When the aircraft revved up for
take-off, instead of air conditioning-engine exhaust air poured into the
cockpit. The pilot and navigator calmly reported everything that occurred from
take-off to landing. The navigator had nine pages of notes!! I worked with the Marine test crews during the
sea trials in the Atlantic and then the land trials in the Arizona desert and
New Mexico mountain ranges. The A6A fleet was commissioned and assigned to the
USS Enterprise in late 1963. The last of the A6A’s were de-commissioned in 1993.
The Marine test crews were the most disciplined and courageous men that I have
ever met. I was proud to be a member of their team. Pray for our brave men and
women serving in our Armed Forces.
Forty eight retirees attended our February meeting at Taco
Real. We had a great time of fellowship and the breakfast was very good as
usual. The cost of the buffet breakfast is $7.00.Come and join us on March 10th.
In 1959, I was
selected, along with five other engineers, to form a team known as the Nike Zeus
Integral Team. Our job was to coordinate the design, manufacture, installation,
and field test of the data processing systems for the Nike Zeus anti-missile
missile project. The systems design was conducted at the Bell Telephone
Laboratory in New Jersey. After the design phase, we went to a Western Electric
factory in Burlington N.C. where the systems were manufactured. Then we went to
White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for installation and field test. The
systems were installed at the new Nike Zeus Control Center. The Nike Zeus
missile launch site was about 1 mile from the cafeteria and about three miles
from the Control Center. During the installation phase, there were test
firings of Nike Zeus missiles. Whenever we were aware of a test firing, we would
go outside to watch. It was spectacular!! One day, a group of us were in the
cafeteria when we heard a loud roar. We thought we had missed a Zeus missile
firing and we rushed outside. The roar was deafening. It wasn’t a Zeus missile.
It was an errant missile fired from up range that decided to fly horizontally
instead of vertical. We all ducked for cover as the missile went over the
building. No problem. I had my hard hat and safety glasses on. Our annual audit has been
completed (thanks to Drex Clonts and Jerry Bear) and we still have money in the
bank. Thanks to all those that send in their $20.00 annual contributions which
are essential to publishing and mailing out the Rusty Pipeliner. Come and join us for
breakfast at the Taco Real Restaurant on February 10. Charlie Doolittle,
President
In the mid 90’s, El Paso filed to
construct a 24” pipeline from the El Paso Hueco Compression Station east of El
Paso to the new power plant under construction at Samalayuca south of Juarez,
Mexico. There were a number of obstacles with right-of-way permits,
environmental issues, the high water table in the farmlands, and getting
sufficient depth of cover crossing the sand dunes near Samalayuca. Crossing the
Rio Grande River was a challenge. Because of the irrigation dams and Franklin
Canal on the U.S. side and the Black Canal on the Mexico side, the directional
drill would have to be long and deep (80’ under the Rio Grande). When the pipe
was being pulled under the Rio Grande, the chief inspector and land agent went
to Juarez to watch the pipeline surface in Mexico. They noticed a large group of
farmers with shovels, pitchforks, and sickles watching the proceedings. The
group approached and asked what was taking place. The chief inspector explained.
The group leader stated firmly that work must stop immediately. He said that the
farmers had been promised money by their government to allow the pipeline to
cross their land. They had not been paid. Work stopped. The problem was
that if the pipeline was not pulled through in 16-24 hours, the mud that had
been injected around the pipe would harden and the pipeline could not be pulled
through. The group leader also suggested that the chief inspector and land agent
should stay on site until the issue was resolved. I was in Mexico City and
received word about 6:00 PM. Company officials began contacting Mexican
officials who insisted the farmers would be paid in a few weeks. After about
four hours of discussions it was agreed that El Paso would pay the farmers and
Mexico would repay El Paso. The next morning, leaders of the farmers group
picked up the check in El Paso, deposited the check at a Juarez bank, and
returned to site. The pipeline was pulled through. The chief inspector and land
agent returned to El Paso. When I talked with the chief inspector he began
telling me his sad tale of woe in detail. I shrugged and told him it was a
normal day in the life of a pipeliner. We worked on a number of projects later
and whenever a serious problem arose, he would look at me sternly and ask
“Charlie is this going to be another NORMAL day in the life of a pipeliner? After a long and arduous campaign, the 2010 club officers were reelected for 2011. (Just kidding). The members just felt we should stay on the job until we got it right. Come join us for breakfast at the Taco Real Restaurant on January 13.
It was a time of sadness and deep
concern…a time of hardship and separation. In January, 1942 the war board
ordered my dad to report for work as a machinist at a munitions factory in St.
Louis, Mo, (170 miles from our home town). Tens of thousands of men over 35 were
ordered to work in St. Louis manufacturing aircraft, tanks, trucks, weapons, and
munitions. Dad left. His wife and seven children would have to take care of
themselves for a while. Dad read the newspaper “homes for rent” ads each day and
each evening he took street cars/buses to check them out. But each day he was
too late or the rent was too high. Dad wasn’t home for my 9th
birthday in February. I missed him. After over three months of looking, my dad
noticed a vacant neighborhood corner grocery store for rent. He contacted the
owner. The store came complete with a bathroom (about 4’ by 4’), a kitchen sink,
and a potbelly coal fired stove. We moved to St. Louis!! We put Bon AMI on the
large picture windows for privacy, hung clothesline from end to end and side to
side, and put up sheets with clothes pins to partition
rooms. My dad got a second job working at a small print shop. My older brother,
Cletus, got an evening job at a drug store. I got an evening route selling Globe
Democrat newspapers. As I walked along the residential neighborhoods, I shouted
out the latest war news. Customers soon asked for weekly delivery (placed
between the screen door and front door) – 6 papers a week for 18 cents. I made
7/8 of a cent per paper. Within a few months, I acquired an adjoining route and
then a corner stand. On Christmas Eve, we had a heavy snow until noon and then
it cleared. When I started my route, a customer had left their front door ajar.
As I placed their newspaper, the door opened and I was invited in. They gave me
a cup of hot chocolate, a small package of cookies, and wished me a Merry
Christmas. As I continued my route, more and more customers gave me small
packages of cookies, nuts, candies, or fruit. I had a problem. My paper bags
were full of small packages. I didn’t have room for my second route papers. I
called home. My dad was home. We arranged to meet at a streetcar stop. I arrived
first but a few minutes later he stepped off the streetcar with our Radio Flyer
wagon under his arm. Dad followed me a few houses back as I continued my
newspaper route. My customers continued to give me gift packages. Dad and I
talked as we walked. It had been a very long time since just the two of us had
time to talk. He said we would move into a real house next year (and we did). It
was a beautiful evening all dressed out in a mantle of snow. On Christmas
morning, my younger brothers and sisters squealed with delight when they found
all those gift packages under the Christmas tree. It was a time of joy, loving,
caring, and sharing. It was a time of promise, deep faith, and firm resolve. It
was a Christmas time I will always cherish. May God bless you one and all. Footnote: My dad had found our Radio Flyer
wagon at a junkyard. It was dented, rusty, and just had three wheels. Dad made a
sort of round wheel from a piece of wood. It was noisy but it worked. Cletus and
I used the wagon for our weekly grocery shopping – my mother’s list included the
cost and ration stamps needed for each item. We also used the wagon to pick up
coal at the coal yard. The yard man charged us 25 cents a load. He would laugh
as we carefully placed each piece of coal to minimize gaps. By the time we had
the wagon heaped to overflowing, we had our two bits worth. Charlie Doolittle President 2010
Updated November 2, 2010 In the late 70’s during the El
Paso/Algerian LNG project, I was assigned to escort three employees to the
Sonatrach Hassi R’Mel gas processing plant in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
Hassi R’Mel is half way between Algiers and Nowhere. Well, everything that could
go wrong went woefully wrong. By the time we arrived at the very small airport
near Ghardaia(about 60 kilometers from Hassi R’Mel), we were a day late and l
had been unable to notify the plant of our delay. There was only one clerk in
the airport and I asked to use the phone. He said “Impossible, this phone is for
airport business only”. We looked for another phone in the airport and then went
outside to see if there was a phone there. As we turned to go back in the
airport, the clerk locked the door, ignored us, and drove off in his car. There
were no other cars in sight. We were stranded in the middle of the desert
without food, water, or shelter. I began walking around the airport and spotted
a trailer about 50 yards from the building. I knocked on the trailer door, the
door opened, and a Russian officer glared at me. Oops! I quickly explained our
predicament. He slammed the door in my face. After another hour of trying to
think of a solution, my companions were not pleased with my escort service. So,
I went back and knocked on the trailer door again. This time when the door
opened I stepped quickly inside. For the next 5-6 minutes, a world class
diplomatic conference ensued. I could not speak Russian and he could not speak
English. But we could both mis-speak French fluently. We both spoke at the same
time – very loudly. Finally, he asked who I wanted to speak to at Hassi R’Mel. I
quickly wrote 5-6 names on a piece of paper before he grabbed the paper and
placed the call. He rattled off the names in about 3 seconds. Then he handed me
the phone and said the operator wanted to talk to me. The operator asked who I
was and I told him. The operator said “Aah Mr. Charlie how are you?” The
operator was not on my list but he had been in the first Sonatrach training
program conducted by El Paso. Help was on the way!! I thanked the Russian
officer and he showed me the door. One nice thing about travelling is you meet
such interesting people. Thanks to
everyone that helped make our annual reunion a success. Thanks to our out of
town attendees for joining us. John and Wanda Moore received the prize for
travelling the farthest – Augusta, Kansas. A special thanks to our guest
speaker, Donnie Farden, Director of Central Maintenance, for his update of El
Paso activities and projects.
Updated September 29, 2010 On one of my overseas business trips, I
arrived in Zurich, Switzerland by train at about 10:00 PM. My flight to London
was scheduled to depart at 7:00 AM the next morning. I decided it wasn’t worth
the effort to try to find a hotel so I took a taxi directly to the airport. When
I walked into the airport I was surprised that no one was in sight. It was a
very large airport but no chairs, benches..no place to sit down. I wandered
around looking for some sign of life. Finally, I found a courtesy station where
the lady behind the counter eyed me with visible suspicion. I told her that I
wanted to check in for my flight, check my baggage and go through security. She
informed me that flight check- in commenced at 5:00 AM. So, I told her that I
would find a corner somewhere and get some sleep. The lady was shocked and
exclaimed- “No, No, No, you can’t sleep here. Stay right where you are.” I did.
She left and returned about 5 minutes later. She told me to go to check-in
counter 21 where a clerk would check me in. Then she said I must proceed
directly for security check and then go directly to the Nursery. ??? I did. When
I found the Nursery, I noticed about 20 infant cribs-occupied. The lady at the
Nursery greeted me by name and said my room for the night would be 20 Swiss
francs (about $10). My room was small (about 8’ by 10’) with a twin bed
and washing facilities. The bathroom and shower rooms were down the hall. All
the facilities were exceptionally clean. In the morning, I got a wake-up call,
dressed, and had a leisurely breakfast before departing on my flight. So, for
all you world travelers out there, I highly recommend the Zurich airport nursery
(3 stars & a pacifier). Tell them Charlie sent you. The Retirees Reunion Luncheon will be held
Thursday, October 7 at the Vista Hills Country Club in El Paso. See you there!
Updated August 28, 2010 Once upon a time, there was a company executive
named Bill. Every year, Bill would hold a conference that all his department
directors, superintendents, and key supervisory employees were required to
attend. He would also invite other executives and department directors to
attend. During the conference, the previous year’s accomplishments, company
goals, priorities, projects, and problem areas would be discussed.
After the conference, there would be a dinner at a nice restaurant. After one of
these dinners, Bill stood up and said “Let’s make this simple. Everyone put
twenty dollars on the table. That should take care of the meal and tip.”
Everyone dutifully put $20 on the table. One of the superintendents walked
around the table and collected the money, called for the check and paid the
waiter. As the waiter turned to leave, the superintendent said “and bring me a
receipt.” Bill looked up startled and said “Dub, why in the world do you need a
receipt? With a straight face Dub replied “well, I ‘m going to put it on my
expense account.” It’s a good thing that Dub started laughing before Bill’s face
turned completely purple. P.S. Nobody else laughed until after Dub did. The Retirees Reunion Luncheon will be held on
Thursday October 7, 2010 at the Vista Hills Country Club in El Paso. Make your
reservations ($19.00 per person) by September 30. You can mail your reservation
to: EPNG/MOI Retirees Association, P.O. 12302, El Paso, Texas 79913-0302. Or,
you can bring it with you to the next breakfast meeting. Make your check payable
to “EPNG/MOI Retirees Association”. Forty three retirees came to our August
breakfast meeting at the Taco Real Restaurant. Come and join us for our
September breakfast meeting on September 9. Charlie Doolittle
Updated July 25, 2010 When the government
of Bolivia decided to privatize their oil and natural gas industry, a consortium
of five companies in the United States was formed to evaluate the feasibility of
purchasing the Bolivian oil and natural gas facilities and pipelines. Three two
man teams were sent to Bolivia. I was sent with an Enron engineer to
evaluate the systems from Santa Cruz to La Paz (about 400 miles). Santa Cruz is
a beautiful tourist city in the tropics. The government provided us with a
Toyota Four Runner, a driver, and a translator. Two men in a pick-up came from
the first pump station to guide us along the right-of way. The pipelines were
above ground sitting on concrete blocks. We travelled through the forest to the
first pump station where we spent the night. The accommodations were…well,
sparse would be a gross overstatement. I knew that my supply of granola bars and
peanut butter crackers would have to suffice on this trip. After we inspected
the site, a crew from the second site arrived to guide us. This sequence
continued from site to site. We left the forest and began the climb across the
Andes Mountains. We had to ford streams and stop and remove boulders from the
pathway. On the fourth day, we reached Cochabamba. I was ready for a hot meal, a
hot shower, and a clean bed. Then we began the steep climb to La Paz. But about
an hour out from Cochabamba there was a roadblock manned by soldiers. All
traffic was being turned around. There was a military operation ahead with no
estimate when it would end. Our driver said not to worry – we would take the
“old road”. One side of the “old road” was against the mountain. It was about
ten foot wide with TWO WAY traffic. Later I learned it is called the Road of
Death. Looking down from the road, the valley below was over two miles down. The
highest elevation marker we passed was at 17,000 feet. The Enron engineer
started feeling bad. He had altitude sickness. By the time we arrived in La Paz,
he was really hurting. We got him to a hotel where they provided him with an
oxygen resuscitator. El Paso made airline reservations for us to fly to Arica,
Chili on the Pacific Ocean coastline (sea level). It was amazing. As sick as the
engineer was, he began recovering within a half hour after we reached Arica. We
spent a day in Arica to ensure that he was well enough to travel before we
returned home. It is hard to imagine that El Paso gave me an all expense paid
one week trip to tour Bolivia with a chauffeur and a translator. What a deal!!
P.S. The consortium did not bid on the Bolivian oil & gas industry. THANK YOU EL PASO
CORPORATION!! The EPNG/MOI Retirees Association deeply appreciates your
continuing financial support to help defray the cost of printing and mailing the
monthly “Rusty Pipeliner News”. Forty-nine retirees
attended our July buffet breakfast at the Taco Real Restaurant in El Paso. Join
us on August 12th for a fine time of fellowship and great breakfast. Mark your calendar. The
annual Retirees Reunion Luncheon will be held on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at
the Vista Hills Country Club. Charlie Doolittle,
President Updated July 1, 2010 In the 1980’s, the
Ekofisk oil platform in the North Sea was the largest oil platform in the world
(1 mile long from flare to flare). The main building was six stories tall
surrounded by a 50 foot containment wall. In the storm season, waves would lap
over the wall. It was manned by 700 crewmen from Stavanger, Norway. They worked
3 weeks on the platform then 4 weeks off. On the platform lower deck, there were
two GE Frame 3 turbines used to re-inject natural gas that came up with the oil.
When the natural gas pipeline was completed, the turbines became surplus. So, I
took a turbine crew to Stavanger and then a helicopter out to the platform
(about 150 miles off-shore). We boroscoped the turbines and inspected the
maintenance records. El Paso decided to buy the turbines. The Ekofisk owners
agreed to remove the turbines, ship them to Stavanger, and arrange shipment to
the United States. But, by the time they were ready to unload the turbines from
the platform, a storm set in. They were concerned that if the cargo ship raised
on the waves as a turbine was lowered, something very bad could happen.
(Good thinking). So they decided to completely dismantle the turbines and unload
the parts onto the cargo ship. (Bad thinking). By the time the “turbines”
arrived at Station 3, there were parts laid out over 5 acres while the turbine
maintenance crew tried to figure out which parts went where. Remarkably, they
figured it out and re-assembled the turbines. Both turbines were placed in
service. One turbine was installed at Navajo Station but I’ve forgotten where
the other one went. The incredible experience and problem solving skills of El
Paso men still amazes me. Mark your calendars!
The annual “Round-Up” luncheon at the Vista Hills Country Club will be held on
Thursday, October 7. Donnie McFarland, El Paso Director of Central Maintenance,
will be our featured speaker. Join us for our next
monthly meeting/breakfast on July 8 at the Taco Real restaurant. Charlie Doolittle,
President
Updated May 20, 2010 In the 1980’s, El
Paso owned the second largest fleet of General Electric Frame 3 turbines in the
world (2nd.only
to Saudia Arabia). General Electric no longer manufactured Frame 3 turbines. El
Paso had a highly experienced turbine maintenance crew. They could repair any
problem on the turbines. If they didn’t have a spare part, they made one. El
Paso decided to buy “second-hand” Frame 3’s in good condition. When Northern
Natural decided to replace their turbines with reciprocating engines, I was sent
on several trips with a crew to Washington and Oregon to inspect their surplus
turbines and negotiate a purchase. The turbines were overhauled and placed in
service in the El Paso fleet. We paid about $1 million for each turbine. When
NGPL’s gas market changed, a compressor station, north of Amarillo, with 2 Frame
3’s became surplus and had been shut down for two years. When NGPL offered the
turbines for sale, I went to the site with a turbine maintenance crew. When the
NGPL superintendent arrived he was upset. He had driven over a hundred miles to
site and he had been assigned to oversee the total removal of all above-ground
buildings, equipment, piping…in other words, clear the entire site. He didn’t
know how he could spare personnel for such a project. The two turbines were in
excellent condition with very complete maintenance records. I offered the
superintendent a deal. El Paso would pay NGPL $600,000 and clear the entire
site. NGPL quickly agreed. The control systems were obsolete so I called a
contractor in Jal to see if Sid Richardson needed any Speedtronic controls for
his turbines. The contractor called back within an hour and said Sid Richardson
was very interested. The contractor came to the site and I offered him a deal.
He could have the control building and contents therein if he would clear the
building to the ground. Deal made. We sold the valves to a valve refurbisher and
the above ground pipe to a used pipe dealer. The turbine building was
disassembled and re-assembled at El Paso Station for a storage warehouse. We
cleared the site in two months. It’s unusual when all parties involved felt that
they got a great deal. We had 43 members at our May meeting at the Taco
Real restaurant, 1160 Airway Blvd. Come and join us for a great breakfast buffet
at the June meeting. Charlie Doolittle, President
Hi Sue, Jesse the 3rd Updated April 22, 2010
El Paso purchased the 30”All American oil
pipeline in 2000. The pipeline extended from Wink, Texas to Bakersfield,
California. The 800 mile section from Wink to the Colorado River (California
border) roughly paralled El Paso’s South System. El Paso filed to convert the
800 mile pipeline section from oil to natural gas. The first major task was to
clean the line. The residual oil came out easy-about 15,000 gallons. But the
solids in the line - tars,paraffin,asphaltine,sand,&rust - posed a real problem.
When a pig train (15 pigs separated by sections of chemicals or water) was
pushed through a section of pipe with compressed air, the pig receiver barrel
would be packed with solids. Some pipe sections required 5-6 pig train runs.
Cleaning the line cost over $25 million. All of the pipeline valves on the line
were replaced. Where the pipeline crossed near residential or commercial areas,
the pipe was removed and replaced with heavier wall thickness pipe. The pipe was
lowered at road crossings. Where there were cased crossings, the pipe was
pulled, refurbished, and new spacers installed. Interconnects were constructed
to seven El Paso compressor stations. The pipeline was hydrostatic tested. Line
2000 went in service November 1, 2003. Line 2000 increased the capacity of the
South System by 250 million cubic feet per day. With five construction
contractors, six spreads, and over 400 men in three states, it was a busy time.
Much of the credit for the success of the project belongs to the El Paso
inspectors for their diligent work, experience, and keeping the contractors in
line. Credit should also be given to the South System operations personnel for
their assistance throughout the project. We had 49 members at our April meeting at the
Taco Real Restaurant, 1160 Airway Blvd. Everyone enjoys the time of fellowship
and the great breakfast buffet for only $6.00. Come and join us for the May
meeting. Charlie Doolittle, President
For those of you who are wondering how Jesse is doing -- take a peek at his new wardrobe. And, it looks like he's shakin' them hips pretty good. He's doin' just fine!Broadway and Hollywood are drooling with anticipation of the new star on the horizon. Our one and only president for life. Jesse The 3rd.
Back in the early 1950's, when the Salk Polio vaccine had just
come out, we rushed our kids to get that protection. While getting the vaccine,
our doctor told us of a strange occurrence in his office. He said that a father
had his child in for a checkup and he asked him if he wanted the vaccine. The
man told him no. He said that he had polio insurance! We are all old enough to
remember how terrifying that polio was.
April 2010 Do you remember the Job Progression Program
(later known as the Skills Progression Program)? In 1985, I was selected by
executive management to chair a committee to formulate a new method to determine
employee compensation based on knowledge of company needed skills. Wow! Most
operations employees were not pleased with the news of this pending change. For
56 years, the seniority system had been a sacred rule for advancement. There was
understandable concern about this new program which would define a list of
skills required for every job in Operations. The committee spent 7 months in the
field working with the superintendents to determine the skills needed at each
location. Then, the skills were ranked by degree of difficulty and experience
required. Technician levels were established which included a series of related
skills. Human Resources conducted a national search to determine a competitive
salary range for each level. After 10 months, the committee made their
recommendation to executive management. Management decided that all operational
personnel must be slotted into the new program at a technician level with a
salary equal to or greater than their current salary. Each employee would
be given two years to demonstrate their knowledge of assigned skills. The new
program was initiated. The Technical Training Department conducted over 200
training programs over the next two years. Operations conducted numerous
on-the-job training sessions at field facilities. At the end of the two year
trial period, over 98% of all employees had qualified in their slotted level.
Many had qualified at an advanced level. It was a hectic period of unexpected
change and concern. Charlie Doolittle
After I graduated from Glassboro High School in
1946, I went to work for Stasco bath supplies, whose only product was toilet
seats. This made it pretty tough on a 17 year old kid going out on a date. For
some reason or other, toilet seats are funny. My date would ask "where do you
work?" When I said Stasco, the next question was: what do they make?" When I
answered toilet seats, I received a smile that was covering up a giggle. Being a
teen is tough enough, but the next question always caused me to get a little red
in the face. "What do you do?, model them?" After living this long, I still have
not thought of a comeback. If anyone can help me, even at this late date, I
would appreciate it. There will be a huge reward for the best retort. (A solid
metal key chain, which has been in my family for many generations (or a few
weeks, I am not sure) Ex Prez Jesse the last
I’ve always enjoyed hearing stories of life in
El Paso camps that folks like Jesse Blair and Hoot Gibson tell with humor and
fond remembrance. I never lived in an El Paso Camp. After 15 years
as a design engineer with Bell Telephone Laboratories and Raytheon Corporation,
I was hired by El Paso in 1974 to design computer systems for the proposed
Alaskan Natural Gas Pipeline project. It could have been a short career. Within
six months, the project was put on hold. But part of my job as a design engineer
had been to develop training programs for our customers. El Paso had agreed to
train 50 Algerian engineers and technicians here at company facilities. So I was
assigned to set up training classes for the one year program – and the adventure
began. I’m sure there are a number of retirees that have stories to tell about
that program. The first Sonatrach Training Program was quickly followed by the
second one year program. Then the company decided to send 200 El Paso employees
and their families to Arzew, Algeria. This project was expected to last 20 years
with El Paso employees rotating to Arzew on two year assignments. The employees
needed training classes for the Arzew plant systems. Employees and their
families needed orientation and logistical support. So the Technical Training
Department was formed. I became the manager and then the director of this
department. I would certainly like to hear from operations
employees and especially expats’ with their stories from those days 30-35 years
ago. Please join us for our March meeting at the Taco
Real Restaurant, 1160 Airway Blvd. on Thursday, March 11, 2010. The cost is only
$6.00 for the breakfast buffet. We had 36 for breakfast in February but we would
like to see more of you there. Hello fellow survivors,
During the mid 1950s while station at #1 station, we would play some penny ante
poker. The players were four or five men and Gladys Clark, wife of the repairman
Dee Clark. She loved to play cards and was a good player. One night I
complimented her on her poker chips and their case. It had her initials in gold
and was extra fancy. She said that Dee had given it to her for Christmas and she
had given him a bible. She said that he was in the bedroom praying that she
would win. They had an English Bulldog that was laying under the game table and
getting on my feet. Gladys noticed my discomfort and said "Jesse, if Kay is
bothering you, just kick her." Now I may not be extra sharp in the brain
department, but I knew better than that and to prove it, I still have all my
toes and both feet are still attached. I
would love to hear from all my devoted readers, and to prove it I am enclosing
the presidential phone number: It is 520 638-7506 and my e-mail address is
jesnmar49@comcast.net Stay well and think good
thoughts. That's it for now from Arizona. Jesse the Last December 2009
True
story about Joe Sykes, Chief Operator, Jack Ricks, Plant operator, and an
unknown new hire. This all happened at Station #1 around 1956. Joe told Jack that this new hand would not
work, and he was putting him to work for Jack and said that if Jack couldn't get
him to work, the new guy would be fired. Jack told the new man to get some
kerosene and clean up #3 Cooper-Bessemer 19 engine. Now, a C-B 19 engine was
about 50 feet long, 8 feet wide and 7 feet high with a 15 foot diameter
flywheel. When the man started to clean it, Jack went outside for some other
duties, which took between 5 and 10 minutes. When Jack went into the auxiliary
building to check something, there was the new hand smoking a cigarette who said
"You were right Jack, that was a dirty engine." EPNG said " Don't call us. We'll
call you."
I had one of these engines assigned to me. It always took a full 8 hour shift to
clean one. And then a sandstorm would hit and you would be back to square one.
Ah, the good old days. I figured out that the best thing about the good old days
was that you were young. Still hobbling, but improving daily. Joined
a gym and am working out 3 times a week. Trying to get some muscle back. Slow
go.
One of my observations is that we have too many congressmen from Texas, New
York, Florida, and not enough from the United States. Stay
Well, that's an order. Stay in touch.
Jesse the last November 2009
In 1962, while living at station #2,
Marge was about to have our 7th child. One of the problems about living in a
camp far from town was getting to town before the baby appeared. Marge started
getting her pains while I was in a bowling tournament in El Paso. W.F. Perkins
was to take her to town if I wasn't available. Marge always waited until the
last minute with her pains, so she wouldn't have to be put in the stirrups.
Well, they started off to El Paso and Perk was not wasting any time. Perk did
not want to act as a doctor, so he was putting the pedal to the metal. Marge was
in the back seat and told me that when she sat up and peeked, he was hitting 90
mph. This revelation almost caused her to give Perk a job in the back seat, but
she held on and made it to the hospital for the delivery of a 10 lb. 12 oz.
girl. They called and told me that Marge was on her way to town and I had to
make a choice of going to the hospital where I would be shut out of all that was
happening, or I could stay and finish bowling in the tournament. I really liked
to bowl, so I stayed and bowled pretty good, so, the day wasn't completely
wasted. Marge starting speaking to me again when the baby turned 3 years old.
And for some unknown reason, that was the last of our family. I am still trying
to figure that out. Oh well, bowl and learn.
Jesse the Last October - September 2009
I want to thank all of my
faithful readers for their concern over a clumsy old man’s carelessness. I have
suffered enough paying for it. Still not 100%. This month I want to relate
a couple of nice stories about two of my grandchildren, so, put up with it. I
promise not to show any wallet pictures to prolong the agony. Grandson, Noah, age about 5,
came into the house crying that he had cut his finger. He was told to wash it
off and put a band-aid on it. Having done so, he went outside and then came back
in moaning because he had put the band-aid on the wrong finger! Really a bad
wound. We were thankful that he didn’t bleed to death!!!! After a walk with my
grandson, Matthew, we were walking up to the house, when he spotted a bright
yellow dandelion. He stopped, looked again, and said “Wow.” I thought to myself,
don’t ever lose the wonder of simple natural things. Beauty is always there, if
you look hard enough. Stay well, that’s an order. Ex-President, Jesse III
August 2009
July 17, 2009: Daddy is still not well enough to sit at the
computer so I told him I'd do his President's message this month with his
blessing. He's doing well but there's bad news for the club at the
bottom... :o(
Jesse the 3rd continues to be out of commission this month. Thank
goodness he had been going to the gym three days a week. The
doctors indicated this made a huge difference in his ability to recuperate from
the surgery and will assist in his recovery. While his surgery went well he has
had a few setbacks. 1) Was given blood pressure medicine when he didn't
need it causing his blood pressure to fall to 80/60 and he crashed. 2) Over a
week later he did come home, but still feeling rather puny and not getting
better. Finally diagnosed with blood clots in his legs. Knowing what
was wrong perked him up and he started getting better quickly. Was doing a
lot of walking (with his walker) and was just getting physical therapy (two
days) when disaster struck. 3) He developed excruciating pain in the back of
his thigh and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital as they were worried
about a blood clot causing a stroke. The strength of his body may have been his
downfall, at least this last go round. His 80 year old body rebelled saying it
needed more time to heal. He tore a muscle in his ham string and it bled
for a while. The result was a LARGE hematoma covering the bottom half of
his left buttock, into his groin area and over the entire back side of his
thigh. 4) A week later had to go into the hospital for a blood transfusion
because his hemoglobin was 7.2 and normal low for a man is 14. This was
the reason he was so tired and out of breath.
It's July 17 and he seems to be back on the road to recovery. But for all
his loyal followers, we have some bad news. In August Jesse the 3rd and
his queen Marge will be moving to Tucson to be closer to three of their
children. They'll be moving into a two bedroom apartment in an assisted
living facility where their every need will be taken care of and still able to
maintain their independence. While this news is good for their children,
it means he will have to step down from the throne of the retirees club.
I know that I'm hearing a collective "OH NO!" from the group. Daddy has
really enjoyed his tenure as your oh so honorable leader.
Joan Pederson
July 20, 2009:
Jake is on the make. He has been rather reserved until today when his hemoglobin
jumped from 9.0 to the closer to normal 10.5.
Today he walked by holding on to
my arm, sans walker. It's the most exercise he's done in 2 weeks. The legs are
almost normal looking and the discoloration is receding rapidly.
Physician reports and TB tests on
Thursday as required by their new home, Amber Lights in Tucson, AZ.
Check out their new digs at
www.srgseniorliving.com and click on Amber Lights.
7/28/2009: Dday has arrived. The official move to Tucson
date has been changed to August 8.
Pop got his arm cast taken off
today and is trying to iron out the kinks, The arm looks better than we thought
it would. To bad, no more one armed push-ups for Jake.
The limp is still with him and
it's not from his surgery but from the hematoma that developed a few weeks ago.
If he didn't have that he would be
walking w/o the cane by now.
One more doc visit on Friday then
Katie bar the door, the Blairs are taking over Tucson.
Mark
NOTE: El Paso meeting will be on Thursday, August 6th —
Join us to bid farewell to Jesse and Marge and wish them the best in their new
adventures.
July 2009
I know all of you will be disappointed not to see this month’s message from
Jesse III, but instead what I have are some updates from Linda Carter on El
Presidente’s condition, plus an update from Charley Annett —
Jesse Blair: (email
from Linda Carter)
June 6, 2009:
Jesse III's mishap occurred Wednesday June 3 approximately 12:30 p.m. He was
pumping gas at Sam's and rather than going around the car, he decided to step
over the pump line and promptly tripped over it and fell against the island and
broke his left hip and fractured his left wrist. Not to worry, though.
He seems to be in good spirits - they operated on him Thursday inserting 2 pins
and a screw into the hip. While under - they reset the wrist.
Haven't seen him but have talked to Marge and she says he'll be moved to the
Rehab center probably within the next day or so.
Jesse is fortunately a man who even at his age (80 ish???) continues to work-out
at the Y and is therefore in pretty good physical condition. He should
recover nicely and will probably be walking very well within a few weeks.
He's already walking little steps at a time and with the rehab center, will be
in good shape in no time at all.
His kids will be coming in one family at a time to help Marge over the next 3 to
4 weeks. They always have us (friends) who can help out as well.
June 11, 2009:
. Jesse was transferred Tuesday, June 10th to the Rehab Center. I
went to see him yesterday and although he's in good spirits, I can tell he's in
a lot of pain and he looks very tired. His release from the rehab center
depends entirely upon him.
Highlands Regional Rehabilitation Hospital
Room D-110
1395 George Dieter Dr.
El Paso, TX 79936-7410
915-298-7280
Charley Annett
--
June 24, 2009:
Dear One's,
Sorry I have not done a better job of keeping you in the loop. This has been
like starting a new
operation, the plan changes everyday. We have been wall to wall with different
doctors and treatments every day since we've been here. They started us out in a
new experimental program, but scrubbed that after the first treatment. My body
was too weak to handle the procedure. We have gone from once a day, once a week,
to once every two weeks and are now back to a new once a week procedure. This
one seems to be working much better. Has almost eliminated the nausea, which is
a huge improvement, I was so sick the first month, I hardly knew where I was.
We have rented an apartment and looks like we will be here for at least another
month. The address is 7200 Alemeda Rd. Versailles Park #201, Houston Texas 77054
Phone 713-799-2066. Both of my daughters are here with Betty and me and that has
been a tremendous help. Some of the family has been here every weekend and we
have had visits from a lot of friends from Albuquerque and Abilene.
We want to thank everyone for the card's, telephone calls and most of all the
prayers. We have been touched by the tremendous amount of suffering here,
particularly the small children, this is a wonderful place of healing and does
an immeasurable amount of good. Keep them in your prayers. Will give another
update soon.
Charles & Betty Annett
June Davis
– June 24, 2009:
My mom, June Davis is to undergo a mastectomy on the 26th of June.
She has survived pancreatic cancer, lymphoma and now is faced with breast
cancer. She has a great attitude and all prayers will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Monica M Copeland
Tommie Webb
-- June 4, 2009 (email from Mary Webb)
Dear ones,
We went to Albuquerque to the VA and it ended up being an evaluation
appointment. Tommie has to go back on July 9th for Pre Op and then on July
20th he is to have surgery to take care of the hernia (his fourth) and we will
stay in Albuquerque two nights if everything goes well.
After his surgery there, he has to have cataract surgery on his left eye on
August 10th. We will be burning up the highway between here and Albq. and
Durango, CO, Have to get him in shape before the snow flies so we can get
out of here before it gets too cold. Looking forward to that. We
will probably spend most of our winter in AZ.
Mary n Tommie 2
June 2009
In
1954 while working out on the pipeline, 40 miles from the nearest coyote, we had
a newly hired young man. He went up to the boss and asked "Mr. Cook, where is
the restroom?" Dick Cook looked at him for a second and answered "Pick any bush
that looks inviting, but, don't be too long". That was worth a laugh from the
whole crew.
In 1956, while working at Station # 1 with a coworker, the clerk came over and
told Jerry that the chief operator wanted to see him in the office. Jerry said
"Oh oh. I changed shifts without telling Joe Sykes about it. I am going to get
chewed out." When Jerry returned, I asked him how it went. He said "I have been
chewed out a lot in my life. Let me tell you, that old man is an expert!" I had
an occasion later that proved to me that Jerry was correct in his evaluation.
The breakfast will be on June 11th 9:00 A.M. I hope to see you there. I will be
taking names. Stay healthy!!!!!
That's an order! from
Jesse the 3rd
May 2009
Well, folks, at this writing our anniversary is eleven days away. I can't tell
you how much we appreciated the well wishes, cards, and even a box of candy! The
last issue was so very special and brought tears to Marge and me. The tribute
from our children touched our hearts.
We didn't realize that we were saints, but I guess that we will have to live
with that. Thanks again.
One time at Station #2, I listened while my boss W.F. Perkins explained the
facts of life to his new repairman. He said "Slim, I know that you have a lot of
good ideas. If you do things your way and they're wrong, I am in trouble, I
don't like that. If you do things my way and they're wrong, I am in trouble, as
I should be. For 15 years, I had to do things the way that some S.O.B. wanted it
done. Now I'm that S.O.B. So do things my way and we will get along fine." Perk
is still the best, fairest man that I ever worked for.
The monthly breakfast will be at The Elks Club on Thursday May 14th I hope
to see you there. Stay healthy. That's an order! from
Jesse the 3rd
April 2009
Howdy, all my loyal subjects and not so loyal ones also.
My message this month will be about my wonderful wife, Marge.
We met at a dance and it all started then. We met on December 6, 1948, became
engaged December 31st, and were married on April 30th 1949. (Or 1849, I'm not
sure) This means that we will celebrate our 60th anniversary this year. She has
always been there for her family, no matter what. She has successfully raised 7
wonderful children. (No one in jail or on dope, not even a smoker in the bunch.
Maybe a beer for one or two of them.) She has been the rock of our home for all
these years and has kept every one in line (mainly me) and has raised a very
loving family that respect and love their parents and siblings. I am very
fortunate to have had her by my side all these years. I realize this, and
appreciate it every day that we are together. She is having a rough time with
her health at this point in her life, but does very little complaining, just
grits her teeth and does her best, just like always. I once tried to give her
credit for the way that I turned out, but she said that she wasn't going
to take the blame for that. She was grand, still is grand and will always be the
best thing that ever happened to me. She made the sixty years go by like the
blink of an eye, and made every year worthwhile.
Jesse
the 3rd
March 2009
On our trip coming out west in 1951, we stopped for breakfast in Arkansas. We
had our 6 month old son, Mark, with us and he was being very active during the
meal, making it a struggle for us to eat our meal. Our waitress grabbed him up
and said "Lets go sunshine and let these people enjoy breakfast." We finished
eating and thanked her for going above and beyond the call of waitressing.
Many years later, when I was at the Hueco Club, whenever I saw a couple trying
to eat while a fussy baby wouldn't let them, I would go over and get that baby
and spirit him, or her, away and walk around the club showing people the now
quiet baby. Then I would return the babe to its parents and tell them the
Arkansas story and let them know that I was just paying some unknown waitress
back for her kindness. I must have done this with 50 or so babies. The one stone
that the waitress had thrown into the pond had ripples that made a small
difference many times over. You never know what an effect a kind act can have.
The breakfast will be March 12th at the Elks Lodge. Breakfast at 9:00 a.m.
Please try to make it, so we won't have to miss you.
Blessings upon all of you from
Jesse the 3rd
February 2009
I was stationed at #2 from 1957 to 1966. W.F. Perkins was the station chief.
Perk had a private air plane and was a good pilot. One day he asked me to fly
over to Cornudas Cafe with him to get the newspapers. I was not too eager to go
on this excursion as I had never flown before and would have liked
something a lot larger with more than one engine. However, being young and
foolish, (no longer young, but still foolish.) I agreed and away we went. Perk
was going to land on the highway and taxi up to the cafe. As we started to land,
an automobile pulled out and started down the road toward us. The stall horn
went off and I commented " I didn't know that planes had horns." We missed the
car roof by about 5 feet and the wind made us drift a little to the
left. Drifted enough for the left wing to hit the side mirror on a truck parked
at the cafe. The plane skidded and the prop took a chunk of asphalt out of the
road and finally stopped before I had a chance to get scared. We went into the
cafe and I told the truck driver to be careful when he filled out an accident
report saying that he was hit by an airplane. While towing the plane back to the
station, I was told, that if anyone asked, we had a clogged fuel line and had to
land where we did. I was never asked, so I didn't have to lie for my friend and
boss. First plane ride and I have a crash. What are the odds!
The monthly breakfast will be February 12th. Since it is Lincoln's birthday, I
would like all of you to come with a beard to honor him. Looking forward to
seeing all of you on that day, I remain your faithful servant,
Jesse the 3rd
January 2009
While I was clerking at Station # 2, I also filled in as a laborer cleaning
cooling towers and garbage man when the need arose. During one of my garbage
hauling stints, I emptied the 55 gallon drums that served as camp garbage cans.
One of the camp's cans belonging to the station chief was always easy to do
because their trash was always wrapped in newspaper and tied very neatly with a
string. I reached in and grabbed the nice little present and put it in another
can already on the truck and we drove to the next house. The boss's wife came
out and called me back to her trash can. She asked if I was supposed to empty
all the trash in a can and I said yes maam. She made me look into the barrel and
pointed to a tissue lying in the bottom of a 55 gallon drum and said it isn't
empty is it? I said no maam and reached in and took the offensive object out and
that made her very happy. I made sure that it never happened again. Camp life -
amazing!
Well the election is over!!!!!!! We had an extreme amount of interest this year
with many fine retirees fighting for every post that was available. After
bribing many of them to withdraw, you will be very pleased to hear that the same
idiots, oops, I mean dedicated staff from last year will be thrilled to serve
again. We may have to start the draft again.
Breakfast will be January 8th at the Elks Club. I hope to see a few hundred of
you at the meeting, Or maybe just a hundred.
Stay healthy
Jesse the 3rd
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