Where are they Now?

Many of the dad’s and men associated with Air Explorer Squadron III, including my own dad, have passed away.  This includes our Scout Master (Mr. Miller) who I recently learned had worked on Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra.  His son John (the fire buff) went on to retire from the Baltimore Fire Department.  Davy Jones, the son of the race pilot, John Paul Jones, became an Engineer and lives in the LA area.  My old friend Tom Cagan works for HP and Dwight Obenchain retired from the Santa Monica Police Department.

Rick O’Neal, also a Air Scout chum, was killed in a small airplane in the High Sierras and my very good friend, Dave Pluth, recently died from a heart attack.  He had settled in Switzerland and had become a professional photographer.  At the time, Dave was in Africa on a remote shoot and miles away from medical help.

A good number of my college friends became Air Line Pilots, most are now retired.  This includes my good friend, Mike Ward, who is a retired Delta Airline Captain and now lives  on Orcas Island in Washington.  Not far from where the writer, Ernest K Gann, had lived.

Some of my other college friends are scattered about.  Ed Shiostuka followed in his dads footsteps to become a farmer.  Jerry Whites went onto retire as a Production Test Pilot for Boeing and Norell Rose became a Goat Rancher in Oregon.  Harry Laws learned how to fly helicopters and dusted crops out of King City, California.  Another old college friend, Ken Strong, became a commercial fisherman.  Mike Hindman, is now retired and lives near me in Fresno.  We get together often.

Of the Army and Alaska group of friends: Jim Porter started a small Airline in Pago Pago, then went back to work for Evergreen as the base manager in Galvaston, Texas, for awhile.  He and his wife now run a Bed and Breakfest down south somewhere.  Jim Eastman is retired from flying helicopters for the Calif Department of Forestry (CDF) and  lives in Colorado.