Avionics News April 2012 - 48

meet riC peri

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dustrial sector: transportation, construction, arts, farming, restaurants, fisheries, retail, education and of course, aviation. I flew my first HEMS flight at age 20. I became a trained EMT at 22 and flew search and rescue for 22 years. If you didn’t work for the AEA, what other career might you have had? In another life, what other occupation appeals to you? I already had 30 years in aviation before I joined the AEA. Had I not been in aviation, I would be a history teacher. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? I would like to write a book of short stories chronicling my life for my family, especially my children and grandchildren. I’m a fairly private person and don’t talk about the “old days” and have forgotten about a lot of them. I have had a magical and rewarding life. I would like to have the resources available to answer questions long after I’m gone. but, I would follow Mark Twain’s lead: the stories can’t be released for 100 years. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special? Family road trips. I grew up in Southern California. My father is from New Mexico, and my mother is from oklahoma, so the family road trips in the Plymouth nine-

passenger station wagon would always go through my dad’s hometown on our way to oklahoma and Kansas to visit my mom’s family. Listening to my father talk about Madrid when it was a vibrant mining town, where my grandfather mined coal, as well as Santa Fe and Albuquerque, was like listening to Garrison Keillor. What is the most important lesson life has taught you? I think every facet of life has important lessons; family, life, work and relationships. The most important is impossible to say. From a work perspective: in 1971, Tech Sergeant beach (my drill instructor) was instructing our platoon and said, “The secret to success in the Air Force is to know the regulations better than the person you’re speaking to.” I took that to heart and have tried to understand the rules and regulations about whatever I was doing. That advice has served me well. If you could meet any celebrity or other personality in the world, who would it be and why? Albert Einstein, a brilliant, out-of-thebox thinker who was unconventional. He challenged conventional thinking. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? That I inspired someone to learn. What is your personal definition of success? being happy. Happy in the big picture; satisfied with work; a good spouse; a good parent and grandparent. being happy with who you are, where you are and how you are. And, always learning. Do you prefer to be inside or outside? outside. Whether its gardening or grilling, flying or fishing, traveling or touring, outside is always better. What is the most recent piece of technology you have purchased? Tablet computer: a blackberry Playbook. q

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Avionics News April 2012

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