This song was inspired ' in part ' by my Father, who never met a stranger.
He grew up with automobiles, and loved planes. As a young child he
built his first car with an old washing machine motor. The townsfolk
came to my Grandfather and asked him to stop his son from driving it
on the street. If he had an errand to run, he would jump in his little car,
and be out there driving amongst the Model A and T's of the day.
He graduated NC State as an Industrial Engineer, and fulfilled a dream to
fly by soloing during ROTC. Graduated from the Air Force Cadet
program as a fighter pilot. Retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with the Air
Force Reserve. Was a Captain with Eastern Airlines, left that career and
returned home to help out his family. At the time of his death he was the
Manager and Chief Pilot of a major US corporations aviation department.
The legacy of his life was that a man who was always on the go, and rarely
had the time to stop and smell the roses. Some how found the time to sacrifice
for, and change so many others lives for the better.
There are many, who will never know, or understand how their lives were
changed forever. Children who grew up able to stay with and know their family,
in turn having children of their own, and now grandchildren. Simply because
when asked to help he said yes.
