Enlarge photo

Bio
Gosh, where to start? At the beginning, I guess. Over the objections of Messrs. Kesterson, Ford, Balden, et al., graduated PHS, majoring in juvenile delinquency, underage alcohol possession, reckless driving and poor citizenship. (although, in fairness to me, Mr. Balden, [Senior Counselor, Citizenship teacher], has finally now admitted that his animosity toward me was based as much upon his jealously of my then full head of hair as my deportment). I flunked out of SMSU, and was "encouraged" by Judge Gleason to join the Army. Had the pleasure of matriculating through several of the Army's "character building" programs at Ft. Leonard Wood, Ft. Sll, Ft. Benning, Ft. Campbell, Ft. Bragg, etc. Had an epiphany at FtLW: "Shut the %#$& up and do what you are told, and the pain will stop; do it immediately, with enthusiasm and excellence, and you will be rewarded." My life suddenly improved, dramatically. Golly gee whiz, I wish I had learned that earlier. I got to see the best and worst of the world, on every continent except Antarctica; discharged in '63, as the Ops/Intel Sergeant of the 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Returned to Springfield, and went to work for Crank Drug Stores, first as Asst. Mgr. of the Sunshine and Campbell store, then as Manager of the store at National and Grand. To those of you who bought your Budweiser and Enovid at my store, and contributed to my sales bonuses, my gratitude. I sincerely hope that such purchases doubled your pleasure, and doubled your fun. While working 60+ hours a week at Crank's, I took another shot at SMSU, and, under the tutelage of Dr. Don Calame (Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may the perpetual light shine upon him), graduated with honors, which got me a scholarship and graduate assistantship at UofArk in Fayetteville, where I got my MBA, with highest honors, and started working, as a graduate assistant/instructor, on a PhD. Had some disagreement with the grading standards for scholarship athletes, so……….. Moved to Columbia, taught Economics and Business courses at Stephens College, while continuing a PhD program at MU. Got disgusted with the "form over substance" of the PhD bardak, threw my books in the trash one day, and went across the street and enrolled in the Law School; Juris Doctor, '74 (Alas, without honors – hey, not even close; found out the hard way that although you might BS your way through MBAs, MAs, MSWs, PhDs, EdDs, etc., you can't BS your way through law school, with its anonymous "student number" blue book exams - 200 of us started first year, 99 graduated). Practiced in Columbia for five years, continued to teach part-time at Stephens and the MU Law School (Contract Law) and Medical School (Medical Law), and ran (unsuccessfully) for Boone County Magistrate Judge. Then became a "corporate nomad," as general counsel for a series of healthcare companies, all of which eventually got merged, bought out, taken over, liquidated, etc., and did a lot of international business travel, negotiating hospital development/management/acquisition deals, which I enjoyed. Finally settled in Dallas in '88, practicing healthcare law, in which specialty I am now Board Certified, and continue to enjoy. Have had several wives, three of whom were mine. Have a daughter, 22, with the Joffrey Ballet in New York. Lotsa hobbies over the years (can you say "dilettante?"), including travel, skiing, flying, woodworking, picking at the guitar, and trying to learn how to play a clarinet I bought for $10 at a garage sale a couple of years ago (Got a book: "Teach Yourself the Clarinet in Twelve Easy Lessons – Six Dollars – Money Back Guarantee;" yeah, I got my money back). The neighbors are taking up a collection to buy it from me, but I'm holding out for higher bids, or to get some lessons from Eddie Rogers. Sold the antique airplane when daughter came along, but still flying rentals from time to time, although the doc is starting to look over the top of his glasses at me when I go in for my annual FAA pilot physical exam. Have ridden my Harley to Mexico and most of the lower 48, and have only fallen over once, the only injury being to my ego, in consequence of having to have a female postalperson in Bermuda shorts help me pick up the bike. Am active in our local American Legion Motorcycle Riders Post. Since '94, have made annual trips with my old paratrooper buddies to jump with foreign airborne and special forces units, mostly in Russia and Eastern Europe, and most recently Argentina, in January, where I fractured a vertebra and spent three days in hospital. Thank you Señorita Dorann Lewis, Spanish II, PHS, for enabling me to say, "Tengo mucho dolor, y yo quisiera mas morfina, por favor." (By the way, anybody know whatever happened to Dorann? She was a hottie!). Friends regularly remonstrate with me about jumping at my age, but, given a choice between checking out in a parachute harness at the top of one's game, or sitting in a Posey restraint and drooling in a nursing home, it's a no-brainer. Our website is airbornesociety.com, the "In the News" section of which contains an article I wrote for ARMY Magazine; was pleased to get a nice note from Pres. G. Bush the first, telling me that he enjoyed the article, "From one old jumper to another." Several arrests; no convictions. Several surgical procedures, one of which, as those of you who knew me back then may suspect, was to deal with the many times my nose has been broken, having been a rather slightly built, but smartass, kid. Gee, it was great being able to breathe through my nose again. The 34/34 Levis are gathering dust in the closet, and the 36s are even getting a bit snug. The last marathon I ran was in '99, and I don't think I have another one in me. Probably can no longer do 100 pushups, but the wisdom that has come with age, albeit slowly and grudgingly, has endowed me with enough sense not to even try. Am now more frequently a pallbearer than a groomsman. Am no longer asked for ID when requesting a senior citizen discount. Young ladies who used to wink at me now open doors for me and address me as "Sir." The +&&@?*#s at the driver's license office now refuse to accept "brown" as my hair color, and one even went so far as to suggest "hardly any." Fortunately, that was not one of the computer-generated choices. Bette Davis said it best: "Gettin' old ain't for sissies!" But it's been a helluva ride, and it ain't over yet!!!!! Gaudeamus Igitur, Juvenes Dum Sumus; Seeya at the 50th, JBL

Enlarge photo

Enlarge photo

Bio

"about me" to come