Old Stuff #7: My Dad

He turned 68 last Friday. Not actually that old for an American these days, but as Indiana Jones quipped: “It’s not the years, Honey, it’s the milage.”

Born in England in 1942, he immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1950. They took a cargo ship across the Atlantic, traveling through the Panama Canal, to finally arrive in San Francisco after 5 weeks at sea. He met and married my Mom while serving in the U.S. Air Force and shortly after began a family in Texas. Ultimately they ended up back in California where my brother and I grew up, mostly in and around Orange County and Riverside. Like many Dads, he worked hard and wore many hats over the years to keep his family going.

These days he likes watching football, reading about U.S. and British history, telling jokes, political cartoons, and surfing (the Internet). But over his life he’s shared many other interests and passions with us including aviation, fishing, camping, photography, music, guns, and of course, cars. We’re supposed to hate our parents taste in music, but not me. He introduced me to the likes of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jerry Reed, and Ahmad Jamal.

He was and remains a good Father. Happy Birthday, Dad.