Happy 79th Birthday to Jack
January 3, 2012 by Lillie
Jack Established 1933
Today is my husband Jack’s 79th birthday. This picture was taken at his 76th birthday party, and he still looks the same. He has a few health problems and has slowed down some, but he’s still just as fun-loving as ever with a fantastic sense of humor.
Sometimes he remembers things from the distant past more readily than current events. We spend a lot of time just sitting on the front porch talking. He enjoys telling stories of favorite things that have happened in his life.
He was the highest paid engineer in his graduating class from Texas A&M—by $1.67 a month. In 1960, he made a whopping $551.67 per month! He had interviewed with three companies and been offered a job by all of them. He chose Frigidaire Division of General Motors in Dayton, Ohio.
On one occasion, his crew was supposed to make the sides and backs of a particular model of refrigerator. After the whole job was finished, the quality control engineer, who had approved the line setup, discovered that they made the wrong model. Jack’s boss told him to discard the wrong ones since all the refrigerators for that model year had been made. However, Jack couldn’t stand to throw something away when it might be used. (He’s still that way, making him something of a hoarder.) He had his forklift operator move a bunch of material in the storage area out, put the sides and backs at the very back of the storage area, then put the other material in front of them. A couple of weeks later, an order came through to make sides and backs for the Canadian manufacturing plant—the same model that had been made in error! Jack had the forklift operator move the parts from the storage area to the train siding, then called his boss and said, “We’ve finished that order. What do you want us to do for the rest of the shift?” That fast turnaround gave his department the highest efficiency rating in all of General Motors—all because he couldn’t stand to let something go to waste!
Jack also earned another distinction at General Motors—he was responsible for the firing of the only union employee to be fired in a long period of time. The employee accosted Jack one day complaining about something, and in their encounter, the employee grabbed Jack’s tie and pulled Jack toward him. Although management was hesitant to take on the union to fire one of its members, everyone agreed that was an assault that couldn’t be tolerated. Jack went through the lengthy process, until finally one day, three burly armed security guards showed up at the assembly line and escorted the employee outside the plant with orders never to return.
Although he really liked his job and his bosses really liked him, Jack finally decided that “you can take the boy out of Texas, but you can’t the Texas out of the boy.” He took a job at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio and moved back to Texas.
A couple of years after Jack went to work at Kelly, I got a summer job in his office. Jack often says—and I agree completely—that divine intervention led him to move from Ohio to Texas!
Another fond memory Jack loves to talk about is his proposal, if you can call it that. We were sitting on the couch in his living room (in the house we still live in today), and I was telling him of my future plans for my last year of college and after graduation. He looked at me and said, “When are you going to marry me?” I responded, “When are you going to ask me?” He said, “I’m asking,” and, obviously, I answered, “Yes!”
At first, my father didn’t approve. Jack was nearly fourteen years older than I was, and he had been divorced. Worst of all, he was a city slicker, and my father was convinced he was going to take advantage of this little country hick. However, it didn’t take long for Daddy to come to love Jack like a son. Mama had loved him from the first time she met him.
I returned to Georgetown, Texas for my final year at Southwestern University. Because of advanced placement in several courses and taking 20 hours per semester, I lacked only one course to graduate after three years. We were married on May 31, 1967, a few days after I finished school. That summer I attended a local community college and took the first and second semesters of American history simultaneously, but I had to wait until the following spring to graduate as Southwestern had only one graduation each year.
We’ve been married for more than 44 years and are more in love than ever.
Happy birthday, Jack!
Tempest Milky Way: The Power and Majesty of God
October 12, 2011 by Lillie
This video shows the power and majesty of God’s handiwork. I even see a cross and the face of Jesus, but even if you don’t see that, I think you will be struck by the absolute power and majesty of God’s creation.
Change for a Dollar
October 7, 2011 by Lillie
I pray to serve others in a fraction of the way of the homeless man in the video below.
O LORD, our heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be ministered unto, but to minister; We beseech thee to bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of their fellow men. Endue them with wisdom, patience, and courage to strengthen the weak and raise up those who fall; that, being inspired by thy love, they may worthily minister in thy Name to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy; for the sake of him who laid down his life for us, the same thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Tribute to Farmers on Father’s Day
June 19, 2011 by Lillie
My father was a farmer, and this video captures so much about him. I especially remember him being able to repair anything with baling wire and duct tape!
Happy Mother’s Day
May 8, 2011 by Lillie
Happy Mother’s Day!
If you’re a mother, I wish you a blessed day being honored and pampered by your children.
If you have a mother to honor and pamper today, I wish you love and joy shared with her.
If your mother is no longer here, I wish you loving memories of the time you had together.
I’ve shared memories of my own mother in previous posts, including these favorites:
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ~ Exodus 20:12 (ESV)
ALMIGHTY God, we give you thanks for mothers who love and care for us and entrust our mothers who are so dear to us to thy never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come; knowing that thou art doing for them better things than we can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book Helpdesk
January 14, 2011 by Lillie
A little book/IT humor for National Book Month.
Congratulations to My Client James Doughty
October 12, 2010 by Lillie
Congratulations to James Doughty, author of Some Monument to Last: Memoir of TV Journalist James Munoz with Family Poems and Letters. I was privileged to work with James to publish his book.
James, a reporter with KENS-5 TV in San Antonio, uses the name Muñoz (his mother’s maiden name) on the air to honor his maternal family and Hispanic heritage and the name Doughty (his surname) in private life to honor his father and his paternal family’s legacy.
Recently he received the 2010 TRIO National Achiever Award. In high school, James participated in Upward Bound, one of TRIO’s programs to help disadvantaged students prepare for and succeed in college. He says that he would never have attended Texas Tech without Upward Bound and would never have graduated without the support and encouragement of TRIO.
Since then, he has actively supported TRIO in every city where he has worked. He serves as a motivational speaker for low-income, first-generation college students and has spoken to students about the process or writing and publishing his book.
You can read more at DEBORAH KNAPP: What do Oprah Winfrey and KENS 5′s James Munoz have in common?
National Missing Children’s Day
May 25, 2010 by Lillie
May 25th is National Missing Children’s Day, a day to raise awareness of missing children and to remind parents to teach child safety.
O LORD Jesus Christ, who dost embrace children with the arms of thy mercy, protect children from those who would harm them, that the children may rejoice in the life that now is, and dwell with thee in the life that is to come; through thy merits, O merciful Saviour, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest one God, world without end. Amen.
May Is Stroke Awareness Month
May 12, 2010 by Lillie
May is Stroke Awareness Month. Entertainer Della Reese is a stroke survivor and encourages others who experience stroke.
Learn more about stroke from the National Stroke Association. You will find information about risk factors, prevention, and recovery on the organization’s Web site as well as in National Stroke Awareness Month: Stroke Risk Factors and Symptoms
This is a very important subject for me, as, like Della Reese, I am a stroke survivor.
You can read my story in the following posts:
- National Stroke Awareness Month: My Stroke – the Beginning
- National Stroke Awareness Month: My Stroke – The Next Three Days
- National Stroke Awareness Month: My Stroke – the Aftermath
Knowing the signs of stroke and acting FAST can save a life or prevent serious problems. Last September, my husband showed signs of stroke, which I recognized immediately. I called EMS, even though he kept insisting he would be fine. When the paramedics arrived, I told them I thought he was having a stroke, and they agreed and rushed him to the emergency room.
I called my priest and we prayed all the way to the hospital. Thanks be to God, Jack was diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a mini-stroke, rather than a full-fledged stroke. However, about 40% of the people who have TIAs have strokes, often within a few days of the TIA. I am convinced that a combination of prayer and FAST action to get medical treatment for Jack prevented a serious stroke.
Socialnomics (Refresh)
May 7, 2010 by Lillie
I posted a video about social media last September. The maker of the video and author of the Book Socialnomics, Erik Qualman, recently updated the video: Social Media Revolution 2 (Refresh).
