After graduating from Butler, I went to UAH for two years and then went on active duty in the Navy for two years starting in OCT '69. I was fortunate and got orders to a Destroyer out of Mayport, FL that had just gotten back from the gun line in VietNam. Since ships spent a year on the line and then 2 years homeport, I didn't have to go. However, I was "fortunate" enough to catch the Mid-East Mess of '70 when the Israelis and Egyptians were fighting. Got out in 71, came back home and finished by Bachelor's at UAH in May, 1973. Started Alabama Law School in late August '73 and graduated in May '76. Except for about 2 1/2 years, I remained in the Naval Reserve and also married in DEC 75. Began private law practice in Huntsville in Oct. 76 (after admission to bar) and remained in private practice until around May '87 when I went to work with UAW Legal Services Plan in Decatur. I became one of the reasons new cars cost so much as we provided free legal services to UAW Members as part of their contract benefits.
I was a Municipal Judge for about 6 mos in Gurley prior to UAWLSP but had to quit because the UAW Union was afraid I might send some of their members to jail-----and I would have too had I gotten the chance! Unfortunately, I never got the chance as a condition of employment was I had to give up the judgeship. however, my first time sitting, I did send a 68 year old grandmother to jail for two days for her 2nd DUI (and the fact that she had been chased by Scottsboro police to Gurley and when the Gurley officer got her stopped, she tried to whip his butt----true story.
I remained in the Reserve until Oct '98 when I retired as a Lieutenant Commander (O-4). Had 27 1/2 years of service and did it the hard way. Spent 13 years of it enlisted and made paygrade E-6 as a Court Reporter. Was commissioned as a LT (junior grade) (O-2) in JAG in '82. Stayed Navy JAG until '85 when I started the transition process to Naval Intelligence Officer. Completed that in late '87 and was re-commissioned as a LT (O-3) ,Restricted Line Officer. Later made LCDR and that was my rank when I retired in OCT '98. My son Michael (now 26) was a first year Navy Midshipman on a 4 year Navy scholarship at Auburn and was one of my "side boys" at my retirement ceremony at NAS Atlanta (Marietta, GA). I had the real "honor" of giving him his oath of office as a Naval Officer in May 02 at his graduation from Auburn and then also saw him get his MS from the Navy Post Graduate School in Monterrey, CA in JUN 03. He was one of only 33 newly commissioned Ensigns Navy-wide to be selected in June 02 to start the Post Grad. School in JUL 02. He finished his service on APR 1, 07, is married, has a 3 yr. old son and a daughter born NOV 7, 06 whom my wife and I have never seen as he was always stationed in CA. His duty station was on board one Frigate (warship) and on an Amphibious Commander's Staff--all out of San Diego. He and his family now live in Conley, TX just north of Ft. Worth where they bought a new home in January of this year.
While I worked at UAWLSP, I was averaging 12-15 hours each day of logged case time, was also driving to Atlanta drilling one weekend each month, and spending 2-3 weeks on active duty each year as an Intel Officer with the Navy at different locations in Europe.
Quit UAWLSP in JAN 02 after 2nd round of eye surgeries and received my real estate sales license in MAR 02. Immediately started in real estate in Huntsville with The Executive Group Realtors in MAR 02 which had been started by a retired Huntsville Police Officer who used to arrest my clients. He and I had really come acquainted in a double homicide capital murder case in the middle 80's. He was the Investigating Officer and another attorney and I represented the man who did the killing. I became one of the owners of the real estate company the following SEP. I am presently awaiting the arrival of my Broker's license from the Real Estate Commission and I still keep my law license active and do some legal work also----depending on what it is and who wants it done. I teach a master's level MBA class for Columbia College on Redstone Arsenal, work in real estate, have a Southern Gospel Quartet called "Crystal City Quartet" , and had to take care of my elderly father until AUG 06 when he died from Parkinson's Disease.
In 02 I was one of the four founders of a company that obtained a patent on an electronic golf club that gives immediate bio-feedback on the relationship between the golf ball and the face of the No 1 driver club head. Company received a patent on it last year. I have spent the afternoon in negotiations for the sale of the company. I am general counsel for the company. As if that were not enough, a good friend and I are in the process of starting a video recording studio, music recording studio, and music management company here in Huntsville. He spent 27 years in Nashville in the music DVD and music recording business. Hopefully, (and in the not too distant future) he and I may be managing the Gospel Music division of a recording studio in Nashville that is owned by a cousin to Johnny Cash. There's nothing definite but a possibility. Also, I serve on the Board of Trustees for a new 12000 square foot clinic currently being completed between Huntsville and Ardmore on Highway 53. We hope to open it in July. The clinic is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit clinic. There's no income --- just a lot of work. A good doctor friend of mine is the CEO and he asked me to serve. Even though I did not really have the time, I couldn't turn him down as the clinic is near where I live in Harvest and will be a good thing for the community.
Whenever I am able to get away, I love to saltwater fish and scuba dive (during the warm water times). I have my own 24 foot cruiser with a cuddy cabin and Inboard/Outboard Mercruiser engine. I have it rigged for the gulf fishing and I keep a 35' travel trailer in PCB, FL in storage. Unfortunately, I do not get to use either one anywhere as much as I woud like. When we are able to retire, my wife and I plan to move to Port Arthur, TX. Will be close enough to my grandkids where we can visit-----but not too close. We had originally talked about moving to PCB, FL area but the real estate prices on the Florida Gulf Coast have gone above rediculous to absurd. There is also the slight problem of being able to get homeowner's insurance in FL--and if you can, it is priced almost out of practicality. At Port Arthur, we will be on a huge bay but back off the beach and some of the best Tuna and Marlin fishing on the Gulf Coast is in that area and eastwards towards the mouth of the Mississippi River--not to mention the excellent bottom fishing around the oil rigs. After I can finally bring myself to retire, the biggest decision I want to make in the morning when I wake up is: Am I going fishing today? Am I going diving today? Am I going to turn over and go back to sleep.
One thing I can say for my Navy career is that over the years I have seen places, done things, and had experiences that I would never have even dreamed of had it not been for the Navy. I have even worked on drug interdiction for drugs coming out of Central and South America. But that's for another day.
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