Dad was "just Dad"!
Dad was very proud that his boys served in the military and had a picture gallery of all the boys, except one. Paul was in the USAF ROTC program at San Jose State and gave Dad a picture in-uniform but Dad gave it back saying, "It doesn't count because you were never on active duty." Paul would never forgave Dad!
Denny graduated from Amherst Central and enlisted in the Air Force. Denny was stationed inHawaii a became a disk jockey for the Air Force broadcasting station. He copied tapes of songs that he sent to Dad who bought a tape recorder and edited Denny's tapes. Visitors to 924 Tamarack would enjoy delightful Hawaiian music. Denny would use the GI Bill to attend both San Jose State and Stanford University. He married Barbara Pfieffer and they raised 9 children in Los Altos Ca. John graduated from Amherst and enlisted in the Air Force where he was stationed at Newburgh, NY serving as an administrative assistant. John and Mary Lou Torturro were married and raised 3 children in Sunnyvale Ca.
During Paul's senior year of high school he and Dad are the only boys living at 499. Dad received a letter from Jim saying he will be flying a cargo plane to Buffalo and suggesting they meet him at the Buffalo Airport. On the day of Jim arrival Dad and Paul are waiting in a small hut at General Aviation when over the speaker they heard... "good afternoon Buffalo Tower, Air Force 429348 is at the outer marker inbound two three over!.... No mistaking Jim's voice and looking out at the low hanging cloud there was the "gooney bird", the nick name for the C47, broking out of the clouds, touching down on the runway and taxing to the parking area next to the hut. Paul decided right then that he would become a pilot, a dream that would happen when he turned 40.
In his 2nd year at San Jose State, washing dinner dishes at a sorority house on 8th street, was Paul's total income. He switched his major to avoid the afternoon labs so he'd have a better chance at getting an after school job. He was living in a lean-to behind a garage with a mud floor using the shower and toilet in the land lady's house. His X room mate was on the track team and a couple of nights a week made sure Paul joined them at the training table. On week ends, Paul was often invited to dinner at Jerry and Myra's or Dennis and Barbara"s. Jerry wrote Dad a letter urging that he help Paul out but it was to no avail.
Paul had an idea... he got in touch with several of his buddies at the Varsity house. He rented a big old house at 492 S. Tenth street... splitting the rent between the 7 guys and as the landlord, his rent was free. Shortly thereafter, he found a job at the 76 station at 4th and San Fernando working 6 to midnight and next a job driving a delivery truck for Rossi furniture 2 - 6pm, without a license for lack of Dad's signature. One day he backed the truck out of the alley behind the store and backed right over the hood of a Buick coming out of the parking lot across the street. He ran back in the store and confessed to Mr Rossi about the no license. Mr Rossi, a city counsel member, arrived at the scene of the accident just as the police arrived and took charge of the situation. He returned to the store and drove Paul to the DMV where he signed off on his license. In his 2nd year at SJS he met Nancy Grace Larson and were married the day after he graduated as they promised her mother and they raised 4 children.
