Career, Family And Living For The Lord
-
A Twenty-Five Year History

During the summer months of 1979, my career at the Navy Yard had gone very well. In the Fall, Pam, who had just returned home from Florida, totalled our 1976 Chevrolet Vega Station Wagon in an automobile accident. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Then, toward the end of the year, my immediate supervisor spoke to me about a special assignment for which I was being considered. The office was looking for someone with a strong mathematical background who could charge into a totally new type of system, called Over-The-Horizon (OTH). The work involved the Navy missile program and would entail extensive training at the Lockheed and ROLM facilities in Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, California, respectively. Because of the work which I had already done for our office and the visibility which I had already received, I was told that the job would be mine if I wanted it. So, I accepted the challenge and took on the new work.

Over much of 1980 and 1981, I traveled to California for special training. In February 1981, I was even able to take Linda, Melody, and Crystal along with me for a three-week trip to San Diego and San Francisco. We took a very memorable, seventy-two-hour trip across country on a Greyhound bus. But in the end, we arrived safely and basically undamaged. By the time of that trip, our family finances had already become much better than they had ever been, yet we still were not real well off. We had survived those early "starvation" years such that we could at least have some financial freedom, but we still had to be very careful with our money.

While we were in California, Pam told us that she could stay with a girl friend. Debbie and Michael Scott had already moved out of our house and were living in Dumfries, and our Michael was still in the Army and stationed in Germany. Therefore, it was only the four of us going on the trip, Linda, Melody, Crystal, and me, but we were still able to have a pretty good time! I arranged to take some afternoons off so that we could do some sightseeing as a family. We went to Disneyland in Los Angeles, to Tiajuana, Mexico on a shopping expedition, and to Sea World while in San Francisco. Linda and the girls also went to the San Diego zoo, and all of us went into downtown San Francisco on several occasions, plus drove several hours north of San Francisco one day in search of the famous redwoods. I was in California for training, but I probably did more playing and goofing off with Linda and the kids than actual training.

When we returned home, we had an unexpected surprise! Pam's girlfriend, with whom she had been staying for the past three weeks, turned out to be a guy who was thirteen years older than she. Pam was not yet eighteen, Ken was thirty, and they had been living together while we were away. Linda and I were both shocked, but Linda, more so than I, took matters into her own hands. I did not know exactly how she did it, but I do know that she basically told Ken that he had better either marry Pam and set up a legitimate household with her or leave her alone. After applying a little pressure for a period of time, Pam and Ken, in May 1981, were finally married. Their arrangement while we had been in California was not a good way to start a relationship, but they and their marriage both seem to have survived just fine.

Linda and I have tried to not be too judgmental about how others conduct their life. We made our mistakes and were basically married about a year and a half before we had planned. Then, as now, we could understand how our kids and even grandkids have had their difficulties. Life is not always black and white, and there are many difficult situations to be encountered in serious relationships. We may not have been pleased with Ken when we first returned from California, but sixteen years later, Linda and I are both very thankful for him and the union which Pam and he have shared.

At Pam and Ken's wedding, our whole family was in attendance and looking very much like the "Beverly Hillbillies." Mike was out of the Army and acting like a fairly normal twenty-two year old. Melody, Crystal, Debbie, and Michael Scott were all there in their usual splendor, and Linda and I were there heading up the bunch. Melody had already begun to show signs of being our family "preacher." Crystal, who had been a screaming brat for the first few years of her life, was just starting to come out of her shell and behave somewhat normally. And Debbie, though still not married, was four months pregnant and about to present us with our second grandchild!

During the wedding, at the precise moment that the vows were being exchanged, Mike's wrist watch alarm went off and started playing "The Yellow Rose of Texas." That brought a little levity to the service, as the soft laughter of those sitting around us could easily be heard. Then, immediately after the wedding, Mike and Michael Scott went outside and began ringing the oversized bell which was at the front entrance of the church. It was a perfect picture of uncle and nephew interacting together, and as I look back on that day and those times, I think how entertaining our family must have been to the casual observer. I know that I was often amused by the antics of all of the different characters which made up our crew.

When the wedding was over, Linda and I immediately shifted gears and began to focus our attention on Debbie and Michael Scott. Even though they were not living at our home, Linda and I were still very much concerned about their welfare and especially about Debbie's medical needs. I never really got to know Maurice, who simply went by the name "Mo," but Debbie and he seemed to be drawn to each other. He worked for the same carnival that Debbie had run away with a few years before. I did not know if they had met back then or not, but I did learn that he was the father of their baby. Nevertheless, as I have already stated, Linda and I have always tried to refrain from being judgmental. Debbie had repeated her earlier behavior and was about to have her second child out of wedlock. But instead of looking at any of the possible negatives, we tried to focus on the birth of the child and especially on the birth of our second grandchild.

Two and a half years earlier, when Michael Scott had been born, it had been in the middle of a terrible snow storm - the awful Storm of February 1979. We had driven to the Fort Belvoir hospital during the early evening and were sent back home because Debbie was not yet ready. Later that night, about midnight, we again drove the twenty-to-twenty-five miles to the hospital in that terrible storm and ended up waiting most of the night for Michael Scott's eventual arrival. During our second trip to the hospital, I had to stop twice to repair the chains on the car so that we could even get to the hospital. In October 1981, when Shannon was born, the events were not nearly so dramatic, but we were still just as happy to welcome her into the world! In Michael Scott, Linda and I had already been blessed with a wonderful grandson. With the birth of Shannon, we now had a precious granddaughter, and we were very pleased with this newest addition to our family!

My life has been characterized to a large extent by relationships - first by my relationship with Christ, next by my relationship with my family, then by my relationship with my career, and finally by my relationship with academia. At various times, I have experienced difficulties with all four, but over time, each has worked out and found its proper place and proportion. By the early eighties, even though we still had an highly unusual family, we were starting to do pretty well. It had been very tough during the seventies because the stepparent - stepchild relationship had not been easy, plus our financial situation had been beyond disasterous! But we had all made it through, and by the start of the eighties, our kids were starting to have kids of their own. Linda and I have always enjoyed our children and grandchildren, and we have always been immensely proud of each one.

During the time when Pam and Ken were married, Linda and I were busy, too. We were becoming active in our local church and starting to get more involved with the things of the Lord. Linda and I had resigned from our bus route, after six years of being bus captains, but we had also both started to teach Sunday School, she to young children and I to the Adult class. We were both singing in the choir. We were both going on church visitation. She was leading a children's group on Wednesday night, and I was leading a men's prayer meeting at the church on Saturday night. I had been appointed church trustee and also church treasurer. So, we were, in general, becoming leaders among the people of that church.

At work, I was still in training for the Navy's missile program and still taking frequent trips to California. When in Washington, though, I would usually use my lunch hours to write a commentary on the Book of James. I did not have the benefit of nifty word processors or even computers in those days, so I just wrote it out in long hand. I was also using my time in D.C. to develop a closer, more personal relationship with my friend, John. He was the same person who had tested my work on PAG, and we had even started to share an office together. He often came to our house for dinner, plus he and I also often went out for Chinese food for lunch, that is when I was not working on my commentary. He and I even went to a few professional basketball games together. My opinion today is that he has been one of the truly good persons that my family and I have had the privilege of knowing.

But despite all the good which was happening in my life, I was beginning to grow restless at work. By January 1982, I had started to think that maybe it was time for me to move on. I was happy enough with what I was doing, but I had become very weary with other aspects of my job. For one thing, I was thinking that my Christian effectiveness had run its course. I felt like everyone in the office knew my position and that I did not need to stay so that they could know more. Another very big part of my dismay had resulted from a trip which I had taken to California with a co-worker during the previous December. While on that trip, Cheryl had told me about all the people in our office who were having affairs. I did not know if she was accurate or not, but I still became very depressed by that conversation, so much so that I remember it very well over fifteen years later.

Cheryl also told me something else that bothered me a lot, and that something might have been the real topper! Our office was about to promote three people to GS-13, out of a group of about twenty-five GS-12s. I had been a GS-12 for five years, and with so many outstanding achievements and two special performance letters in my records, I naturally felt that I should be one of the top candidates. However, she told me that I probably would not be because I had spent too much time in the terminal room writing computer programs and not enough time in the front office kissing butt! She was basically telling me that my office had been using me, that they had given me the California assignment as a "bone" and that they had no plans whatsoever of promoting me. Whether I should have or not, I listened to what she said, and I thought that she might be correct. In January, I became convinced of it!

I was in my boss's office talking about another matter. Irv was a GS-14 and while I did not recognize him as a person of quality, I did try to maintain a somewhat friendly relationship with him. In January, I was in his office talking about a private venture which he had wanted to do with me. He had come up with this idea of developing a special computer system which "we" could then market to dentists. His plan was that he would be the business manager, his "office" girl friend, Debbie, would be the nice female smile that would appeal to our potential customers, and I would develop the computer program. I was never too swift, but even I could see through his ploy and had decided early to not fall for it. From time to time, though, I would listen to him talk about it because I knew that it was his dream, and I also knew that it did not hurt me to just listen. Besides, he was my boss! What else could I do?

In January, however, he told me something while I was in his office which absolutely infuriated me. He obviously knew about the upcoming promotions at my level, and he told me that if he had to choose a candidate based on performance that I would easily be the top choice by him and by most of the other upper-level managers. If, however, he had to choose based on the standard Government application which each of us would have to submit, the SF-171, then he would choose Cheryl over me because she wrote a better SF-171. To me, his comments represented a gross inconsistency! He, in essence, had told me that I was "a" and maybe even "the" top performer in our office, but since I could not write a good SF-171 that others would be promoted ahead of me. As I reflected on his comment, I realized that he was telling me the truth. I also realized that he was probably telling me that I needed to work on my SF-171. But from my perspective, I had already demonstrated my proficiency over and over in that office. So, I was not about to stoop to having to write a good SF-171 just to get the promotion which I had already earned. Therefore, I decided to leave!

As it turned out, I did not have any trouble finding another job. I sent out two resumes, had an interview with each company, and was offered a job by both. I accepted the first offer, which was with Systems Development Corporation (SDC) in McLean, and I was put in charge of developing the computer graphic component of the GIPSY (Geographic Information Processing System) program at the Pentagon. I never applied for the GS-13 positions in my Government office, but I can say that the three who got those promotions had spent a lot of time in their respective manager's offices. Whether they had been "kissing butts" or not is not for me to say, but I think that both Irv and Cheryl had been right. However, none of that mattered to me after my decision to leave because I was out of there! One good thing which came from those years at the Navy Yard, though, is that John and I have remained friends for all of these years, and for me, that has been a far greater blessing!

Also, there is a nice addendum to this story about my job change which brought me even more pleasure. Not only did I get the job with SDC, but I even got a very nice fifteen percent pay increase, from my $31,500 as a GS-12 to $36,200. When they made their offer, I immediately asked for and got another one thousand dollars on top of that. So, in all, my increase was eighteen percent, to $37,200, and about three thousand dollars more than I would have gotten even if I had been able to secure one of those GS-13 positions.