Wondering about old friends (a connection just now complete)

Let me start this story from way back when I was in high-school. There were two teachers that I respected and liked. The one was a hardened stern faced strict middle aged math teacher who later became principle. Mr. H (as I will call him) would have been well suited for that job. I got to see him again at a class reunion a couple of years ago.

I graduated back in 1961. Do you know that is one of the very few years that you can turn upside down and it will read the same? Let’s see, 1001, 1111, 1691, and 1961 are the only ones in the last 1000 years or so and the next one will not be until 6119. I am really going to be old when that arrives!!!

Got a little off the subject, sorry. OK, the other teacher that I liked (I will call him Mr. V) was fresh out of college. He taught science and math. He took a genuine interest in his and all the students. He even created a club to help students become amateur radio operator and get their licenses. He really cared about his students and went above and beyond “the call of duty” to make sure that they turned out well educated and good citizens.

I am proud to say that I am a friend of this great man and we communicate with each other, mostly by email these days. Well, to get to the point of this story, he read my blog that I posted on December 11th titled “Wandering back to East Brady”

He saw the picture of me and Les, my old HAM buddy and friend. Way back in the days when CB radio was just getting its start, to find someone on the air was rare. OK, maybe you guys are not old enough to remember that far back. Anyway, my uncle and Les started communicating on the CB and became good friends. Les talked my uncle into getting his ham license, and he did.

It was through my uncle that I met Les and his wife and son. They lived close to where my other uncle had a camp and near the area that I like to go hunting. I used to stop and visit with them a lot and he and I also kept in touch with ham radio. In fact, when I moved to Texas, we had a weekly schedule and kept up with each other over the radio bands (usually 15 meters). Like I said in that other blog posting, I will do a blog on Les, but first I have to locate a picture of him and his antique tractors. Les is no longer with us; he is now a “silent key”.

OK, back to the subject. Mr. V saw that picture on my blog. Mr. V and Les were also good friends and he did not know that Les and I were, also. He sent me an email and let me know that we had the same good old friend and neither of us knew that the other was also a friend.

Now the circle is complete. It is just too bad we didn’t know at the time and could have all sat down and had a cup of coffee together. What a surprise.