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Today's Featured Biography

 
Ralph Hollingshead

Graduated Bayor in 1963 with BS in Math with Minor in Physics. Except for 12 years, my career has been in digital computers relating to oil industry in one form or another. I learned to program in FORTRAN on one of first IBM computers in city of Houston. (I’m now considered a fossil by young computer geeks – they barely know what FORTRAN is).

As young man, I had a fellow tell me that a person wound up working in a field that he liked and enjoyed regardless of the money. I didn’t believe him at the time (I thought I would go into business and make a million dollars), but it sure turned out that way for me. In 5 of the above 12 years of my career, I started and owned my own data base management software company. After fairly disappointing time, we sold the company (not for million dollars). The other 7 yrs I was the President of a small (200 people) manufacturing corporation. Although I enjoyed the challenge, I really didn’t like it that much (or the board of directors I reported to). The last 13 years of my career, I did what I enjoyed the most – controlling drilling rig operations through the digital control of electric motors. Found out I liked to make large machines work properly (drilling rigs and large diesel generators).

A few snippets and comments:

Best investment I ever made: Four kids. Two girls and two boys: Vanessa, John, Beth, Bill. (Wouldn’t sell them for all tea in China – but then sometimes maybe 10 cents). Dividend is five great grandchildren.

Saddest time I have had (and hardest to get over): Death of my first wife of 33 years by stroke in 1995)

One of happiest times of my life: Meeting and marrying my second wife in year 2000. Met her and married her in a small Methodist church in Houston. She worked for 30 years as a programmer at M.D. Anderson. She also lost her first husband. They had one child – Van (He fits in great). We retired on same day and took 30 day trip to New Zealand. (She is truly my inspiration).

Some of the most enjoyable times of my life: Coaching a class 5A summer baseball team. Competing in tournament duplicate bridge: My bridge partner and I together with a couple from Oklahoma won the class C Grand Nationals Swiss Team event held in Houston in the 80’s. Traveling with my wife and friends.

Some of the crazier things I have done: making over 200 sport parachute jumps, getting my pilots license. I only have couple hundred hours flying time, but 40 of those were for instrument training. In addition, I instructed other flying students under the name of a licensed instructor where I would fly them, and he would sign their logbook. (As I look back on it, that guy was crazy, and I’m glad he’s not around any more – he makes me tired.)

Countries or states I would like to visit again: Croatia, New Zealand, and Alaska.

Countries that I never want to see again: Mainland China in the interior. I saw the most abject poverty and stupidity that I have ever seen or imagined in that country. (It affected me so much I wrote a paper on the things I saw so I wouldn’t forget it. I haven’t forgotten it.) I was 7 hours by car north of Chengdu. Look it up and stay away from there. By the way, Chengdu is a city of over 10 million – ever heard of it? It is close to the area that had the large earthquake last year.

Most surprising thing I have discovered in my life: The power and effect of prayer on my life and other’s lives. (Don’t know how this stayed hidden from me for so many years, but when the light dawned, it really dawned)

Dumbest thing I ever did: Started smoking cigarettes. Wound up smoking 3 packs a day. Quit in 1996 and haven’t had one since. (I’m like AA. I can’t afford to smoke one at any time. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that nicotine is NOT addictive.)

Luckiest thing that ever happened to me: In 2005, a routine stress test found one artery 90% blocked. (See - dumbest thing I ever did). For now, stint has fixed it.

Proof that God has a sense of humor: When I was in high school trying to play football, I was one of skinniest kids in school. I could have used an extra 50 pounds. Now in my retirement when I don’t need it and can’t use it, I am 50 pounds over weight, and have to fight like the devil to keep it to that much over weight. (I can just see God looking down, laughing and slapping his knee at my simple plight.) (Oh and by the way, I do know how to lose the weight. I’ve done it before (down 50 pounds). It’s called the DAB diet – you just stop eating. I coined the name DAB by observing that no one came out of a concentration camp in world war two overweight. If you remove the food, you remove the weight. Simple. Why can’t I do it? DAB is the initials of three concentration camps under Nazi control. You know the names.)

Things I like to do in my retirement: Church, family, friends, travel, casual bridge, bass fishing, fly fishing, raise and propagate antique roses, raise fruit trees like plum, may haw, pomegranate, Japanese persimmon, scuppernong, blue berries, and dewberries. (We have 5 acres here in Nacogdoches and it is quite pretty when azaleas and dogwoods start blooming. I’ll try to include pictures later this spring.) (Write crazy bio’s for class web sites.)

Thing I am most concerned about: Chance that this country will sink into another depression. We are not ready and are not prepared for it; certainly not our kids and our grandkids. At least we have all heard stories that our parents and grandparents told us about the “other” depression. I hope we do not have to experience this. I especially do not want my kids and grandkids to have to experience this.

Fun kind of objective: Buy an RV (travel trailer) and drive to Alaska. Have a friend that once lived in Anchorage and he drove it 7 times.




Some of the more interesting people I have met: 1) Two drilling maintenance managers from the Southern Iraqi Oil Company. Our company sold them two drilling systems, and they came to this country for our training. (I sure wasn’t going to go to theirs! Saddam Hussein was still the leader.) Their tale of getting out of Iraq was scary: From Basra to Bagdad, through Fallujah to Amman Jordan, travel by day only in rented GM SUV with it “on the floor” all the way. They told a much different story about US presence in Iraq than we heard on the media. They welcomed our presence. 2) Company representative in Bagdad: he was shot 5 times while driving through a US checkpoint because it was raining and he did not see it or hear the command to stop. First thing he knew the dash board of his car blew up. Of the 5 shots, 4 grazed him or hit his shirt, and one hit him in the hand. Interesting what he was doing at time he was shot – he was delivering ransom money to thieves who stole 3 of the diesel generators they bought from us. The money ($300,000) was in a truck behind him. He holds no animosity for shooting and glad to be alive. 3) College professor I met here in Nacogdoches. He retired from three professions: CIA, FBI, and Air Force. Those names bring to mind a James Bond type character, but nothing could be further from the truth. Ron was the last person you would want to have a gun in his hand. But what a mind? First time I noticed him was in Sunday School where he would sing every verse of any song and never pick up a hymnal. I accused him of having photographic memory, but he denied it. Sadly, Ron passed away from Colon Caner (needless in my opinion – he was also hard headed) before I got a chance to audit his courses at SFA on counter terrorism. Enjoyed taking he and his daughter (she was CIA Overt Station chief in Amman Jordan at the time.) fishing on Lake Nacogdoches.

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