110 Who Do You Think You Are?
them into an audio format, to serve those people. And we also have eBooks
and large PRINT books so that we can serve all of those different
audiences.
What event or series of events led to your discovery?
There are a series of things, but I think the most moving event for me
was back in 1962. I was taking finals in law school in San Francisco and
a friend of mine said, “I know where we can go skydiving.” Well, I had
always wanted to do that and there was a place about an hour and a half
away in Calistoga. So, I finished my exams, went up there on a Saturday
and made the jump. I was so excited I stayed overnight and on Sunday I
made three more. I was right back there the next weekend. I think my
eighth jump I landed in the tree. My ninth jump was a water jump into
Clear Lake, and I did pretty well in the water jump competition.
From there I decided that I would rather be a parachute designer
than a lawyer. Maybe because they have more friends. (: That completely
changed my life, because I was able to turn my passion center into my
profit center. I spent many years collecting information and published a
huge manual on parachutes, a very technical book that’s purchased by
the manufacturers, technicians, and designers.
I rose in the politics of the parachute industry and the sport of
skydiving, and I’ve just had a wonderful life ever since. If I hadn’t gone
out there, if I didn’t have that experience of skydiving, I just don’t know
where I would be today. I just can’t imagine that I’d be as happy as I am.
This is why I tell young people today to get out of the house, try
something different every weekend. Don’t do the same things, don’t go
out with the same people. Hopefully something like skydiving will grab
you and you can turn your passion center into your profit center, turn
your avocation into your vocation. Do something that you really enjoy,
rather than punching a time clock, doing your job and trying to pay the
bills. It seems most people are unhappy with what they’re doing. They
are unhappy with their job, their lot in life, and they just need more
experiences when they’re young to help them discover the direction they
want to go.