Scott :
In these unsettling times, I will reminiace here about the good old times when things were right about America.
The year was 1957. After working with German scientists at Rocketdyne and 4 years at Northrop on the F-89
I was employed by the propulsion chief, Dr N.J.Beck, at Douglas Long Beach A.F division, as the Flight Test coordinator. .The advantage, other than being the best job I ever had, was a chance to fly on the company airplane
each week to Santa Monica and EAFB to keep things moving and resulted in per diem pay which permitted me and my young wife to buy a new home in a tract.
The cost was $11,400 and under GI bill, a down payment of only $400, with monthly payment of $89.
To have a 20 x 22 garage built cost $400.
Our youngest son was 3 and just learning to drink diluted coke from a bottle while flying a kite with the other hand. I had bought a new 1954 Ford for $2850 with all the trimmings, and besides had a 1937 Ford bought from a
Rocketdyne employee for $35 because it had a stripped second gear. Roy, my wife's brother lived nearby
and built a 16 ft boat so naturally I followed along and built a 12 ft Flying Fisherman from plans in a "How to build 20 boats" book. Then we all went water skiing in the Marine Stadium which had been constructed for an Olympics event.
Also took the boat it to Catalina Island across 25 miles of ocean but only one time as I damn near sank when the engine failed.
THERE WAS NO WORRY ABOUT THE STOCK MARKET, nor retirement as we knew about SS, and I had $10k of GI which accumulated value and would some day mature.
We did have to be conservative, and sometimes still today, as engineers do not get paid all that much
So we seldom ate out , went to hotels, or visited fancy restaurants. Barbequed in a Hibachi.Visited aircraft surplus yards to get aluminum or drills.
I am not sure what makes life so ^*%$# complicated today, nor why so many young people believe they can become millionaires through stock investments. Maybe I do know, tho, and its all the talk, talk, talk, on financial channels that repeat stories of the few who did that- but not recently.
Sig |
