Corvair College #14 Part 3
Social Side
One of Ken's most clever ideas was making available a full meal plan. Just about everybody took him up on it, and consequently, stayed on scene instead of taking a break to
run out to a restaurant. Pramod's facility is about 15,000 square feet on two levels. All the catered food was delivered upstairs, where we had a clean, civilized place to eat
and enjoy ourselves with presentations and conversations. Ken's attention to detail extended all the way down to matching tablecloths.
Several builders had their better half on hand for at least part of the event. Janet and Roger Barnes, above, had good time throughout.
Above, Steven Mason, 601 XL builder from New York, in the upstairs dining area. This area gave us a quiet place to comfortably sit and talk between work sessions. In many
previous Colleges, the unbroken shop time kept me from getting to spend a chunk of time with every person on hand. At CC #14, the logistics of the event made it possible for me
to spend some quiet time with just about everybody.
At center above, George Berven, E-Racer builder from Mass., who was on hand for the whole event. Although a Corvair is not an engine candidate for an E-Racer, George came to learn
about the Corvair for his general knowledge and next potential project. He was at the center of a lot of work in the shop, and his time was well spent there.
Dave Simon, above left, with my father. Dave, like many people at the College, spent a lot of time speaking
with my father. The common connection is that both served in U.S. Navy Construction Battalions. The initials of these form the basis of their name, "Seabees." John Wayne starred in a typical
Hollywood movie about them in 1944, but the real Seabee story is far more interesting. They were at every amphibious assault, from Guadalcanal to Normandy in World War II, and played
vital roles in Korea and Vietnam. Seabees are active today on infrastructure projects in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Dave's Battalion, MCB-12, was based out of Davisville, R.I.
In the mid-1960s, my father was the Executive Officer at Davisville, which was then the home base of many Seabee battalions deployed around the world. Seabees are known throughout
the military as a fun-loving group who make up for a slight lack of military discipline with impressive efficiency. But when called upon, Seabees are prepared to fight. One of
the most famous Seabees was Marvin
G. Shields, whose name appears on the second panel of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Shields was a Seabee from Davisville who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Peter Kerwin of New Mexico, above right, and Gary Shubert, two very nice guys, relaxing in the upstairs dining hall at Pramod's facility. Peter was kind of robbed because until
Kurt showed up from Germany, he was a shoe in to win longest distance traveled to the College.
Above is Bob Pustell, one of those guys we've seen at aviation events all over the country. We'd last seen him at Corvair College #13 in California.
Bob has had a long and full career flying for the majors, paralleling this with his love of general aviation. Bob's observations on the nature of aviators, especially those in the
airline industry, remind me of those Ernest Gann wrote in Fate of the Hunter.
John Weigel's smile, above, is indicative of the good time had by all. John is wearing one of the Official Event T-shirts. The phrase "I got my crank hardened at
Corvair College #14" continues a tradition of fine Corvair College apparel. The phrase is a tribute to Pramod's nitriding capability. In the background is Bryan Bourgeois, a member
of the Future Cleanex Pilots of America Club.
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Corvair College #14 Part 1
Corvair College #14 Part 2
Corvair College #14 Part 4
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Corvair College #12 Part Two
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Corvair College #10 Part 2
Corvair College #10 Part 3
Corvair College #10 Part 4
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Corvair College #9 Part II
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Corvair College #9 Part IV
Corvair College #9 Part V
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