Remembering Dad...

Everyone has a father, but not everyone has a dad.  As I say good bye to my dad this week, I must remember everything he taught me.  There are all sorts of stories in my head; getting them out on paper is a challenge.

One story that comes to mind about my dad is his love for Indiana University sports.  There were not many bigger fans of the Hoosiers than him.  I am pretty confident he believed, at least for a time, that Bob Knight walked on water.  He had a lot to cheer about.  IU won several championships in Men’s Basketball, including going unbeaten for the 75-76 season. 

Purdue University Boilermakers, the inter-state rival of the Hoosiers, was rarely a threat to IU in basketball, but were often a threat for keeping the coveted “Old Oaken Bucket” in football.  The Old Oaken Bucket has been awarded to the winning school each year since 1925.  Since its inception, Purdue has won nearly 2/3^rd of the meetings.  As a result, my dad has always harbored some distaste for the Purdue Boilermakers. 

In the factory where dad worked, he had frequent interactions with engineers.  My dad was mentally sharp.  He may not have had the education, but he had the knowledge of how his machine made parts.  He was proud of his ability to make the best bolts possible for Ford Motor Company.  Often, dad would be at home complaining about the engineers.  “They are just book smart,” he might remark.  They didn’t know the real world.  He was often very correct, and eventually the engineers would come to realize that “Tiny” knew what he was talking about.

When I graduated high school and prepared for college, I was reminded of my dad’s bias toward two things: Boilermakers and engineers.  You see, I was getting ready to enter IUPUI to study engineering through their statewide Purdue affiliation.  I was going to be an engineer and a Boilermaker.  I remarked one day to dad, “Dad, what do you think about sending your son to Purdue to be an engineer?”  He responded with a quick, “you better not be like the rest of them.”

Well that was 30 years ago, and my career and education have taken all sorts of twists and turns.  But for my entire career of almost as long, I have earned a living using some type of engineering skill.  I graduated from IWU, not Purdue, but I’ll always be a Boilermaker at heart.  But, I am a different breed.  I listen to, and respect the folks in the plant doing the work.  They, not I, most often know the way the work must be done.  I approach my work with a thought in my head; “What would dad think?”

Dad shaped my life by teaching me to work hard, respect people, do a little extra, and help others when I am able.  And while I may be a lowly engineer from Purdue, I hope that my father’s legacy continues to shape the work I do, as well as the life I lead, for the benefit of others.