Football season is upon us and all kinds of rumors and predictions going. The popular one is that this Les Miles last season at LSU. Give me a break. He is the best coach we have had so far. His record is better than Saban's was at LSU.
Did he have a bad year, you bet he did and still won 9 games. Show me a coach who has made it through the last couple of seasons as well as he has with the set backs he has had. He had to let go a top notch quarterback that lacked personal discipline. He had to use an inexperienced quarter back and made his way through all the damage to the end of the season. Now he has a fairly good quarter back, one at least seasoned and ready to go.
The Tigers are picked to finish fourth in its division, yet the polls rank LSU well above all those opponents it is going to lose to. Something does not compute.
Do I think he should have fired his offensive coach, yes. Gary Crowton has been a head coach at Louisiana Tech and BYU and is now an offensive coach at LSU. He needs to be fired. He is terrible. He stinks.
On the other hand, the defensive coach is truly superior. So there is hope that the talent will not be wasted in that venue.
Just heard that LSU is one of the top five universities that produce income from sports. LSU is ranked #5, but it is one of the five that produces over a $100,000,000.00 per year. That is over a hundred million dollars a year. Football is the majority but baseball is in there along with basketball. It is a premier jock school.
What a school. What a staff. Geaux Tigers!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Rediscovering . . .
In the last couple of years I have gone about rediscovering previous friends from the long past ago.
Leon. Leon Harris was a childhood buddy in New Roads, that moved away when he was 12 or 13 years old. He moved back to New Iberia and we lost contact. His older brother married a girl from New Roads, Leah Ray Mougeot. Leah Ray was my high school coach's daughter. She was a couple of years old than me. Saw her at my ex-brother-in-law's funeral and asked about Leon. Today, Leon and I exchange Emails almost daily, mostly jokes.
Bubba. Lawrence "Bubba" Pourcaiu and I went to school together at Saint Josephs Academy in New Roads. We reunited at a 50th Class Reunion in New Roads a couple of years ago. I did not recall but do after Bubba reminded me that he did not finish with us, he spent his last year at Poydras, the public school. It had to do with a tiff over his mother's operation of St Joe's lunch room. No matter, Bubbba identifies with St Joe and not Poydras. Today he is a pharmacist. And we trade Emails often, a bit of New Roads and a lot of dirty jokes, etc. Bubba keeps up with all the old buddies that will communicate with him. So I know what I send to Bubba will get out to the old boy network of New Roads.
Bernie. Bernard LaFaso was my fraternity brother at LSU. He graduated and moved on, I tracked him down in south Louisiana in the city of Thibadeaux. Bernie had worked for the State of Louisiana, Highway Department for a while and then moved on. He started his on company and got into the oil well logging business. I think he sold out to Schlumberger or one of those companies and walked away with several million dollars. I hear from Bernie every month or so.
Paul. Paul Smith was my next door neighbor in San Bernardino, circa 1975. We both were Majors at the Air Force Inspection and Safty Center at Norton Air Force Base, CA. They had a couple of boys and we had three boys - so lots of Boy Scouts and school things together. While at AFISC, I ended up traveling a lot and befriended a General Officer. So the General dragged me all over the place. I loved it, not so sure Judie loved it. But it was what got me promoted to Full Colonel. Both Paul and I retired as Full Colonels out of AFISC. We were the enigmas, it was said one could not get promoted having served at AFISC. We both got promoted to the highest levels.
Don Kaiser. Don is a retired LtC and we worked together at Rockwell International on the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison program. He was a project engineer. In the latter stages of my employment with Rockwell I was made a "Rail Car Manager." I was selected to oversee and assemble a command and control rail car. Before I got to do any of this, President George H. W. Bush cancelled the program. But Don and I became close friends and remain so today. He now works as a contractor for the Defense Nuclear Agency in Albuquerque, NM and lives in Colorado Springs, CO - commutes back and forth.
Leo Stockham. Leo was my program manager when I worked for Lockheed-Martin at White Sands Missile Range. Leo was a retired LtC from the USAF. He had gone to the Naval Academy, got into the USAF to fly and washed out of flying school. The USAF sent him off to graduate school, he had finished very high in class at the USNA. He was a PHD in engineering and ended up teaching at the USAF Academy before ending up in Albuquerque, NM. Today, I hear from him once in a while.
Mike. Mike Barry was an engineer at Rockwell, Int on the Peackeeper Rail Garrison program. Smart man, along the way earned a Jurist Doctorate - a law degree but never took the bar exam. Had a couple of failed marriages and was now a confirmed bachelor. He's probably 8 or 9 years older than I am. I keep up with him and he with me. Just old friends.
There are others, I could go on for awhile but these are just some of my friends. They are from all walks of life.
Leon. Leon Harris was a childhood buddy in New Roads, that moved away when he was 12 or 13 years old. He moved back to New Iberia and we lost contact. His older brother married a girl from New Roads, Leah Ray Mougeot. Leah Ray was my high school coach's daughter. She was a couple of years old than me. Saw her at my ex-brother-in-law's funeral and asked about Leon. Today, Leon and I exchange Emails almost daily, mostly jokes.
Bubba. Lawrence "Bubba" Pourcaiu and I went to school together at Saint Josephs Academy in New Roads. We reunited at a 50th Class Reunion in New Roads a couple of years ago. I did not recall but do after Bubba reminded me that he did not finish with us, he spent his last year at Poydras, the public school. It had to do with a tiff over his mother's operation of St Joe's lunch room. No matter, Bubbba identifies with St Joe and not Poydras. Today he is a pharmacist. And we trade Emails often, a bit of New Roads and a lot of dirty jokes, etc. Bubba keeps up with all the old buddies that will communicate with him. So I know what I send to Bubba will get out to the old boy network of New Roads.
Bernie. Bernard LaFaso was my fraternity brother at LSU. He graduated and moved on, I tracked him down in south Louisiana in the city of Thibadeaux. Bernie had worked for the State of Louisiana, Highway Department for a while and then moved on. He started his on company and got into the oil well logging business. I think he sold out to Schlumberger or one of those companies and walked away with several million dollars. I hear from Bernie every month or so.
Paul. Paul Smith was my next door neighbor in San Bernardino, circa 1975. We both were Majors at the Air Force Inspection and Safty Center at Norton Air Force Base, CA. They had a couple of boys and we had three boys - so lots of Boy Scouts and school things together. While at AFISC, I ended up traveling a lot and befriended a General Officer. So the General dragged me all over the place. I loved it, not so sure Judie loved it. But it was what got me promoted to Full Colonel. Both Paul and I retired as Full Colonels out of AFISC. We were the enigmas, it was said one could not get promoted having served at AFISC. We both got promoted to the highest levels.
Don Kaiser. Don is a retired LtC and we worked together at Rockwell International on the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison program. He was a project engineer. In the latter stages of my employment with Rockwell I was made a "Rail Car Manager." I was selected to oversee and assemble a command and control rail car. Before I got to do any of this, President George H. W. Bush cancelled the program. But Don and I became close friends and remain so today. He now works as a contractor for the Defense Nuclear Agency in Albuquerque, NM and lives in Colorado Springs, CO - commutes back and forth.
Leo Stockham. Leo was my program manager when I worked for Lockheed-Martin at White Sands Missile Range. Leo was a retired LtC from the USAF. He had gone to the Naval Academy, got into the USAF to fly and washed out of flying school. The USAF sent him off to graduate school, he had finished very high in class at the USNA. He was a PHD in engineering and ended up teaching at the USAF Academy before ending up in Albuquerque, NM. Today, I hear from him once in a while.
Mike. Mike Barry was an engineer at Rockwell, Int on the Peackeeper Rail Garrison program. Smart man, along the way earned a Jurist Doctorate - a law degree but never took the bar exam. Had a couple of failed marriages and was now a confirmed bachelor. He's probably 8 or 9 years older than I am. I keep up with him and he with me. Just old friends.
There are others, I could go on for awhile but these are just some of my friends. They are from all walks of life.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Amazing Event . . .
I got a telephone call from Dr. Randy Gurie, the person assigned by the LSU Chancellor's office to be the faculty advisor to the Cadets of the Ole War Skule. LSU until 1956 was a military school much like its rival Texas A & M University. In fact both schools rival each in the number of officers produced in WW-II. Even in my day we had a Corps of Cadets that exceeded 5,000 strong.
At any rate the Cadets of the Ole War Skule has a Hall of Honor for its distinguished former LSU cadets. One has to be nominated and then selected for this honor. I took it upon myself to nominate Farhnam Libby Morrison, my Uncle Ham. He was not selected.
As a result I withdrew as member of the Cadets of the Ole War Skule. I have seen the other members of the Hall of Honor, read their Biographical notes and while certanly good and deserving people they certainly no more heroic nor valorous than Uncle Ham.
He had landed at Normandy on DDay, June 6, 1945 and fought his way across France, Belgium (the Battle of the Bulge), Luxembourg, and into Germany itself. He was one of Patton's troops.
He landed as a 2nd Lt and finished on VE day as Company Commander and the rank of Captain. Along the way he picked up two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star. He was highly decorated officer. He was also awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
Later in the early 1950s he help reorganize the Louisiana National Guard. He was activated during the Berlin Crisis and was stationed at Fort Polk.
In time he grew in grade and statue in the LA National Guard. He retired as the Adjutant General's Chief of Staff at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans. He moved on the be the State of Louisiana Civilian Defense Director. Interestingly, in that position he was the Louisiana's number two State Policeman. He was the chief Deputy, carried a badge but I don't think he ever participated in any police things.
Ham retired as a full Colonel. Unfortunately, he died under going dialysis. He went into shock on the dialysis table and never recovered. He is interred in St Mary's of False River Mausoleum along with his beloved wife, Bobbe.
The long over due call I got was from LSU saying that Uncle Ham had been re-evaluated and selected for the Hall of Honor. He will be inducted November 6, 2010 at Parade Grounds, the same parade grounds I marched over many times. Later he will be honored along with this fellow inductees at the half time at the football game.
I owe a debt of thanks to Levy Dabadie, Brigadier General (RET) and member of the Cadets of the Ole War Skule and the advisor, Dr. Randy Gurie.
At any rate the Cadets of the Ole War Skule has a Hall of Honor for its distinguished former LSU cadets. One has to be nominated and then selected for this honor. I took it upon myself to nominate Farhnam Libby Morrison, my Uncle Ham. He was not selected.
As a result I withdrew as member of the Cadets of the Ole War Skule. I have seen the other members of the Hall of Honor, read their Biographical notes and while certanly good and deserving people they certainly no more heroic nor valorous than Uncle Ham.
He had landed at Normandy on DDay, June 6, 1945 and fought his way across France, Belgium (the Battle of the Bulge), Luxembourg, and into Germany itself. He was one of Patton's troops.
He landed as a 2nd Lt and finished on VE day as Company Commander and the rank of Captain. Along the way he picked up two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star. He was highly decorated officer. He was also awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
Later in the early 1950s he help reorganize the Louisiana National Guard. He was activated during the Berlin Crisis and was stationed at Fort Polk.
In time he grew in grade and statue in the LA National Guard. He retired as the Adjutant General's Chief of Staff at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans. He moved on the be the State of Louisiana Civilian Defense Director. Interestingly, in that position he was the Louisiana's number two State Policeman. He was the chief Deputy, carried a badge but I don't think he ever participated in any police things.
Ham retired as a full Colonel. Unfortunately, he died under going dialysis. He went into shock on the dialysis table and never recovered. He is interred in St Mary's of False River Mausoleum along with his beloved wife, Bobbe.
The long over due call I got was from LSU saying that Uncle Ham had been re-evaluated and selected for the Hall of Honor. He will be inducted November 6, 2010 at Parade Grounds, the same parade grounds I marched over many times. Later he will be honored along with this fellow inductees at the half time at the football game.
I owe a debt of thanks to Levy Dabadie, Brigadier General (RET) and member of the Cadets of the Ole War Skule and the advisor, Dr. Randy Gurie.
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