Comments:
In high school I was not a gifted student but was ambitious in extracurricular activities including Junior Achievement and membership in the Civil Air Patrol where I found a lifetime friend. I applied to the USAFA to become a fighter pilot. Out of high school in Buffalo, NY I was not accepted into the USAFA but was accepted into a local Jesuit college Canisius. The SAT's killed me. About July 1968 I received a letter from the Falcon Foundation offering me a scholarship to Millard School in Oregon. Until then I had lived at home with my folks, had never been west of Sandusky, Ohio an never heard of Millard (or the Falcon Foundation). I signed up with no idea what I would find. Hey if guys my age could go to Vietnam why shouldn't I go to Oregon. It proved to be one of the best decisions an 18 year old ever made. I had fun sharing times with my peers doing such things as playing tackle football on the sand dunes--I'm lucky I still have my teeth. But the English, grammar, writing skills and math I learned were invaluable. My SAT scores skyrocketed. However by then I also realized that my eyesight would not qualify me for flight school. Also I had attended an all boys high school, had no girlfriend, was 19 years old and was reconsidering 4 more years at an all male academy. Sometime during the spring of 1969 I advised my local USAFA liaison, a retired military officer Colonel Schoen, that I no longer wished to pursue admission to the Academy. Eventually by September of 969 I was accepted to SUNY Buffalo which at the time was very selective. I can thank Millard for up righting my SAT scores, getting me into SUNY Buffalo, a good LSAT score, acceptance to SUNY Buffalo Law School and making law review. The English, grammar and writing skills I learned at Millard also helped through my entire legal career as a trial attorney and village attorney for my home town Village of Lancaster, NY. To this day I often wonder if I should have pursued acceptance to the USAFA in 1969. How different would my life have been? Did I pass up the opportunity of a lifetime? But during my freshman year at SUNY Buffalo I met a very pretty girl selling records at a local department store. We got married while I was in law school and she's been my bride for over 40 years. We have 4 beautiful daughters, 3 great sons-in law and 7 beautiful grandchildren. So who's to say!
God bless our military;
Art
