Dan Surber

docsmurf74@gmail.com

1974-1986: T-37 IP/FE; F-111D/F pilot, flight commander, wing safety officer; AFRES Major-Select (IRR); discharged 1993. Joined TxARNG 1989: Sgt, TX Army Natl. Grd., 49th Armored Div., 2nd BDE, 112 Armd Regt, A Co.; US Army Reserve: 28th Avn Rgt; 550th MI Bn (HVY); Pltn Sgt 157th MI Co (SIGINT/ELINT); S-2 NCO, HQ 157th SIB (Mech); 265thMI Bn, German Section NCO; Retired 1998. MS Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle 1983; PhD. Engineering Management, Kennedy Western U. 2000. 1986-1991: Worked at General Dynamics, Ft. Worth, in advanced human factors engineering, IRADs and helped design cockpits for YF-22A, AFTI/CAS F-16, VISTA F-16, NSAP X-30, and flew their simulators. 1991-1997: Worked at Boeing, Ridley Park PA in RAH-66 Joint Program Office, systems engineering, staff safety engineer, helped design RAH-66 Comanche, MV-22A, CV-22 Block 10, and D-609. 1997-2000: Worked for CASE IH, in Chicago, in ag and construction equipment design, integration & test as the Manager of Systems Engineering & Integration. Got to operate nearly every piece of equipment that they built, including bull dozers, wheel loaders, skid steers, excavators, tractors, planters, tillage and combine harvesters. 2001-2015: Worked as a systems engineer on V-22, DDX/DDG-1000, space systems, Fire control for Main Battle Tanks, Border Security systems and Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation Prevention. Retired from Raytheon, Indianapolis as an Engineering Fellow in 2015. At present I am consulting with a firm in Wisconsin at a Principal Systems Engineer. I still teach as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, in ME Dept., teaching systems engineering. Over the years I have also been active with the International Council on Systems Engineering since 1988, was one of their first designees to be a Certified Systems Engineering Professional, and then an Expert Systems Engineering Professional. I helped form a chapter in the Indiana-Illinois area called the Cross Roads of America chapter, served on the Member Board, and just finished 6 years of service with the Certification Advisory Group. I'm retired from coaching womens lacrosse at high school level. Had a full knee replacement 5 yrs ago (2009) and worked on my fitness so that I could start playing golf. Took lessons between December 2013 and March 2014. Playing golf at least 4 times a week. The knee feels great. Sara and I go to Ft Walton Beach for a week's vacation - beach, swimming, surfing, and I go to Hurlburt AFB every day to hit balls or play the course. Sara and I plan to travel, play golf, visit our kids and (in future) grand kids, and go hiking, canoeing, and camping with them. Anne had our first grand child on July 5, 2015 and second grand child on Nov 20, 2017. We love being grand parents and it's only 9 miles to visit them. We now have 7 grandkids on deck and #8 will be Caroline, due soon.

Tried to play lacrosse the day after getting my wisdom teeth removed. Nearly sqewered my self on a field stick going for a ground ball, threw up and realized it was better to play goalie and get away from the "gorillas" with 6ft poles that wanted to beat my brains out.

When I played on the football team I had to tackle Dave Sestrich one day in the line drill. He hit me so hard I still feel the ache, and I was out for a few minutes, but I woke up and Ruby Yance waved smelling salts under my nose to get me back in the practice. I did stop Dave, but only that one time. OUCH!

I volunteered to take free fall parachuting during one summer and had an easy time until my last jump. That one almost killed me, but the Lord was not ready to take me home so He let me off with some compressed vertebrae and good life lesson. My son, Dave, and I decided to celebrate my 60th birthday and my recovery after the knee surgery with a 12,000 ft free fall jump on my birthday. We both jumped with tandem instructors and it was great. All those years later and I still remembered the 10 second checklist and the PLF (but we landed on our backsides with out feet up since it's rough to PLF in a tandem harness.)

"Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone...so LIVE!"