What I like most about the Westside is... the neighborhoods over here – ever so friendly. I’ve lived here going on 24 years.
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If I could change anything about the Westside, it would be...People don’t stop at stop signs. There was intersection work in my neighborhood this year, with flashing lights at Broadway and 25th, but people don’t stop.
A good movie I've seen recently is... We just saw “Hacksaw Ridge.” It’s based on a true war story, and it was a very good movie. I like to see movies that tell true stories. (I joined the Army and served from 1967-70.)
The worst advice I’ve ever gotten was... When I was going to join, everyone said, don’t join the service. But by joining, I found you had a better chance of getting schooling for what you want to do. I learned how to operate a road grader and later taught that skill to cadets at West Point.
If I could meet someone famous, I'd like to meet... A couple months ago, I met Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was on his way into Garman’s. I just walked up and introduced myself and welcomed him to Old Colorado City.
The next time I travel, I'm going to... We really like Switzerland. We took a tour of Switzerland, Holland and all those countries. We had flown into Germany and toured from buses and boats. During the same tour, we rode in the gondolas and traveled the canals in Venice – that was awesome. So we’d like to go there again!
My favorite childhood memory is... My older brother, my sister and I were raised by a great-uncle who never married. On Sundays, we’d get up very early and drive up to Eleven Mile Canyon in a 1929 Model A pick-up, and we’d fight over who got to ride on the fender.
My favorite winter pastime is... I enjoy painting landscapes; my medium is acrylics. I also like to walk around the neighborhood and Garden of the Gods (as long as there’s no snow on the ground). For my 69th birthday this year, I climbed Pikes Peak with my daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
Something good I've read is... “Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam,” edited by Bernard Edelman for the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission. A TV movie based on the book was made in 1987.
My pet peeve is... loud boom-boxes in cars, because if there’s an ambulance coming, the people in the car won’t hear it.
If I won the lottery… I would pay off my kids’ houses and make them comfortable. My wife and I together have six kids, and five of them have mortgages.
(Posted 1/24/17; Opinions: Meet a Westsider)
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