Curtis Murphy

We were subject to the "draft" and I volunteered to go into the Air Force because I liked aircraft. I was inducted in November 1968. I had 3 careers and schools that I graduated from. I was an aircraft sheetmetal mechanic on the EC-121 SuperConstellation (Connies) (that was similar to Eisenhower's Columbine 2&3) at McClellan AFB, then I was an Air Traffic Controller at Scott AFB Illinois and got rated as a final controller working F-4's, C9 Nightingale's, C5A Galaxies, helicopters, etc., then I went to Nav Aids electronic school and worked transmitters in Missouri.
When I was in Scott AFB near St. Louis I went to Arthur Murray Dance Studio. It helped me to get over my fear of being on the dance floor.
When I got back from Tainan, Taiwan I had orders for Da Nang AB in Saigon and they told me I was AWOL and had to go get my files down the hall. They apologized and said since I had volunteered to go to Taiwan, they could not send me to two places at once in Southeast Asia, so someone else was sent in my place 30 days prior. Everyone in my shop was gone and were sent to Lowry AFB to become bomb loaders then they all went to Viet Nam.
I went to American River College and danced with a friend and she told me about the Bob Mathias Camp and I called and got accepted and spent 7 summers 1977-1983 being a camp counselor. It was the greatest experience of my life. I met Bob Mathias and shook his hand. Bob Mathias won the decathlon in 1948 & 1952. He died in 2006 of cancer. I remember when Y.A. Tittle was in a parade in Napa when we were the Ants of Fly League softball. Those were the days when we had heroes.
Then I drove the buses in Yosemite Nat'l Park and did the tours. I took Natural History and Ornithology at American River College never thinking I would use this interesting information. Then, at the park I got to interpret and met so many great Rangers and got educated about John Muir and Galen Clark. I now live in Mariposa, California one hour from Yosemite

We grew up in a phenomenal world of musical revolution. It was the days of Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Buddy Holly. We lived American Graffiti, Wolfman Jack, the Witch Doctor, The Flying Purple People eater, & the Blob. Dick Clark had American Bandstand and he was clever in asking the teens what they thought of the hits.
I was in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Webelos, and Order of the Arrow with my school friends and learned a lot about the outdoor skills and hiking.
I went to Napa high school 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. I was in the Homecoming Queen parade with my Model A with girls sitting on top. What fun!
I attended Napa Jr. College two semesters, took flying lessons at Bridgeport, then went into the US Air Force in November 1968 for seven years. Attended Redwood Jr. High School 7th-9th grades. Pueblo Vista Elementary grades 1st through 6th. Kindergarten at Salvador.
I remember the parking lot at high school filled with 57 Ford and Chevy cars. Everyone would be at A&W Root Beer and we would get hamburgers at CHIC'S across from the high school. I got to be a spotter at the football games with the announcer(Mike Philips) so he could broadcast who made the touchdowns. I remember Phil Karnatz who was the best comedian ever to make me laugh. Jim Gorham and I spent a lot of time together. I was so shy and the girls treated me so good back then.
In those days we played kickball in the neighborhood streets and basketball, poison, and horse. The girls were sent home from Jr. High when their dresses went above the knee and when the guys pegged their pants. And at the Sock Hops, you rarely saw guys dancing.
One time a crowd had gathered outside the gym. It was Ron Padilla dancing with a girl. Everyone was circled around them. Lots of good people and memories!