Living Sculpture

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In 1971 and '72, I served as Superintendent of the power plants and chilled water plants at the University of Oklahoma. In a building we referred to as the "old" power plant there was an 1898 Westinghouse reciprocating steam driven dynamo -- a very early electrical generator that had served the university at the turn of the century. It was gorgeous! It had a huge cast iron flywheel decorated with bright paint, ornate lettering, and gold leaf. Everything had been beautifully preserved. It was like a technological time capsule. Each week, my crew turned it over by hand to make sure it stayed lubricated. About once a year, Earl Tabor, our chief engineer, would apply steam pressure to it and run it for a few minutes to exercise its mechanisms.

A Dynamo Similar to the One at Oklahoma

My immediate boss, Mike Hunt, had gone to work for the University in the 1920's. His first job was setting the clocks in the classrooms every morning. This was necessary because they shut the powerplant down every night! The power plant stayed on line for one half hour after the library closed each night. Then, everything shut down, including the street lights. At 6 AM, the plant was restarted for the day.

The University was building a new engineering center in the early 1970's. The architects had designed a large atrium at the main entrance to the building. There were plans to have a sculpture competition to come up with a work of art that would idealize the engineering profession. I suggested to one of the officials that the antique dynamo would make the perfect centerpiece for that large open space. My suggestion went nowhere, and a massive laminated wooden abstract sculpture was installed.

I wonder what ever happened to that beautiful piece of machinery. Could it still be residing in the "old" power plant???

Command at Sea...

USS Herndon (DD-638)

In May, 1965, I was serving as the Executive Officer of the USS Maloy (DE-791), the last Buckley-class destroyer escort in the active fleet. We decommissioned her at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on May 28. I had already received orders to my next duty station, the University of Oklahoma, where I was to report in August. I informed the navy that I didn’t want to consume all my accrued leave and requested an interim duty station. They ordered me to report for duty at the Philadelphia reserve fleet for a couple of months. Little did I suspect that I was about to encounter my only “command,” on a lifeless ship being towed to it’s final resting area and subsequent scrapping.

The reserve fleet in Philadelphia was a collection of World War II vessels that had been decommissioned and preserved along the banks of the Delaware River near the foot of Broad Street. At the time I arrived, there were still dozens if not hundreds of ships, large and small, including several Iowa-class battleships and every variety of cruiser, destroyer, destroyer escort, and amphibious vessel. Row upon row of each class were neatly arranged, all hermetically sealed, with active anodic protection to prevent external corrosion, and dehumidified to prevent interior deterioration. The gunmounts and other deck fittings had curious igloo-like structures that encapsulated them within the dry envelope.

Fleet personnel requested shore duty as a respite from the lengthy deployments that separated sailors from their families. In general, a sailor could count on a shore assignment every third duty station. The navy often used the promise of a shore assignment to entice an enlisted man to reenlist for one more four or six year tour. Thus it was that many of the personnel who reported to the Philadelphia Reserve Fleet Group (PHILARESFLTGRU in Navy-ese) in 1965 were unpleasantly surprised to find that much of their time would be spent aboard vessels being towed to Orange, Texas, for scrapping. When I reported in for temporary duty, I was a prime target for one of these seagoing assignments. I was informed on my first day aboard that I was to be the Officer-in-Charge of the USS Herndon (DD-638) on its final voyage.

The second USS Herndon, a Gleaves class destroyer, had been commissioned in 1942 and had served in both the European and Pacific theaters. She was decommissioned in 1946 and had been in the mothball fleet in Philadelphia since 1947.  A more complete history may be found HERE.

Before I could get underway, I had about two weeks to prepare the ship. Much needed to be done. When these ships were decommissioned at the end of the war, many superstructure components, such as radar antennas, had simply been removed and placed inside the dehumidified envelope. They were not fastened to anything; they were lying loose on the deck inside the superstructure. These items would have to be fastened securely before the ship could be taken to sea. I would need to get navigation lights installed and a generator to provide the required power. My small crew would need bunks installed. Kitchen facilities would be installed. I also arranged for a freezer to be mounted aft of the superstructure near the generator. A radio on the bridge was required to communicate with the ocean going tug that was to pull us to Texas.

About a week before our departure, a certain chief petty officer suggested that I get some fishing equipment for my crew to use on the way south. He also intimated that if we had a good harvest of fish when we arrived in Orange, we could trade the fish for a crew’s party that would be unforgettable. I arranged for the fishing equipment with the welfare and recreation office. We also rigged some awnings on the main deck to protect us from overexposure to the sun. I found some heavy coated paper and tape to use in wrapping the fish. Around the third week of June, we got underway for a two-week “cruise” at the end of a steel cable.

Ocean Going Tug

The trip was not too eventful. Off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, our cable snapped. Our escort tug left us for a few hours, proceeded to port where he got a new cable, and we successfully rerigged our tow line. We were visited by a speed boat off the coast of Florida and the owner told us he had served on a Gleaves-class ship during the war. Our weather was superb throughout the trip and we filled our freezer with fish as we emptied it of food.

The last few miles up the Sabine River, we were pushed by an LCM (a World War II era 56-foot long landing craft) lashed to our stern. Finally, we were secured to a pier in the Orange ship processing facility. Instantaneously, a ship’s superintendent appeared and we negotiated a fish-for-party deal. The results were spectacular.

That evening, a bus picked up my “crew” at their barracks. A local bar had been rented for the evening. Some local ladies showed up. Drinks were free. There was food in abundance. A local band made its appearance. The dance floor was full of sailors and locals. It was a night to remember!

The next day, we flew to Love Field in Dallas, from where we would leave for Philadelphia. That’s a story for another time…

✯

Footnote: The Herndon met its ignominious end some six years later when it was used as a target for a gunnery exercise and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.

A Thing of Beauty

One of my current projects is the building of a street rod. In 1998, during my first Great Race experience, I had an overnight stop in Canton, Ohio. A gentleman came up after looking at my 1932 Plymouth coupe and told me he had a 1932 Plymouth sport roadster. "Would I be interested in it?" That led to two years of negotiation resulting in the purchase.

Peter Flowers and I brought it home on a trailer in 2001. Eventually, as I considered how to proceed with the car, I made several decisions:

• I would make a street rod, rather than restore the car


• I would use an old hemi V-8 as the power plant


• I would use an independent front suspension and a modern differential

About three years ago I acquired the engine for the car, a 1953 Dodge 241 hemi that had originally resided in a Pennsylvania fire truck. It is restored and ready to be put into the car.

A few weeks ago I saw a magnificent 4-carburetor Weiand intake manifold with 4 Stromberg 97's available for purchase on eBay. It was built to go on a 241 hemi. After corresponding with the builder, I knew I had to get it to put on the car. It now resides in our garage. Is this gorgeous or what???

Ebabe's Progress...

Mary Ann is finally occupying the new building. We held off doing anything until we got the alarm system installed and the utilities working. Now the fun begins. I went home this weekend and spent a good part of the weekend putting shelving units together. The office area is going to be beautiful, with bright yellow walls, white furniture, and a very cheery floral rug. The idea is that this area will eventually encompass a small retail outlet as well as the hub of the online business.

The warehouse area is filling up. The boxes that had filled the house are now largely relocated. Mary Ann still has to move the inventory from the basement of the house and wash all the shelving units that were there. All in all, it's a lot of work, but we think it's well worth it. Ebabe rocks!!!

Merlefest '08...

Doc Watson

For the 19th time, I made the trek to Merlefest this weekend. Mary Ann drove from home and picked me up at the Asheville airport Thursday afternoon, from which we proceeded to North Wilkesboro, NC, the home of Wilkes Community College. This event is a great tribute to the victory of the human spirit over tragedy.

In 1985, Eddy Merle Watson, son of the legendary guitar player, Arthel "Doc" Watson, was killed in a tragic tractor accident. A couple years later, a member of the horticulture staff at Wilkes Community College, "B" Townes, came up with the idea of dedicating a garden to Merle's memory. To help raise money for the effort, the school asked Doc if he would perform in a fund-raising concert. In April, 1988, the first Eddy Merle Watson Memorial concert was held. A few of Doc and Merle's friends had joined in. A veritable Who's Who of Bluegrass and country music performed in what was to have been a one-time event -- Earl Scruggs and fiddler Jim Shumate, Tony Rice, Chet Atkins, Grandpa Jones and daughter Alisa, Marty Stuart, Mike Cross, New Grass Revival, David Holt, Jack Lawrence, the Smith Sisters, John Hartford, Mark O'Conner, Jerry Douglas, George Hamilton IV, and Sam Bush, among others!

The one-time event took on a life of its own and has grown into the world's premiere Americana Roots Music festival. The variety is astounding -- bluegrass, old time, country, gospel, Cajun and Zydeco, Western Swing, Celtic -- the list goes on.

I first heard of and attended the festival in 1990. Parking was still allowed on campus. There were only about four venues (now there are 14 specific venues and untold informal performance areas where pickers simply start playing).

Mary Ann and I enjoyed hearing some of our favorite groups from the past, and as usual, were introduced to some new favorites. We did attend the Midnight Jam on Saturday night, but left around 1:00 AM to get a little sleep before we had to head back to the Asheville Airport to get me on a plane. I've been working the last month in Amityville, New York.

One interesting thing happened as we were walking toward the festival entrance on Friday morning. We spotted Mary Beth and Keating Jones and their children, friends from church back in Huntsville! What are the odds among 80,000 attendees!?! I'm sure they were impressed at my festival finery...

Here's an example of the kind of impromptu "Merlefest Moment" that we come to expect. It's Riley Baugus and Laurie Lewis jammin' with some friends right at the entrance to the festival:

The Blizzard of '08!!

Construction Continues

The Ebabe World Headquarters and Center of Excellence continues to rise, in spite of our best efforts. When I returned from Connecticut with Mary Ann, arriving on February 3rd, I noticed two seemingly contradictory facts -- the sheetrock was almost completely up, and there was no tag on the breaker box indicating that the rough-in electrical inspection had been completed. I called the county electrical inspector to inquire and was informed that he had not inspected the building yet.

I spoke to the so-called contractor in charge of the job, who informed me that I didn't know what I was talking about, that there was no need for an inspection. He was wrong; He no longer works for us. We had to tear down all the sheetrock and insulation. Some of the electrical installation that had already been done didn't meet the local code. We ended up with a local electrician who completed the job. The building has passed it's preliminary inspection. We are proceeding nicely.

This week, we finished the second sheet rock installation and the sheet rock finishers are almost done with their work. The trim carpenter will begin trimming out the building on Tuesday. Some windows are being replaced this week, and painting will begin on Thursday, we hope. Here's what the building looks like today:

In the meantime, I'm working full-time as a consultant for Humphreys and Associates, assigned to a job in Huntsville. It just can't get much better than that!