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George Boyd
Hatteberg's People
Reporter: Larry Hatteberg
| December 15, 2002--He's
the kind of man who, when you shake his hand, you wish you had met him
earlier. He is George Boyd,
a retired Air Force Major and currently the head of the Kansas Civil Air
Patrol. There is so much
about this man to tell you, first though, let's talk about his car. |
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"Oh yes, it's comfortable, it's worn, you can see where I've
been using it. It's very
comfortable for me."
It should be. George is just about to put 400,000 miles on this
1988 Buick Riviera, more about that in a moment.
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"All in all, I'm proud of this
vehicle and I think American products will hold up just as good as any
other products."
But
visit with him a little more and you'll learn even more about the man
as he looks at one of his scrap books. |
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"That's my first sergeant, Cecil
P. McCray was his name."
While we're visiting with
him...take a look at these pictures.
George was one of the historic Tuskegee Airman of World War II.
Those black airman who fought in a segregated unit and trained in
Tuskegee, Alabama.
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"These were the historical events going on in the country at the time,
and we were all just part of that."
Being a black American in World War 2 was difficult but Boyd holds no
animosity.
"Everybody resents any form of degradation, minorities are no
exception. We were the
targets at that particular time but I didn't carry any animosity
towards people. I just
figured there were good people and bad people."
He retired from the Air Force as a
major....but his active duty service years were like music to him.
He's also a jazz drummer and plays sometimes a local nightclub.
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"Oh, it's a lot of fun, it's
relaxing and I know most of the music they play."
And I'm not done yet.
He's currently Colonel George Boyd and commands the Kansas
Civil air patrol.
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| "I'm always looking here to
see if any birds are nesting in the engine.
It's an opportunity to serve and feel productive.
As a retired person it's a great experience."
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| Now, about that car
with nearly 400,000 miles. He
bought the 88 Riviera used with only 16,000 miles. "And
I've never touched that engine except to keep it tuned.
I have had to replace some of the peripherals that are constantly
going out like the water pump and things like that but I have not
touched that engine."
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George Boyd is like his car-in war
and peace--he just keeps running.
"Ain't no more bad days for me. If I have a day, it's a good one." |
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| Have a story idea for Hatteberg's
People? Send Larry an email
with the details. |
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