Who in the world is Otis Brown Overby?! For those of you that have known me from high school you know who he is and you are smiling right now!
I met Mr. Overby when I ended up taking his Draftng I class during my sophomore year at Sullivan South High. He was definitely something else. I really did not like drafting but he seemed to grow on me and I took drafting II and III. These classes took me through my senior year. The classes were two hour blocks except for the senior year which was a three hour block and the first Drafting III class that Mr. Overby taught during his teaching career.
Mr. Overby, or Brown as we called him behind his back, had been everywhere and done everything. He was in the war, maybe two, and he was an accomplished draftsman. He spoke several languages. He was also very hard on us but there was something about him that drew me to him. He became a friend. I worked for him many times at his home and even helped him move from one home to another that he and his wife Kay had built. I believe what amazed me most about him was his peculiar ability with numbers. He is one of those guys that can do long division in his head in a split second.
Mr. Overby had a strong work ethic and encouraged all his students to develop the same. The more we became friends the harder on me he became. He definitely disciplined me more than any other teacher. He always told me to keep my eyes on the horizon because that is where the bird of opportunity flies. We spent many hours working together. He always encouraged me to stay in school and further my education as far as I could go. I can't put my thumb on any one thing he said or done to influence my life. However, I believe his influence came through the consistancy he always provided.
Stay tuned for #9. Have a blessed day! Tony
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Life sometimes invades our plans.
Hey Folks,
It is good to have some time to write on the blog again. Times have been hard but God is still in control. I can say with all experience and authority that relationships and divorce are tough. For those of you that know me, I was married for over twenty years to my first wife. We grew farther apart through the years and I moved on. However, sometimes what we move on to is far worse than what we have been through. I married the person I thought I would be with life long. However, she turned into a person of my worst nightmare. I am continuing to have to deal with new court dates and other issues just to clear up the remaining dust of our marriage. Just today I had to print a page from her blog where she has implied things, accused me of things and just down right lied about me. I will give this to my attorney to be presented in court later this month. It is a shame that grown people sometimes behave this way. Sometimes marriages don't work out. When this happens, I don't understand why folks just can't go their separate ways and let things lay. That's enough about all of that. I have found that the high road of dignity covers the dust of the low road of despair every time. I will continue to take the high road.
Lately, I have been thinking about influence and those people who have influenced me the most in my life. I have developed a list of those folks and for those of you that know me and the people in my life the list will certainly surprise you. I will detail the list on my blog starting at number 10 and going to the number 1 person that has influenced me in my life. Reading the list and how they influenced me will be fun. Some people you may know and others you may not but it will be fun reading about them. I will try to add to the list every other day or so.
Lastly, thanks to all of you who have been praying for my father. As many of you know, we spent all of Christmas in the hospital with him. His procedures and his new pace maker are all doing very well. Please continue to keep him and my mother in your prayers.
Have a great day! Tony
"If you live each minute holding on to the edge of life you will never know how it feels to fall in to the hands of God."
It is good to have some time to write on the blog again. Times have been hard but God is still in control. I can say with all experience and authority that relationships and divorce are tough. For those of you that know me, I was married for over twenty years to my first wife. We grew farther apart through the years and I moved on. However, sometimes what we move on to is far worse than what we have been through. I married the person I thought I would be with life long. However, she turned into a person of my worst nightmare. I am continuing to have to deal with new court dates and other issues just to clear up the remaining dust of our marriage. Just today I had to print a page from her blog where she has implied things, accused me of things and just down right lied about me. I will give this to my attorney to be presented in court later this month. It is a shame that grown people sometimes behave this way. Sometimes marriages don't work out. When this happens, I don't understand why folks just can't go their separate ways and let things lay. That's enough about all of that. I have found that the high road of dignity covers the dust of the low road of despair every time. I will continue to take the high road.
Lately, I have been thinking about influence and those people who have influenced me the most in my life. I have developed a list of those folks and for those of you that know me and the people in my life the list will certainly surprise you. I will detail the list on my blog starting at number 10 and going to the number 1 person that has influenced me in my life. Reading the list and how they influenced me will be fun. Some people you may know and others you may not but it will be fun reading about them. I will try to add to the list every other day or so.
Lastly, thanks to all of you who have been praying for my father. As many of you know, we spent all of Christmas in the hospital with him. His procedures and his new pace maker are all doing very well. Please continue to keep him and my mother in your prayers.
Have a great day! Tony
"If you live each minute holding on to the edge of life you will never know how it feels to fall in to the hands of God."
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