I just found this forum by accident. Started readind about my old friend, Doc. I got to Texas from NY on new years day 1979, so I didn't jump with Doc in the "early days" as many talked about, here.
Galveston Skydivers was a nice little comfortable DZ, with minimal rules. Only jumped out of Doc's 180, at first, then he came over to me one day and asked why I didn't fly his airplane. The simple reply was, you didn't ask me. He knew I was a jump pilot, an I knew he had had a lot of trouble with people wrecking his planes, so I just waited. He trusted me and I never broke his plane. When I was flying in the hot summer, I would take a beer with me for refreshment, but the jumpers were not allowed to drink in the plane.
Doc was the greatest guy I ever knew, and the only real war hero I'd met. His attitude of never quitting, always set well with me. He drank that nasty old Ouzo liquor, but I never held it against him. It was obvious why he made it through WW2, with his ATTITUDE, and being a tough guy.
Always the Greek, but never made it to Greece. It makes me sad he missed it. It even took cancer three times to get him.
I'll always remember him.
Pecker
