Hi. I’m Bob Beanblossom. I’m a semi-retired generalist with a little knowledge about a lot of things, and an expert at few, if any. Here’s a quick look at what I mean.
I grew up on an Ohio farm, graduating from Cedarville High School in 1965. Gramps, who owned the farm, said that I wore out more hoe handles leaning on them than working them. He was right. My hero. I gave my heart to Christ in 1955 in a one-room land-grant schoolhouse that served as our church for many years. I was baptized in Massey’s Creek. It was a great community to grow up in.
After graduation, I studied oceanography at the University of Miami (FL), working extensively as a technician at the Marine Lab and onboard the Research Vessel John Pillsbury between the fall of 1965 and December of 1967, spending far more time at sea than in class. One fun (now that it’s over) facet was crossing the Equator for the first time at the intersection of 0 degrees, minutes, and seconds longitude and latitude, receiving the title of Golden Shellback from King Neptune himself! At least that’s who he claimed to be. I think the Institute of Marine Science is now the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami.
I joined the Navy in 1968, and served as an Aviation Electronics Technician aboard the carrier USS Bennington, then in electronic warfare A-3D squadrons VAQ-134 and 135 Det. 4 aboard the USS Ranger–mostly in the Western Pacific, DaNang and points north (Vietnam) until released in 1971.
The Navy sent me to Memphis (TN) to learn electronics and get married. I did both. I met and married my lovely wife, Sandy. We have three kids and several grandkids, and have started the great-grandkid count. We are blessed to have each and proud of the pack of them.
After the Navy, we returned to the Memphis area where I worked for Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) starting as a utility worker digging holes with 10′ post hole diggers to ‘plant’ street light poles, and retiring as an engineering/construction supervisor in 1998. I had three more or less evenly spaced ‘lives’ there, 1) working in the Standards Lab and Radio Departments, 2) in Energy Management during the 70’s energy crunch, and 3) in Outdoor Lighting design and construction until retirement.
Upon retirement from MLGW, I knocked about for a couple of years working at Tennessee Wildlife (TWRA) lakes for a private vendor until joining the Tipton County (TN) Sheriff’s Office in 2000. I worked there as a Corrections Officer and Deputy Sheriff until retiring again in 2013. Assignments included Reserve Patrol and Investigations, Grant Writing and Crime Analysis, and Rangemaster and firearms instructor. Interesting time.
The day after retirement from the Sheriff’s Office I started a part-time job with the County as a Geographic Systems Analyst, continuing and expanding the last part of my career at the Sheriff’s Office. I have since been adopted into the County Budget and Accounts Department doing ADA and grant work. Always something new.
One thing I should mention–every job not only paid, but provided coffee. How good does it get! Through it all I gained experience and girth while losing hair.
I’ve got this retirement thing down! Found out that if you hang around long enough, folks will pay you to go away and never come back. Hard on the ego at first, but the regular checks make it palatable.
I have much more time now to enjoy my family and share their interests–custom cars with our oldest son Rob, guns and radio with our son Rick, and family adventures with our daughter Alesha. And their families, of course.
My avocational interests are as varied as my vocations. I still enjoy photography, reading and book collecting, working on my project cars, getting on the tractor away from contact with the world, and the pursuit of God. Some of all of that will appear on this website for anyone interested. I don’t expect a landslide of activity–if any. It is mostly a legacy for my family and an outlet for some introspective writing. While some of my writing is focused on my Savior, Jesus Christ, I am strictly a layman. I am not an authority, only a fellow traveler.
My driving force is my experience with God. I am an unabashed and unashamed Christian. I was saved in the Fall of 1955 in a small church in Cedarville, a converted Land Grant one-room school house. I was baptized in near-by Massey’s Creek. Patient pastors and loving church folks molded my early years, to the best of their ability, in His image. I learned about, and grew in my experience with, the triune God of Creation, His inspired infallible inerrant Word, and His eternally keeping grace. The study of the many proofs of Creation is one of my passions.
I am an avid reader. I used to try to hold my library at 1000 volumes, but now settle for 1500, ranging from the mid-1600s through now–all readers. Much of what I read is reflected in the things I write. I attempt to properly credit those authors, however, it is inevitable, though unintentional, that unattributed thoughts from others will be found. If you notice this, please contact me. It is neither my intention to claim originality nor to use the materials of others without acknowledging their contributions.
If you are local to Tipton County, TN, or plan to visit, (or just plain curious) you might find these links to story maps interesting: Tipton County Historic Places or Tipton County Parks.
Thanks for checking in. Come back anytime.