SSgt Gordon L.O. Williams, USAF

Gordon L. O. Williams, 8/14/1930-3/18/2011. Lived his entire life in Arvada, CO, except for serving in the USAF during the Korean War. The USAF was still so new they were given Army-issue brown shoes in Basic Training and had to dye them black. He was sent to Japan during the war on a troop ship (and returned the same way), even though he was in the Air Force. His favorite sound on earth was the sound of a massive B-36 bomber with "6 turning' and 4 burnin'" (6 propellor and 4 jet engines). Since he was an electric lineman before the war (and after), he served in the USAF in a similar capacity. His favorite story was about having to transport a high-priority electrical generator control unit from one base to another. This was a brand-new type about the size of a footlocker which he placed in the back of a jeep and headed for the flight line. When he arrived, there was a giant 4-engine C-124 Globemaster waiting for him with the huge nose doors gaping wide and the loading ramps down (you see, the older units were the size of a tractor trailer). The loadmaster looked down at the jeep, shook his head, and said "well, you might as well drive aboard". They flew Gordon and the jeep as the only passenger and cargo to his destination. He left the USAF after the war as a Staff Sergeant.
After getting married and having a son and daughter, he would take his family out to Stapleton International Airport in Denver every chance he got. They stood off the end of the runways to watch the airplanes takeoff and land, and would walk out on the roof of the concourses to watch the airliners in operation (those were the good old days). And (probably not by chance), one of Gordon's main responsibilities as a Lineman (Trouble) for Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCO) was dealing with any electrical problems that would arise at Stapleton Airport. Towards the end of his career he loved to fly on the Public Service King Air turboprop all over the region in his capacity as an expert on Automatic Throw-Overs (ATOs). He got to know the PSCO flight crews quite well and they all had fun playing practical jokes on the passengers who were white-knuckle flyers. Gordon's passion for aviation inspired his son to become a career military and commercial pilot. His life illustrated that you don't have to be a pilot or ground crew to be involved with and truly love aviation.