Page 49 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2023 - Online Magazine

air force
air traffic
controller—sac

he became Kelly, his wife, Cherry, and their three grandchildren.
certified in tower,
approach, and Though they never dreamed they would end up in
ground control Lubbock, TX, it has been a great place to be. God has
approach (GCA). been good, and the scripture verse in Proverbs 16:9
Having all three (NLT) comes to mind:
certifications “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our
turned out to be steps.”
very beneficial for
his future. And by the way,
his dream of
A memorable becoming a pilot
moment for Paul finally came true
in his work life at in November
Offutt was being 1982, when he
in the tower as received his
the air traffic private pilot’s
controller in license.
charge, directing
General Curtis
LeMay when he piloted his final flight before
retiring.

Paul’s military commitment was up in February
1966, and he was hoping his ATC career would
continue. They moved to LaVila’s hometown,
Bloomfield, Nebraska, where Paul worked in
the local feed mill. Toward the end of that time,
he found out he had been sent a letter from the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that had
gone to his Uncle Paul Henry, who hadn’t thought
it was important. When Paul finally received it,
he contacted the FAA and accepted the job at the
ATC facility in Longmont and began work there
in April 1968. During his career, he was promoted
to management, headed the training department,
taught classes across the nation, and wrote courses
for training on new equipment. Along the way, he
endured the very difficult and devastating ATC Quest and Sons
strike in 1981, when President Reagan fired a huge
number of controllers.

It turned out that his career wasn’t over in July is honored
1999. For several years, in six-month increments, to support
he taught classes of new ATC recruits at the
University of Oklahoma. Then in May 2005, he took our local
a permanent position teaching ATC at OU. In 2009,
when he felt he had completed his work, he and veterans!
LaVila moved to Lubbock to be closer to their son

Lubbock Senior Link 49