Page 40 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2025 - Online Magazine

Stewart (Mr. Stu) Childre
Aviator, Adventurer, and
AWESOME EXAMPLE
hen my friend, Crash,
invited me to his Trail Life
Wtroop meeting, I willingly
accepted the invitation. (Trail Life is
a faith-based, scout-like organization
that focuses on character and skills- encouragement and enlisted in the
development in boys.) When we got
to the meeting on LCU's campus, an
old guy came up and shook hands
with Crash. He looked at me and
said, “Who is this outlaw?” My
first thought was, “Oh great, this
is probably just some grouchy old
man.” But boy was I wrong!
His name is Stewart Childre (or Mr.
Stu, as the troop calls him), and I
quickly found out that there’s much
more to him than meets the eye. In
fact, he’s turned out to be the most
adventurous guy I’ve ever met.
Stewart was born in 1941 in Dallas.
His dad was an aviation enthusiast
and was drafted in the middle
40 Lubbock Senior Link
Exceptional
SENIORS
by Gavin Elder
Gavin Randall Elder
Gavin Randall Elder is a 16-year old homeschool freshman
in high school. He loves learning about God and outdoor
adventure with Trail Life TX-0619 and thoroughly enjoys his
work at the Wolfforth Farmers Market.
of WWII. When he went to basic was in front, calling the shots as the
training, he left Stewart and his mom platoon leader. It was definitely a win
with a Taylorcraft airplane, but no car. or lose situation.”
When Stewart became a teenager, his
dad was still crazy about aviation. So, Looking back at that day, Mr. Stu
the young man learned how to fly, commented, “Our performance
soloed at 16, and earned his private would reflect on our Drill Instructor
license at 17 and a commercial professionally; we were the product
certificate at 18. His flight instructor of his work. While we awaited our
encouraged him to pursue a flying turn, the Drill Instructor came out
career with the Marines, but it was and walked over to our formation
only at the end of his sophomore year to ‘motivate’ us. The Platoon Leader
at Abilene Christian College (1962) called us to attention, faced us to the
that he acted on his flight instructor’s front, and we stood there at attention
in the heat for what seemed like
USMC’s Platoon Leaders Class (PLC). an eternity, with the Drill Sargent
After the transformative time at PLC just looking at us. Finally, he said
training, he was sent to Quantico, ‘Gentlemen, at this game you had
Virginia. better get in the habit of winning.’
Then he turned and went back to
On the morning of the Field Day HQ.”
competition, it was especially hot,
with the temperature pushing 100 After Stewart returned home to San
degrees, and the humidity not far Antonio, he married the love of his
behind. His drill team formed up life, Judy. They had been high school
outside the company barracks, and sweethearts. Though they had gone
they stood at a half-face so their to different schools, they went to the
shadows would fall across the toes of same church youth group. Stewart
their boots to protect the spit-shine. went to Abilene Christian College
while Judy earned an associate
Their team’s leadership was from degree in San Antonio. They married
their own platoon; none of the in June 1963, a month before the
training staff was involved that young Marine was to leave for the
morning. “One of our own guys second increment of his USMC