The Golden Years

March 2007

In this Issue -                                                                                                                                          Gar Braun- Distinguished gentleman of the Month 

Eric Shackle is OhmyNews's oldest reporter at 87

Welcome to the March edition of “The Golden Years”.  This month I have the privilege of spotlighting my friend Gar Braun.  I met Gar 6 years ago at a “Project Raincheck” meeting for pilots.  Gar invited me to come to an EAA meeting the following month.  I became a member and have worked closely with Gar on several projects.  He and another over 80 former military pilot Tom Baldwin are the two people who inspired this webpage.  

John Sivyer

Editor

Distinguished Gentleman of the Month

This month’s distinguished gentleman is Gar Braun.

Gar was born  June 21st 1920 in Zion, Ill.  He moved to Waukegan (Home of Jack Benny) when he was 3years old He lived there until he was 21.  Gar married Mary Jane Tewes in 1943.  She passed away in 1999.  They were happily married for 56 years.   He has a son, Geoffrey born in 1950 and two grandsons’s Jeremy David born in 1983 and Devin in 1988.   Gar served in the US Navy in active duty as from Feb 1942 to Dec 1945.  He was a pilot and flew the following airplanes in Pacific Combat. The OS2U and SO3C(Seaplanes),  Then SBD-3 thru 5(Dauntless), SB2C(Hell Diver), in training flew N3N, SNV(Vultee Vibrater), SNJ’s and as a test pilot flew the F6F(Hell Cat) and F4U(Corsair) Gar had the good fortune to  met and know several famous people over the years.  Jack Benny- (a friend of the family), Ronald Regan he met 1938.  They both graduated from Eureka, College in Ill.  Charles Lindbergh in 1945,   King Hussein in 1965 and the Shaw of Iran in 1970 in Teheran. I asked Gar if there was any particular food that you think people should not eat.  He replied,  Raw oysters.  This was based on his research and education in Biology.  Gar taught biology in the middle east and at Florida State University.   When asked if there was any food that he really enjoyed that he though has been good for his health, he replied “ Milk. I still drink it usually twice a day.   On the average Gar gets somewhere between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night although seldom continuously.   Gar goes to church regularly but he admits not as regularly as when his wife was alive.  He believes in giving back financially to God and served as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church.

Do you eat fast food?  Yes, but less than once a week Do you Drink Coffee? No, I do drink tea from time to time Do you use tobacco products? No, I never have Do you drink alcohol? Only on very special occasions Do you consider yourself upbeat? Yes, the glass is half full Do you have Faith in God? Yes Other ideas about how you lived so long. Luck

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Eric Shackle is OhmyNews's oldest reporter. At the age of 87, he's chasing stories with the enthusiasm of someone 50 years his junior then writing them in an easy-to-read style honed by six decades of journalistic experience. More 

 

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