Staunton Star - Times - Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years

Ode to my grandfather

I am writing because I would like to surprise my grandfather Fred Horky. He is a regular reader of your paper despite moving away years ago and living in North Carolina. He was born and raised in a house on Wood Street in Staunton.

I've grown up listening to the stories of adventures from before I came around, these stories from many different important times that gave a real perspective to events. Concordia is a fairly large social club which was directly behind the family house my great-grandfather built not long after he arrived from "the Old Country"... then part of the Austrian Empire.

The "fish camp" was a mine pond of a completely closed mine "Number 14." My great-great-grandfather and a small group of friends leased the pond for a dollar a year to operate as a private fishing club. My grandfather has fond memories of swimming there. He also has fond memories of WLS airport in Staunton where he worked before operation was moved to Litchfield Municipal Airport.

My grandather went to Parks College with Gene Krantz who later became an engineer at NASA who directed the Apollo 13 mission.

One of my personal favorites is the story of when my grandfather built a rocket in his father's shop. I am very jealous about this one because I would love to build a functioning jet engine! Despite the fire hazard that nearly burnt down his father's shop, I thought it was the coolest thing ever that he could just go and build something like that.

My grandpa served 22 years beginning in 1954 in the USAF with tours in Vietnam and he is responsible for my love of flight. I want to fly just like he did, and every time I see a C-130 in the sky I think of him. He has helped mold me into who I am today, and I look forward to his stories every time I see him.

Sincerely,

Ben Doyan (age 17)

Charlotte, N.C.