Bob Craft

Comments:

LIFE

After graduating from OHS, I went to Oregon Tech in Klamath Falls, Oregon. In 1963, I got married and by 1965, we had 2 children, Angie and Steve. However, by this time she had decided she didn't want to be married to me (she had someone else she wanted to marry) so she divorced me in December 1965. In February 1966, she remarried and I was drafted into the US Army. I spent almost 2 years in the Army and was discharged in December 1967. In 1968, I got married again. She had 2 children, Doug and Cara, whom I adopted and we had a set of twins, David and Allana. Allana passed away at the age of 1 day. In 1978, the marriage wasn't working and we divorced. In 1980, I married the love of my life and my best friend, Sue. We celebrated 34 years of marriage in February 2014. Sue and I have 3 children. Andy is 33 and graduated from the University of Idaho in May 2003 with a degree in Computer Science and is currently working as a programer for Boise Company in Boise, Idaho. He married Amber Upchurch on August 16, 2008. Andy and Amber had their first child (our first grand-daughter), Lillian Maureen Craft, on September 3, 2011. Andy and Amber had their second daughter, Charlotte Susan Craft on October 19, 2014. Matt is 31 and graduated in May 2008 from the University of Idaho with a degree in Virtual Technology and Design and minors in computer science and architecture. Matt is currently working as a multimedia developer for HDR Engineering in Boise, Idaho. Lindsay is 30 and graduated from the University of Idaho in December 2006 with a degree in Accounting and a degree in Finance. She married Joe Santoro on July 15, 2006 and is a Manager, Finance with ConAgra/Lamb Weston in Eagle, Idaho. Lindsay and Joe had their first child (our first grand-son) on June 6, 2011. Brody Joseph Santoro was a big boy weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces. Lindsay and Joe had their second son, Liam Joseph Santoro, on August 23, 2013. I retired from Qwest Communications (formerly US West) in September, 2000 after 36 1/2 years. Sue left Qwest in July, 2001 and officially retired in July, 2003 with 31 1/2 years. I went back to work part time with the Idaho Transportation Department in August, 2002. I retired from the Idaho Transportation Department on August 24, 2007. No more working for me.





In 1974, I started flying hang gliders. I was a part owner of The Hang Glider Shop in Boise for several years. We sold a few gliders and gave a lot of lessons. I posted some hang gliding pictures at http://westescalante.com/hg1.htm. I flew hang gliders until 1982 when we were transferred to Utah for 3 years and I found that I just didn't have the time for flying plus working and family. In my flying career, I was lucky enough to have survived several unscheduled landings (crashes usually the result of an aborted takeoff) and only spent one night in a hospital.

MILITARY

I was drafted into the in February 1966. I went through basic at Ft Ord, California. After basic, I was sent to Ft Lewis, Washington. In November 1966, I was on temporary duty for 60 days at Edgewood Army Arsenal, Maryland. While I was there, I was a medical volunteer (human guinea pig). My first job there was to dress in cold weather gear and ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes in a freezer at 20 below zero while wearing a gas mask. They were testing different compounds to reduce condensation on the lenses of the gas mask. I did this daily for several weeks. Later I was hospitalized and injected with a drug that made my blood stop clotting. I was in the hospital for several days until the drug's effect wore off. I always thought it was an exotic drug but in 2008, I found out it was only heparin. In 1967, I volunteered for an all expenses paid vacation trip in beautiful Southeast Asia. I arrived in Vietnam in April 1967 at Cam Rahn Bay and was sent to Di An and assigned to the 595th Signal Company which supported the 1st Infantry Division. Since my unit supported the 1st Division , we also had the honor of participating with them on night ambush patrols. I was the one who carried the M60 machine gun. There is nothing like going out into the jungle at night and laying down and realizing that you are lying on an ant hill. We did have some fun, though. We did a little water skiing on the Saigon river. This was a lot of fun if you didn't mind someone taking a shot at you once in a while. We also consumed a fair amount of alcohol. I have posted pictures of my time in Vietnam at http://1967vacation.westescalante.com. (If you visit my site, please sign the guest book so I will know you were there.) I returned to the US and was discharged from the Army in December 1967.

OTHER

Somebody suggested that I include this picture on my profile.

Keep this in mind: with photos as in life, all things are not necessarily true.


In May 2013, I started a new job. I drive a parking lot shuttle van at the Boise VA Hospital on Monday mornings from 8Am to 12Noon.






Brody Joseph Santoro - Born 6-6-11







Lillian Maureen Craft - Born 9-3-11







Liam Joseph Santoro - Born 8-23-13







Charlotte Susan Craft - Born 10-19-14

School Story:

Two of the parties named in this story are deceased and therefore unable to dispute this story but I think they would remember it and have a laugh. I am not naming the third party because I don't want to incriminate him but if he reads this, he will remember.

In the Fall of '61, on a Friday night, Bill Bezates (OHS class of '63), another guy and I decided we needed to have some beer. We talked to Skip McCoshum who we knew had the means to procure some beer for us. We ended up with a couple of six packs. Bill, Unnamed Guy, and I headed to Weiser for some unknown reason. We were drinking our beer and Bill was driving his parent's green '59 Chevy. Bill came to a stop sign and saw a cop car. Bill panicked and ran the stop sign. With the fear of his parent's wrath and time in jail, Bill hit the gas. The cops turned on the red light on the top of their car and the chase was on.

Bill headed for the Oregon border with the cop car in pursuit. We were rapidly pulling away from the cop car but we knew he must have a radio and was radioing ahead to the Oregon State Police and the Ontario Police. As we went up the hill on the Oregon side of the border out of Weiser, we pitched the remaining beer out the window. We hit the highway towards Ontario and were going at least 100 - 110 mph. Time has faded that memory.

The highway to Ontario on the Oregon Slope has several 90 degree turns in it. When we hit the first one, Bill decided that, rather than taking it as fast as we were going, he would continue straight on a gravel road. In the distance behind us, we could see the red light on the top of the cop car flashing. We weren't sure where we were going but Bill knew the area. He decided to take a left turn at the next intersection. We were going so fast when he hit the turn that he slid the car off the road into the borrow pit. Since we were going so fast, he just kept kept the gas pedal down and we fishtailed back on to the road. When we got to the next intersection, Bill decided to turn right. Again, since we were going so fast, Bill slid the car off the side of the road when he made the turn and fishtailed it back on to the road. The cop car was far behind at this point (at least a mile or more).

Bill took several other turns onto gravel roads and we ended up parking and hiding somewhere in a field near the Bezates Ranch on Oregon Slope. We knew the cops had never been close enough to get the license number so all they had was a description of the car. We hid out for several hours and then took the back routes into Ontario. We were scared that we would somehow get caught but we never did.

I don't think we ever went back to Weiser in Bill's car again. We did go back several days later to where we had pitched the beer out but we were unable to find any of it.