After graduating from Isaac Litton HS in Nashville, I attended Tennessee Polytechnic Institute in Cookeville, Tennessee (aka- TPI). After a much enlightening college career, I received my BS in Accounting along with my commission in the United States Army. I graduated on a Friday and reported for active duty on Monday at Fort Jackson, South Carolina with my good buddy Larry Bonine. I stayed there for a couple of months waiting for my Basic Officers Course to begin at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I was detailed to Artillery for two years since I had received a Regular Army Commission in the Adjutant General Corps and all Regular Army officers had to have two years in a combat arm. Upon graduation from the Field Artillery Basic Officers Course in October of 1967, I received my first assignment to the Third Armored Division in Germany. While at Fort Sill, I ran into our good friend PFC Bob Beckett who was also there in Basic Training. After 1 ½ years in the little town of Gelnhausen I was sent to Third Armored Division Headquarters in Frankfurt where I spent the rest of my time in Germany.Germany was a great assignment which allowed me to see most of Europe. From Frankfurt you can be in almost any country in Europe in two hours of driving time. While in Germany I got to meet up with Bonine a couple of times. Butch Tindell was with him the first time and the second time I got to meet the famous and very special Rose Mary later to become Mrs. Bonine. At that time, our dollar was worth 4 times what the German currency was worth and it made traveling and purchasing goodies quite favorable. At the end of May 1967 I received orders to report to Qui Nhon Vietnam. I arrived in Vietnam on July 4th 1967 and left Vietnam in July 1968 for my final assignment in Shreveport, LA. where I finished my active duty career in the Army the end of December 1969.
After coming off of active duty, I joined the Tennessee Army National Guard in May of 1970 and remained there until July 1992 retiring as a Colonel with 28 ½ years of service. In February of 1969, I went to work for National Life Insurance Company in the College Division. I went to work for CNA Insurance Company in 1971 where I was the Resident Sales manager for Special Risk. After three years I went to the brokerage side of the business with Martin Hayes and Company. Our agency was bought by Marsh and McLennan in 1986 and I remained with Marsh as Vice President and Head of Office for Seabury and Smith the Employee Benefits Division of Marsh. I left Marsh in 1996 and went to work for the management firm The Harvard Group who was hired by Vanderbilt to run and develop their HMO program. I was the Director of Sales for Commercial business until Vanderbilt took over the operation in 1998. I then started my own consulting firm and was the Employee Benefits Consultant for two large manufacturing companies in Nashville and Ashland City. I ended my insurance career except for a couple of clients in January 2008. I am still dabbling in the business of insurance.
After completing my Officer Basic Course at Ft. Sill I married Virginia Simpkins and we were married for about 6 ½ years during which we had a daughter Nicole Danielle. Nicole lives with her husband Todd and our three grand children, TJ, Lauren and Jack in Huntsville, AL. In 1971 Virginia and I got a divorce and a few months later I met Jo and we were married in 1973. On April 14th of 2013, Jo McGaughy and I will celebrate our 40th anniversary. To celebrate we are going on a 14 day cruise in the Caribbean where we will be on the boat on her birthday and Thanksgiving. Jo and I have a daughter, Sydney Jo, who is single and works in the insurance business here in Nashville.
We have lived in the Cool Springs area for the last 6 years. We get to Florida where we have a condo in Sandestin as much as we can and I go fishing in Canada two times and year with a couple of my National Guard buddies. I still play golf occasionally, though not as much as I need to or once did. I still have a couple of clients I work with for their employee benefits. I am on the Board of the Northwest YMCA and do some volunteer work for the Boy Scouts of America and like a lot of old folks work the polls on elections.
