In Memoriam

I just got word via email that a friend and colleage from my time with the Enterprise Team just passed away unexpectedly. Peter Jarvis was one of our command pilots back in 1995 (I can't believe it's been that long). He was a cool customer and serious about his work, yet he had a remarkable sense of humor.

Peter lived in Seattle, Washington and attended the Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama 10 times since 1985. One trip was to Aviation Challenge with Enterprise Team founder, Rich Kolker. They took home the Top Gun award. Peter helped take several groups of kids to the Ames Research Center and once was invited to fly the Ames Vertical Motion Simulator for an hour doing practice Shuttle landings. Peter was a SCUBA diver and a private pilot with a Cessna 172. In the airplane hangar he also kept a 1964 Thunderbird convertible that he restored.

Peter died of a heart attack. It was totally unexpected.  He was in good shape and there were no warnings.

Peter was a great guy, a good friend, a forward thinker and we will all miss him terribly. It seems that so many people are leaving us these days. Let's all stop and think about that and appreciate them while they're still with us.

Excelsior Peter.

/LOS TDRS West

File under Space, The Final Frontier.
 

8:20:07 AM    Go ahead, make my day  []  trackback []  

Self Help Remedy?

I represent construction contractors all the time. Apparently, this is a new form of alternative dispute resolution:

PHOENIX -- Two firefighters and a former firefighter have been arrested in Phoenix for allegedly setting a blaze that destroyed a newly built suburban home.

Authorities believe the three torched a 10,000-square-foot home just before Christmas in a deal with a colleague who ran a construction business as a second job.

The Maricopa County sheriff said the contractor conspired with the three because the homeowners hadn't paid him in full. The contractor has not yet been arrested.

The owners of the $1.5 million home say they had a dispute with the contractor about the quality of his work.

File under Stuff That Don't Fit Anywhere Else.

7:46:14 AM    Go ahead, make my day  []  trackback []