I was born and raised in Durant, Oklahoma and educated at Durant High School and Southeastern Oklahoma State College (now University).  My major was music education. While in College, I worked as an embalmer and funeral director.

I am also a graduate of two advanced music programs at the Naval School of Music in Little Creek Virginia.

I am a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Bandmaster and Trombone and Tuba performer. I retired at Fort Huachuca, AZ in 1979 after being assigned from Korea in 1970, and after twenty-six years of service.  

My military service saw me stationed in:  

  • Fort Lee, Virginia 392nd Army Band
  • Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 371st Army Band
  • Orleans, France 76th Army Band
  • Presidio of San Francisco Sixth Army Band
  • Norfolk, Virginia Naval School of Music
  • Fort Lewis, Washington 21st Army Band
  • 2nd Infantry Division Band in Korea
  • Fort Huachuca, AZ 36th Army Band my terminal assignment.  

My computer career began in Orleans, France in 1959. There was this luscious, willowly blonde who was a computer programmer on the old UNIVAC mainframe and suddenly I developed a fierce interest in computers, but alas, she left France, and you can guess the rest of the story.

I met my wife, Carol Jean while I was stationed at Fort Leavenworth in 1959 before I went to France. We were married December 31, 1960 in Chicago, her hometown. She returned to France with me where we remained until December 1962. Our Son, Ruel T Jr was born in Orleans France March 16, 1962. Our Daughter, Carla Jean was born September 30, 1967 in Tacoma, Washington. Carla died January 4, 1988 in Sierra Vista. Click here to view a memorial.

When I retired from the Army in 1979 I was faced with a problem--what do I do with my life. The house was paid off and we had no bills. I tried the "watch television" thing, and caught up on all the little things. This lasted about two months and I decided I had better start doing something structured. I found out quickly that the demand for Bandmasters and musicians in general wasn't all that great.

I got a job as a security guard working the night shift on top of a mountain. No one up there but me and the animals so I started taking classes at Cochise Community College and did my homework at night on the mountaintop. After about six months, I "bubbled to the top" and became Project Manager of the Security contract, a job I held six years.

In the spring of 1983, Dr. Charles LaClair, Chair of the Business Department at Cochise College said "Tom, lets go to lunch". My hand went over my wallet and the radar turned on. Seems that the Army had purchased a number of Kaypro computers (which used the old CP/M operating system) and needed an instructor to teach folks how to use them. That was the start of my teaching career, something I am still doing--part-time. Classes I teach or have taught are:

By 1989 I was burned out in the Security business and was hired full time by Cochise College as chief troubleshooter for the IT department, a job I held until I retired in January 2007.

My duties in this job included:

Now that I am "retired"--I still work 4 or 5 hours a day when I need or want to taking care of outlying areas, I spend my time at my home network (four computers), gardening, and doing yard work. I am a licensed Ham radio operator KC7WKQ and I delve into that when the mood strikes. I also do commercial websites. Here is one.

If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't do anything differently. It's been a blast!

Click here for a photo slide show
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