Woodrow W. Blalock

August 11, 1922 – October 16, 2011

“For the Lord will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.” Psalm 94:14

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” John 6:37

For anyone who knew my Dad, you’d know there was no other way to start Dad’s obituary. Dad passed away on October 16 at approximately 10:15 PM and entered eternity. He went peacefully in his sleep. He outlived the doctor's prognosis by more than a year. He was a fighter. When our Lord calls us home though, it's time. As you read, please forgive me for jumping around a bit. I’ll try to keep things chronologically ordered, but the memories come to me in an order all their own.

“Once on uppa time . . .” Woodrow Wilson Blalock was born on August 11, 1922 in the front room of a small 2 bedroom house on Madeline Street in Alexandria, Louisiana. He was the youngest of 6 siblings – 5 brothers and a sister. Growing up on a dairy farm during the Depression must have certainly been interesting – I know I’d always listen with rapt attention to Dad’s many stories . . . Getting up at 3:30 AM to milk the cows . . . playing hooky from school to go swim in the bayou . . . eating fresh corn bread and pork cracklings (which by the way, I still don’t know exactly what a pork crackling is) . . . riding Prince (the family horse) to and from school . . . His life’s ambition (at age 5) to own a hamburger stand . . . Delivering milk by a horse drawn carriage and later by truck. The list could go on and on. Dad lived the childhood that most boys dream about. Not a childhood with money and affluence, but a childhood filled with adventure, hard work, and valuable lessons for life. Dad accepted Christ early in life. I am not sure when, but do know it was while he was a child. He realized (while still a youth) that though his parents loved him, they could not give him advice and teach him – not in the areas he wanted to grow and develop. His father had a 3rd grade education, and his mother a 7th grade education. They were poor, so they also did not know how to handle money. Dad decided early on to seek his guidance from the bible – most specifically from the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. With the exception of Jesus, Dad reasoned that since God said Solomon (the author of these books) was the smartest and wisest man whom ever lived, he could seek for advice in those books. He committed a multitude of their chapters as well as hundreds of other versus to memory.

Dad graduated Bolton High School in 1940. One of my favorite stories comes next. Dad wanted to go to college and had no money to do so. All through high school (in addition to getting up at 4:00 AM to milk cows, deliver milk, and then go to school by 8:00 AM), Dad was the drum major for the band. Not a drum major like today with a guy simply walking out in front. He entered the stadium with the band doing backflips and twirling single or multiple batons – spinning and throwing them in the air, catching them, passing them between his legs and around his back. It was quite a show. At his LSU college band reunion in 1996, Dad (and many other former band members) got to perform in Tiger stadium in front of the capacity crowd. While Dad could no longer do the backflips, he still twirled, threw, passed, and caught the baton. Wow. Anyhow, Dad had several friends on the football team at Louisiana State Normal College (now called Northwestern) whom he had gone to school with. One in particular was Ralph Priest, whose younger brother Dad had helped to pass Chemistry in high school, and so saved from flunking out. Well, Dad hitch hiked to Louisiana State Normal and asked to be given a band scholarship. He was told no. Everywhere he turned, no was the answer. His friend Ralph heard about it and got all the football players to sign a petition stating they would not play football unless Dad was made Drum Major. A meeting was held later that day with the President of the college, the band director, Ralph and my Dad. The outcome - - Dad was given a job at the gym, made drum major, and granted a scholarship. What a lesson is perseverance and in God’s provision. Dad later transferred to LSU (Louisiana State University), lead the band as drum major there, and joined ROTC. Dad did not complete his degree at that time though since WWII came around. He resigned from ROTC and LSU, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps In 1943.

Dad has told me many times what a blessing WWII was to him, though it was not until many years later that he could look back to realize it. Dad went through training to become a navigator and bombardier. He graduated and was assigned to Harlingen Field, Texas in 1945 for combat crew training in the B-29. He was set to deploy to Asia for combat with Japan. The war ended before he was deployed, and so he was mercifully spared from that war. He was next assigned to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia where he attended the Adjutant General School. At this juncture, Dad resigned his commission and went back to civilian life. He planned to make a go of a business venture with his brother Bob to own and operate a dairy. That venture did not work out for them, and Dad hastily went back to the nearest Army base, rejoined the Army Air Corps, and was assigned to Kelly AFB, Texas. It is now 1946. At this juncture is one of my favorite stories.

The Army reassigned Dad to the Army Corps of engineers. He didn’t like this because it meant he would cease receiving flight pay (which is an extra salary payment paid to fliers due to the hazards of their duty). So, he jumped on a military plane and flew to Washington DC, to the Pentagon. Once there, he sought out the personnel office of the Army Air Corps - - soon to become the US Air Force. He asked them if he could stay in the Air Corps. Yes was the reply – we need Weather Officers. All he had to do was to get a release order signed by the Army personnel office. So, Dad continued his trek through the Pentagon to the Army personnel office. There he met a major – the General’s aid. The major listened impassively as Dad explained what he wanted. The major told him no. Well, Dad was very dejected, and went and sat down at a café in the Pentagon. He soon noticed large numbers of people coming and going. He looked at his watch and realized it was almost noon - - lunch time. He reasoned that the major was likely now at lunch too, so he went back to the personnel office. Sure enough, the major was gone and only the secretary was present. Dad went in and told her he needed to get the General’s signature on his release order. She brightly said, “Oh, I can do that - - I have the General’s stamp.” So - - presto - - Dad was now back in the Army Air Corps. He went to pre-meteorology School at Keesler Field Mississippi, followed by advance weather school at Chanute Field Illinois. He was there from 1946 to 1947.

Dad wanted to be a pilot, and realized that he would soon be too old to go to pilot training. So, he submitted his application to go to pilot training. He was turned down because of all the training he had already undergone for meteorology. He was discussing this problem with his roommate. You know how good ole country boys can be . . his roommate said, “hell, write yourself up a set of orders and I’ll sign them. Nobody will be the wiser.” So Dad did just that, and his roommate was right. The orders were processed and Dad was reassigned to Randolf AFB, Texas, and began pilot training. 1947 and 1948 were bittersweet years for Dad. His father (David Frank Blalock) died, and I think the emotional strain affected Dad greatly as he did not complete pilot training. He was reassigned to the Air Weather Service and sent to Bergstrom AFB, Texas. The sweet part of this time was the entrance of my Mom (Barbara).

My Mom (Barbara) and Dad met in 1948. Romance blossomed, and Dad proposed. Mom said no. She too had recently lost a parent – her mother, was grieving, and thought it her duty to stay and take care of her father and brother. Mom is a woman of great character. Well, Dad accepted her answer and soon left the States for a new assignment in Wiesbaden, Germany (the Berlin Airlift was starting). Obviously, Mom ended up having second thoughts. Since her Dad was a retired Colonel in the Army, she was familiar with military bases, locations, etc. All she knew was that Dad had gone to Wiesbaden, so she had the military-base telephone-operator call the Wiesbaden Officer’s Club. She had the attendant at the Officer’s Club page for Dad in the club (a manual process since there was no speaker system there). What Mom did not know was that Dad had been reassigned to a different base several months earlier. But by coincidence (really God’s providential hand), Dad “happened” to be passing through Wiesbaden on TDY (temporary duty) and “happened” to be in the Officer’s Club at that moment in time to eat a meal. So she reached Dad, and about a month later sailed (on the Queen Mary – the original one) to England. They were married on February 19, 1949 in the U.K. While on their honeymoon, they attended church at the Westminster Abby. This was the “premiere” church in England since it was the church where the King and Queen, and all their forebears attended since the church’s founding. The day they attended, the King and Queen (George VI and Elizabeth) were also present. If you’ve seen the movie “The King’s Speech” – that’s the guy. Anyhow, somebody evidently told them that a young American serviceman and his bride were honeymooning and were in the congregation. The King and Queen looked over and made eye contact with Mom and Dad, smiled and nodded in recognition of their marriage. From what my parents have told me, the English were so grateful for America’s involvement and sacrifice to save their nation during WWII, they wanted to express it in any way they could. They new the meaning of “The Greatest Generation” long before Tom Brokaw made the phrase popular. Their first meal as husband and wife was fish and chips – eaten out of the newspaper it was served on.

Over this time period (1948-1949), Dad served in Wiesbaden, Germany as Weather Officer. Dad then served in Frankfurt, Germany as Weather Officer and as a navigator, and flew in the Berlin Airlift. More specifically, I should say he was the navigator for the “Candy Bomber”. The Candy Bomber was a plane made famous during the Berlin Airlift because it’s crew started dropping candy from the plane during their approaches to Berlin to deliver supplies. IT had been years since the children of Berlin had had any sort of treats, and so the crew took compassion on them. It became a world-wide news story, and the Air Force began having all of its planes drop candy. It was called “Operation Little Vittles.” HBO did a special on the Berlin Airlift several years ago. It is one of my favorite documentaries to watch. What was all the more exciting for me was to see Dad’s picture in one of the footage shots shown in the documentary. Wow. For a little boy to see his Dad enshrined in the annuls of history - - there’s nothing better. The Berlin Air Lift came to an end in 1949, and Dad was transferred to the 97th bomb wing in Marham, England (and later to HQ in London), where he was the weather officer. He had one more stint in Wiesbaden, and then in 1950, transferred back to Bergstrom AFB, Texas. In 1951, Dad transferred to Rapid City, South Dakota as the base weather officer. In 1952, Dad transferred back to Randolf AFB, Texas and started combat crew training for the Korean War. Tragedy struck, and on Mother’s Day 1953, Mom (pregnant with their first child) experienced a tubular pregnancy and miscarried the child. Mom and Dad were told they would never be able to have children again. Dad left for the Korean War theater 2 weeks later.

At this point, I have to apologize and beg your indulgence. The notes and records I have mostly end at this point, and so I must resort to the memories my mother, sisters, and I have. I may get a few things out of place, and get a name or two wrong. Please forgive me Dad. Knowing and telling your history is so very important to me.

Though the Cold War started with the erection of the Berlin wall, The Korean War was really the first “hot” part of the war since it involved actual combat. Dad was stationed in Japan, and flew many combat missions (40+ I believe). I remember a story Dad told me about being on a particular mission and being a little mixed up in their exact whereabouts. On that day, they bombed Mainland China instead of North Korea. Rules of engagement then were to not bomb China. There were no civilian casualties, just a destroyed bridge – one being used by the enemy. He had a twinkle in his eyes at the time he told me this story, so I suspect they weren’t all that lost. Another time in flight, they decided they wanted to get pictures of a volcano (in Japan), and so they flew over the volcano. Due to the temperature differences in the air, the whole plane was sucked into the mouth of the volcano. They were able to fly back out of course, their only casualties a few messy pairs of underwear. To listen to Mom talk of these times involve long periods of silence and vacuuming. She lived in dread through those days of the Base Chaplain showing up at her doorstep to deliver bad news. Praise God – he preserved Dad. He had many more plans for Dad to fulfill. Dad spent a total of 6-7 months in the war zone flying combat. He returned 2 days before Christmas, 1953, which they spent in Alexandria with Dad’s family.

Dad continued in the Air Weather Service in his next assignment to El Paso Texas (1954), and a year later to Houston, Texas. 1956 and some of 1957 were spent in sunny Eglin AFB (in the pan handle of Florida). While at Eglin, comes another of Dad’s stories. On a particular day, this plane was carrying live (atomic) munitions. There was a malfunction with the bomb release mechanism, and shortly into takeoff – an atomic bomb was released and dropped on the runway at Eglin. As you may have noted from your history books, there never was an atomic explosion in Florida. The bomb had not been armed, and so simply was a large object hitting the tarmac. It did put a big hole in the tarmac though. Over the years, Dad had been working to complete his college degree, and had continued doing so at Eglin. What a trooper my mom was in those years. Dad was on temporary duty much of the time, and so Mom would audit his classes for him, take notes, and catch him up on what he missed when he would return. She is a big reason he passed and was ultimately able to attain his (yet-to-be awarded) degrees. The hard work paid off, and Dad was next assigned to the District of Columbia (Washington DC), and attended school at the University of Maryland. Dad earned a B.A. in Political Science. And even better - - while there, Mom (in opposition to the Doctor’s early pronouncement) conceived and gave birth to Betty Louise Blalock in 1958.

I guess Dad really had the school bug now, because he applied for and got accepted into a Master’s Program in Electrical Engineering at Oklahoma State University (OSU). So their family of 3 picked up and moved to Stillwater, OK. All of Dad’s meteorology classes came in handy and allowed him to validate many courses. Dad completed the program and received a M.S.E.E. from OSU. While living in Stillwater, they went through a large flood. So large in fact that the water burst through a wall in their house, filling the ground floor of the house to a depth of ~ 2 feet. Their china buffet still shows the watermarks from that flood. And then there were 4. Just like last time (in continued opposition to the Doctor’s earlier pronouncement), Mom conceived and gave birth to Christine Lucillee Blalock in 1960.

Since Dad was now in possession of a technical degree, his career path changed in the Air Force and he migrated out of the operational Air Force and into the research and development. His next assignment was to Dyess AFB in Abilene Texas, where he worked on the development of missiles. Next came an assignment to Vandenberg AFB, and so they moved to Lompoc, CA. Dad continued working on such missiles as the Atlas, Minuteman and Minuteman II. His last AF assignment was to Norton AFB, where they lived in Highland CA. What is significant to me in his last assignment is this marked my entrance into the world – Michael David Blalock, born 1966. Dad retired as a Major from the Air Force 8 months later having served 23 years. And so starts his second career.

Dad soon went to work in the aerospace industry, and over the next 6 years, worked at McDonnell Douglas Aircraft, and Litton Industries. For a time, he would take the family camper and live in it for part of the week, commuting back in the middle of the week and on weekends. He soon found however that commuting from Hiland to Los Angeles in this fashion was too much. So in 1969, Mom, Dad, and us 3 kids moved to LaPalma, CA. Our house was 7891 Barbi Lane. This house was to be their home for the next 35 years.

In 1972, Dad decided to take a break from work. A life-long dream of his had been to be a pastor. So Dad applied, was accepted, and went back to school at the Talbot Theological Seminary (collocated with Biola University in Los Angeles, CA). Dad graduated seminary in 1976 with a Masters in Divinity. Also during this time, Dad formed a small company called “Bramber House”, which was a land holding and mobile home park company. The name Bramber House is significant. When Mom and Dad were first married, their first house they lived in was in England. In many parts of England, they don’t number their houses, they name them. Mom and Dad lived in Bramber House – the garden cottage on a large estate. In ~1977, Dad returned to work in the aerospace industry, this time with Northrop. A new (secret) program was starting up. We didn’t know what this secret program was until President Clinton’s first term in office where he revealed the existence of the B-2 Stealth Aircraft for the first time. Dad retired from Northrop in 1988 and began his final career.

In 1988, Mom and Dad attended the 40th reunion of the Berlin Airlift, held in Berlin Germany. Upon returning home from the trip, Dad had a request on the answering machine from a friend he’d made while in seminary – Dr Rigsby. Dr Rigsby wanted Dad to come and be an associate Pastor at Bell Garden’s Baptist Church in Bell Gardens, CA. Dad accepted, and for the next 15 years served as associate Pastor. Dad had always liked teaching and preaching, but it was here that God gave my mother and him a special calling – Visitation Pastor. Dad took special pride and joy in visiting with, comforting, witnessing to, praying with . . . all the people on his visitation list. It didn’t matter if you attended church or not. If you got on Dad’s list – he would love on you. When Mom and Dad left Bell Garden’s Baptist Church in 2004 for their final move (to Oklahoma), I am told there were several who were weeping at the impending loss of their Pastor and friend. Dad loved that church, the people, and especially Reverend Dr Rigsby and Reverand Jim Covington. In these men, he had found a bond. Also – an interesting side note. Dad really had 2 careers during this time. Dad purchased special tickets from Continental Airlines that allowed them to fly anywhere Continental flew and for as many times as they wanted to fly. Over the next 10 or so years, they saw the world - - again. Only this time they went as tourists instead of in combat. South America . . . Australia . . . New Zealand . . . Alaska & most every state . . . Moscow, USSR . . . all over Europe . . . basically any place and every place you could name. They spent some of their time in Russia (Moscow) handing out bibles in Red Square. They went on several trips to the Holy land and to Turkey. These trips were in conjunction with Dr Rigsby and the classes he taught at the university. So – they actually went as students, and were expected to perform like students – even receiving a grade and credit for the class. Dad and Mom climbed and toured Masada, sung hymns in the same churches started by the Apostle Paul, rode a camel, visited the Wailing Wall (the foundation that remains of Solomon’s Temple), and much more. These Holy Land trips were the peak and pinnacle of their traveled lives.

In 2004, Mom and Dad relocated to Oklahoma City, OK – their present home on Hefner Road in OKC. Dad attended Oakdale Baptist Church, and became the visitation Pastor. He and Mom spent 5+ years visiting and endearing themselves to many in need. Of special note are the friendships developed Dr Bill Hale, Jim and Jeanette Hall, and Steve Boone. All of them visited Dad continually throughout his period of illness. They faithfully attended him. Prayed with him. Sung hymns with him. Cried with him. My sister Christine spent much of Dad’s last year with him, caring for him. She lives in California. What a testament to her love and devotion. That last year was especially tough on everyone.

Mom – Dad would want you to know he is not gone, only moved on. He had one more move to make. One day you will join him, as will I.

Dad – I am saying this more for my own sake than yours since you are now in Heaven. Don’t worry about Mom, I will take care of her. All my life you said, “P C A – Patience Conquers All”. I’ve tried to learn and practice that. I will practice it now. I love you and miss you. I look forward to seeing you again in your perfected body.

Love,

Mike

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 22, 2011 at Oakdale Bapitst Church ( Sooner & Hefner Road) Edmond, Oklahoma with Reverend Justin Ford officiating. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, October 24, 2011 at Ft. Sill National Cemetery, Elgin, Oklahoma. Burial will follow at Ft. Sill after full Military Honors. Arrangements under the direction of Bill Eisenhour Funeral Home, Oklahoma City, OK.