The Birth of APOTD in Terry's Own Words
Ahoy Mates!
Jack Carson has been pestering me to tell the story of how "Aircraft Pic of the Day" came about. This far down the road and after 100's of nightly attempts to amuse, amaze and entertain I'm not sure if I remember just how it all started. But then I'm old and can't remember to take the keys out of the ignition anymore either. I think I CAN tell you why it came about. We had moved from the small town of Richmond, Mo. the summer between my 4th and 5th grades to St. Joseph, Mo. In Richmond everyone either knew me, knew my parents or was related to me. In St. Joe no one did and I really didn't have any friends for awhile. I remember subscribing to the Mickey Mouse Club Magazine. Like every other 10 year old boy in 1955 I was in love with Annette Funicello. Madly deeply in love. I would race home after school and turn on the box to watch the Mouse Club and Annette. Those guys humping it down to the Perfume River singing the Mouse Club theme song in "Full Metal Jacket" was not something the producer made up. My generation knew the words. I waited and waited for the Mouse Club magazine. I longed for pictures of Annette. Seemingly an eternity of waiting, and I still remember the joy I felt when it appeared in the mailbox at 2805 Charles, From that day hence I have always gotten a kick out of something in the mailbox addressed to me. Both a physical letter or an electronic letter. Cornball I know but then I am and have always been pretty much a cornball kind of guy.
I had been out of the Navy 30 some years and in all that time I had only run across 2 guys I had served with and those very soon after I had gotten out. I longed to see my old shipmates again...just once and I would be happy. Year after year and as long as I can remember the notices came for reunions of my Dad's WWII Seabee outfit. I scoured the VFW and American Legion magazines for any mention of a VS-35 reunion. For years I looked everywhere I knew. Nothing. Then the Fall of 97 I think. My youngest daughter was getting married. We had no money. The wife was going to borrow 5 grand for a wedding reception, and then she took a notion she needed a computer and went and spent 2500 bucks on the 1st Mr. Time Waster. I was livid. We didn't speak for months. To this day she has never used it for anything but playing FreeCell. It sat there unused. Somewhere in the midst of this I had a triple by pass and was home for a month or more. I sat down at the thing to see if I could figure it out and the rest as they say is history.
When I figured out how to get online I started searching for VS-35 and USS Hornet sites. People, people I knew had signed the guestbook at some of them, and I contacted them. I think poor Lt. Mike Ray was one of the first as I found his painting of our lost aircraft on Bob Cruze's Hornet POW/MIA site. I owe Bob Cruze a lot too. Mr. Ray has been the recipient of an awful lot of BS from Terry McGinnis and to my undying gratitude has never complained. Not even once! Back to the story. I had found these friends. They were or had been aviation people and I had been at the airport an awfully long time. I had all these pictures in my drawer that no one had seen but the family and they for the most part could have cared less. I was an inveterate letter writer, and I think without anyone's permission began sending out pictures I hoped they would like. That seemed kinda dry so began adding some commentary as if anyone would read it. To my never-ending surprise some did and some even LIKED IT!! Holy Moly! Now that's a kick! I get to share airplane pictures with my shipmates friends, family, and co workers and they sometimes send me a letter back. Very cool said the barely educated slow minded old fat man. Then shipmate Frank Gooselaw died suddenly and without warning. Lee Dimech had been talking about getting the guys together for a reunion. I thought it a job far beyond my capabilities, but after "Goose" died... well I just had to try. Try I did and with a lot of help my dream of so many years came true in 2001. Without Mr. Time Waster and the begrudged 2599 clans it would never have happened.
We have had our ups and downs at APOTD. Old ones have had enough and dropped off. We have had fiascos that came so close to killing it. But like Clint in Heartbreak Ridge we adapted, Persevered and overcame. New ones come on and still the Ol' Stoof Fixer keeps grinding them out.
For the most part it has been a joy and next to my 4 years in the United States Navy, the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Nothing lasts forever and APOTD won't either but at this point in time it's still fun. People still seem to enjoy reading Stoof Fixer's Saga and I have no plans to retire. As I said I can't guarantee this is exactly how it happened but sitting here tonight it seems like it should have been the way it happened. Thanks to all my loyal readers. You folks are just the best. Without your mailboxes to overflow with Forwards what would this fat old man do. Thanks for enduring it.
Ali Bubba, there you have it. Sorry it took so long.
Terry in KC