Baseball

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Horseracing

Native Diver is my all-time favorite horse.

Native Diver was blessed with wonderful abilities and also cursed with a tendency to suffer injuries. The one thing that you had to admire in that horse was his unwillingness to quit, and I think that it had such a profound impact on me that I modeled that trait into my own life and career. One of my co-workers gave me the following verse to make fun of my "never give-in" mentality:

Winners never quit,

Quitters never win,

But those who never win and never quit, are idiots!

Getting back to Native Diver, he had a wonderful trainer (Michael Millerick) who finally allowed the horse to achieve to his capabilities. He won the Hollywood Gold Cup (the signature race at the former Hollywood Park Race Track) for three consecutive years (as shown on the cup you gave me), the final one in 1967 by beating the best horse in the United States who had traveled from the East to try and win this race. Native Diver literally buried this eastern invader!!

After his final Gold Cup victory, Native Diver traveled to Del Mar and won the Del Mar Handicap (Del Mar’s most prestigious race) and was being shipped to Northern California when he developed a bad case of colic and died. I was so sad, but the memory of that great horse has never faded from my mind.

excerpt from a September 2019 email from Harry to friend Caroline

thanking her for the cup

Always the Engineer

Harry received 5 radiation treatments in May 2020 to try to shrink the tumors and reduce the pain prior to starting immunotherapy. On the day of his 5th radiation treatment, I was surprised to see him exiting the Oncology Center carrying a plastic mold of his head, neck and shoulders.

Harry explained by first reciting one of his favorite jokes:

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the midst of the French Revolution the revolting citizens led a priest, a drunkard and an engineer to the guillotine.

They ask the priest if he wants to face up or down when he meets his fate. The priest says he would like to face up so he will be looking towards heaven when he dies. They raise the blade of the guillotine and release it. It comes speeding down and suddenly stops just inches from his neck. The authorities take this as divine intervention and release the priest.

The drunkard comes to the guillotine next. He also decides to die face up, hoping that he will be as fortunate as the priest. They raise the blade of the guillotine and release it. It comes speeding down and suddenly stops just inches from his neck. Again, the authorities take this as a sign of divine intervention, and they release the drunkard as well.

Next is the engineer. He, too, decides to die facing up. As they slowly raise the blade of the guillotine, the engineer suddenly says, "Hey, I see what your problem is ..."

Harry said that he WAS "that" engineer - despite the seriousness of his condition, Harry, ever the consummate engineer, could not pass up the opportunity to learn how the mold was made and its purpose (to hold the upper body still while being irradiated ...), and then to pose with it.

The oncology staff commented that this was the first time anyone ever asked if they could take their mold home.

His NASA Clock

(and friends)

His Time Clock

One of our hobbies was to window shop at antique stores. Whenever we visited the store in San Mateo, Harry ditched me at the entrance to visit "his" clock (an antique time-clock).

On his 48th birthday (1986), I suggested that we visit his clock and then go out to lunch. He leapt at the chance.

When he arrived, however, he was disappointed to see a huge blue bow and a sign that said "Happy Birthday, Harry!!!"

Harry's first response was sadness that his clock had apparently been sold. He then brightened and yelled: "I'm Harry, and today is my birthday!!"

On that cue, the staff of the antique store gathered around and sang "Happy Birthday."

His Hounddog

Early in our marriage, I dropped something onto one of Harry's beloved possessions, a ceramic "hounddog" valet that held his watch and his wallet. The dog did not fare well - it snapped at the neck and at the tail. Harry was very unhappy about it but got the glue and mended it. The injured dog continued serving him well for the rest of his life.

His Engineer Statue

The California Automobile Museum wanted to honor Harry for the time he volunteered to helping with a variety of projects: roofing, heating and cooling, etc. This statue presented to him by Delta Mello has occupied a place of honor in his office as soon as he brought it home.

His Awards

Harry neither expected nor craved recognition. However, he was deeply moved when NASA Ames presented him with this Honor Award in the category of Mentor. He often said that he wasn't as brilliant as many of the talented people he worked with at NASA but he was proud that he could leverage his deep project management experience to help them be successful.