Art Urschel

Family: I am still married to Barb, who has persevered with me and my flying these past 42+years. We are living in Merrimack, NH, and have two grown children:
– Our daughter, Stephanie, is living on Cape Cod, married to Mike Hall, an ER doctor, with our grandchildren Ryan (11), Abby (7), and Sara (4).
– Our son, Ben, is married to a Stephanie as well, living in Nashua, NH, and is a software engineer.

Barb worked as a teaching assistant while the kids were in school, and later, started a consulting business, managing the completions of corporate aircraft.

Arthur E. Urschel — “Stick”

“Art ‘Stick’ Urschel’s most profound contribution to the UPT program was in the field of academics. Risking much personal hazard and great animosity from certain academic instructors, Stick persevered and had the honor of being one of the original in the renowned ‘hazy row.’ This group consisted of a few select hand-picked specialists whose duty it was to sit at the back of the class and answer ‘Huh?’ to any question that came their way…

To Stick and his soon-to-be wife Barbara, the best of luck and lots of fun in Cambodia.”

71-01 Yearbook, page 58.

Blane Totty

Married Janie Kimble in Starkville while she was working on her PhD at MSU during pilot training then took a C-141 assignment to Charleston AFB. Earned MBA while there in early 70’s. Transferred to C-5’s at Charleston but the 76th MAS moved to Dover AFB where I was squadron training officer. Most missions served Europe and Middle East with quite a few trips into Viet Nam also. Eventually accumulated 1000 hours in the Galaxy.

Blaine Totty — “Tenant Totty”

“Blaine (hereafter known as ‘Tenant Totty’) was always a promising student at Columbus. He breezed through the T-41s without incident and moved on to better and noisier things. In T-37s, Blaine gained fame as the first solo student to be caught closing the canopy while taxiing and as the solo student who risked life and tweet to salute the crew chief as he pulled out of the chocks…

Blaine will be remembered as one of the truly nice guys of 71-01 and will undoubtedly be a great success in whatever he undertakes. Good luck, ‘Tenant Totty.'”

71-01 Yearbook, page 57.

Skip Johnson

Wow, how does one write about 42 years of experiences and keep it short and sweet?
I married Ellen Montgomery the day after we graduated. We have 2 children from our time together; a daughter named Amanda and a son named Brad. Both of them are healthy and doing well. I’m now a widower for 5 years (more on that later). I have one granddaughter named Skyla (she’s 5).

I was assigned to the 904th Air Refueling Squadron flying KC-135’s at Mather AFB in Sacramento, CA. When I arrived for duty, I wasn’t scheduled to go to KC-135 training immediatel y and I was assigned as the Admin Officer for the Squadron. Luckily, there was a Chief Master Sergeant (Boom Operator) there that showed me the ropes and taught me that, just like on MASH, enlisted folks actually ran everything. I had a good career in 135’s. After completing training, I was assigned to a crew. We went to U-Tapao in mid-72 for one of SAC’s 90 day TDY assignments. Had a great A/C that taught me a bunch about leading a crew and thinking fast in dangerous situations. I built hours and was assigned as a Stan/Eval co-pilot. I was a KC-135 simulator check pilot as one of the duties. We flew in the 1972 SAC Bombing and Navigation Competition. We ended up not doing well; lost our Doppler on climb-out and had to dead reckon everything that was being measured in hundreds of feet.

William L. Johnson — “Skip”

“There we were, all 63 of us, striving to be noticed trying to rise above the mass of talent known as O1. Some guys maxed academics. Others distinguished themselves with flying proficiency. Skip came back with grass in his landing gear. “The mower” was no longer mired in the mass…

…He should have gotten an air medal for bravery when he broke through the pitch point on the 37 initial solo but he had to settle for a fair. We love it, Skipper, don’t ever die!”

71-01 Yearbook, page 37.

Dave Hughes

Wow! Can it really be 42 years since I grabbed my wings, hopped in the car, and left Columbus in the dust—all the time hoping that ATC wouldn’t come to its senses and revoke my aeronautical orders. I was off to find the “real Air Force.”

Here’s how it went:

1970-1974: EC-121 pilot, 552 AEW&C Wing, McClellan AFB, CA. A great time and place, but the job left a lot to be desired. After spending 180-220 days a year TDY to Korat, Kwang Ju (RK), Keflavik, McCoy AFB, and other garden spots, it became apparent that the reward for hard work was a remote to Udorn as a weapons controller (see Tom Bowman’s bio). The war was winding down, pilots were numerous, and I needed an escape….

1974-1975: Student, San Diego State University. MS, Mass Communication. Always wanted to attend a large coed school. A hardship tour. Lots of time and effort, but fun.

David E. Hughes — “Dave”

One week after his arrival in Columbus, Dave succumbed to the charm of the Old South and promptly fell in love with a senior at the “W.” This quieting influence on an already quiet personality soon caused him to become the least well known member of B section…

We know that Dave’s talents cannot go unnoticed by the Air Force, and we wish him the best of luck in the future.

71-01 Yearbook, page 34.

Bill Buchanan

Career Summary:
Initial assignment was C141A Charleston AFB SC 1970-75. Last few years concentrated on airdrop ops working in wing combat tactics office. Assigned to new Airlift Center at Pope AFB NC 1975-1979 as C141 test director and project manager. Separated active duty 1979 and took sales executive job with IBM in Jackson MS branch. Joined MS ANG in Jackson and flew C130H and later C141B until retirement in 1990.

Family:
Married Linda Seale (you may remember her, we dated at CAFB) from Starkville MS in 1971 while at Charleston. Have two children; daughter Mindy lives in Oxford MS, works for Senator Thad Cochran and has a daughter and son. Son Coby is an orthodontist in Denton TX with two young sons.

Currently:
Linda and I both retired in 2009 in Tupelo MS. Linda was a teacher here in Tupelo. We enjoy travel with friends, and visits/trips/ballgames with the kids and grandkids. Spend a lot of time with some of my retired buddies outdoors on our farms trying to keep our worn out tractors and dozers running.

William C. Buchanan — “Buck”

Buck has been an indispensable part of O1. His sterling example of leadership and devotion to duty has inspired his classmates to aspire to greater heights. Buck valiantly displayed his courage and quickness of mind on several occasions. Once, with no thought for his personal safety, Buck made repeated low passes on a closed runway, diving and jinking to avoid the hail of red flares and radio transmissions aimed at him…

Let it be said that Buck has been a memorable part of the first class at Columbus Air Patch.

71-01 Yearbook, page 17.