Happy Birthday Dad

We miss you, so much.

Introducing...THE Video

I asked my son-in-law Brett if he could take an old Texas Parks and Wildlife video of the Battleship Texas restoration and distill it to something that I could post on this blog.

I need to proclaim publicly, I am so proud of that lad for the work he did on this video!!!

Brett (aka Big Blue's Driver) took 27 minutes of content and reduced it to 10 minutes, maximizing my dad's input while leaving the perfect amount of background information to give you a concise history of this magnificent vessel. It left me wanting for more information on BB35, and of course, it gave me a few moments to love my dad again as if he were in the room with me.

Thanks, Brett.

Enjoy the video here.

It's fun to watch my dad as he dialogues with his best Scottish accent. See if you can find these lines, and if you knew what he meant:
"free communication to the sea" = she was leaking!
"immensely labor intensive" = it took a really long time
"cut through right round" = they removed the WHOLE thing
"the yard's naval architect" = my humble dad
"jealous of the drydock" = I didn't want them to screw up my drydock!"
"I often get shot down" = I'm smarter than them, but they try and argue with me anyway

Waiting for the Video...

Just so you’ll know that this Battleship project isn’t done, I sent Brett a video that the Texas Parks and Wildlife department made on the project and he is going to edit it for publication here. No pressure Brett, but we’re all waiting…

Did you know that the Texas is noteworthy for being one of only two remaining ships to have served in both World War I and World War II?

Here's a little insight on the restoration. While dad worked on her (the ship), yard workers sand-blasted paint from not only the hull but also the superstructure of the ship and replaced many tons of rusted metal from the hull. Inside the ship, welders and fabricators replaced weakened structural beams and numerous rusted-out deck plates. Topside, workers removed the cement from the main deck and replaced it with wooden beams and a new pine deck. A new complement of anti-aircraft guns was also installed. In total, more than 375,000 pounds (170,000 kg) of steel (amounting to approximately 40 percent of the ship's hull) was replaced. My dad oversaw all of that. Btw – I remember my dad telling me that on the day that they moved her from her slip in San Jacinto to the dry dock at Todd where she would be revitalized; they only had so much time to get from point A to point B. They had to get her to Todd while the tide was still right. You see, she was taking on water during the whole trip while her bilges were doing all they could to keep her afloat. She couldn’t float any higher, she could only stay even or sink lower during the trip. It was a long trip for the old ship (56 miles) and when she reached Todd, her hull had to have enough clearance to get over the lip of the dry dock. If the dry dock was as low as it could go, and the ship was steadily sinking due to water infiltration, and the tide went low enough, she wouldn’t make it over the edge. She would arrive at her destination and simply and slowly sink to the bottom of the ship channel while the lip of the dry dock stretched further and further away. Dad had to figure all that out. Not only that, but who would guarantee that the old gal would hold up to the mechanical stresses induced on her failing frame during the long trip? What a disaster that would have been – what do you do with a sunken battleship blocking your shipping commerce lane?

As you would guess, things didn’t go smoothly – the ship was stuck to the bottom of her berth in the mud and they couldn’t free her. Think of it like a giant mud suction cup around your boot. They struggled for hours and hours before they finally got her free, and when they finally got her to Todd, she cleared the dry dock by only inches. My dad had a successful but very stressful day…

Dad's Real Life Model Project: The Battleship TEXAS

My father spent much of the latter part of his career restoring this ship. It was old, rusty, and quite literally, sinking. Dad was the Chief Naval Architect (i.e, ship engineer) working on this project for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They had limited funding to restore this ship or it was going to be relegated to scrap iron. Here's the scoop:

Built between 1912 and 1915, the Battleship TEXAS was launched May 12, 1912. The ship itself is 573 feet in overall length and weighs over 35,000 tons. It is not only the single surviving dreadnaught-type battleship in existence but the only one to have served in both World Wars and is a world-class destination for military history enthusiasts. Over 90 years of exposure and age made it necessary to consider permanently removing the ship from the corrosive conditions of the Houston Ship Channel.

The next several posts will be a compilation of history - both personal and Texas related - concerning the ship and the man that brought her back to life. With a little arm twisting, my brother and some of my Dad's grandchildren will also be contributing.

So, lean back, pull up the anchor, and make way for some memories that are worth narrating as they are part of our Texas history and one more part of the legacy that my father created.

Father's Day

In honor of all Fathers both here and departed, happy Father's Day. We love and miss you Edwin.

Two Months Ago Today

Time is a weird thing - sometimes it is fleeting, flowing like water through our fingers as we try to clasp it with our hands. Other times it is cursed as we impatiently wait for it to pass. I can't believe it has been two months since my Dad passed away. Sometimes, I feel like it was forever ago as I remember funeral images and hospice images...those painful experiences we push to places that we don't want to recollect. Other times, it seems like yesterday. That, I am sure, is because my Dad is helping me.

It's been about 10 years since I have regularly attended church. I was unable to find one like Queen of Angels after we left Dickinson many years ago. One of the pallbearers at my Dad's funeral was the son of a close friend from my Dickinson church days. Dave told me about a church he loved, and...it's right here in Corpus Christi, Texas!! How did I miss that? I went to the church and fell in love with it. I have found a place where my soul finds it's refreshment and nourishment...and it's because of the ties my Dad had. Remember the choir entry? Well, this church has a CHOIR. A huge organ to accompany them as they sing Latin, Gregorian Chant, modern pieces in 6 parts, polyphonic pieces...it is, as my Dad would say, "A Whacking Good Choir". Auditions are in August. God willing, I will become a member and attend the practices, singing with joy (kleenex in pockets!).

Another thing... in the past, I would often express my lack of self confidence in what I was doing, where I was going, all those kinds of questions a daughter asks her Dad. Generally rhetorical in nature, we don't expect much as a response. But my Dad's response never changed, never wavered. "Do the best you can with what you've got." Period. I would saunter away, head low, wondering if I was destined to always wonder about this. Fast forward --- my employer's annual evaluation was a few weeks ago. Suffice to say, it was glowing. I am on the literally on the right track. After spending so much time to get this terminal degree, working hard, working long hours, doing the best I can with what I've got....it was so reaffirming to hear the accolades, to read the glowing summative evaluation, to know I am living my purpose and making a difference – all by doing the best I can with what I’ve got.

A lot of personal issues that have seemed so looming in the past now seem so much more manageable. I have learned so many lessons from my Dad both in life and as a result of his death. I can't enumerate all of them yet...it is too fresh. But,hopefully, you will continue to check back and read the legacy, the story that my father left as precious memories and life altering changes occur in his family. There are more --- so many more.

Continuing to do the best I can with what I've got - and knowing I have an extra hand to help me along the way.

My 7th Grade Science Project

I attended Eric Smith Junior High in Ramsey, NJ. I took a drafting class in the 7th grade; probably my precursor to my chosen field of engineering (like my dad). One day I came home from my class with an 11 x 17 sheet of heavy paper and an assignment to turn it into the tallest structure possible without using any glue or tape or adhesive. Most kids just cut the paper into a couple of big pieces and folded them and tried to stack and balance them to 34 inches. Those kids all had regular dads. I had Edwin Phillips, the genius.

My dad didn't even take 30 seconds to know that he could design a structure unlike that ever seen in any middle school in northern New Jersey. He was on it in no time. He took that paper and had me mark it and cut it into ¼" strips lengthwise, and then fold each strip in half lengthwise to make a slender paper angle, just like the shape of a steel beam. He then had me cut points into one end of each angle and put a small slice in the other end. Insert the pointed end of one angle into the slot on the end of the next angle and you've now got yourself a 34 inch angle beam. Can you picture it? We weaved them together into beams and columns, horizontally and vertically, starting with a wide footprint at the base and tapering to a point at the top. Think of a scale model of the Eiffel Tower; that's what we were making.

My mom and I carried the pieces to school in a cardboard box and when assembled, we had three 17" sections that stacked atop one another, each section narrower and gradually tapering into the one that sat upon it. We added a 17" antenna to the top and voila, we had a 68 inch tall structure! It was awesome, and I knew that my dad had created the tower that they would talk about at Eric Smith Junior High for years, perhaps even generations, to come.

I was never so proud in my life to be Edwin Phillips' son. I think the next day he designed a huge ship for fun...

Edwin's Legacy of Longevity

Edwin Phillips had a real sense of the word “longevity”. Not many people LIVE that word – especially today. I wanted to make note of a memory of a man who lived with purpose – and that purpose was in large part based on longevity.

When Dad was in the U. S. Naval Academy, there was one degree and one degree only – naval engineering. Degrees in philosophy, humanities, languages, or others were not available when Dad attended. EVERYONE took the SAME courses throughout their four years at the Academy. There was no ‘menu’ of choices. He graduated, and for the remainder of his years, my Dad was and remained a naval engineer. Statistics tell us that we will change careers at least five times during our lifetime. My Dad was a true example of longevity – he never changed careers. He was among the most renowned naval engineers throughout his career. While the tools of his profession evolved from slide rules to super computers, his career remained the same. Longevity in his chosen career.

My Dad married June and stayed married to June until the day he passed away. He loved her – adored her! - and that love never, ever faded. Longevity in his marriage.

He stayed in the same town and same house for over 30 years. He loved that house and that town and never wanted to leave. Junie continued to remodel and update and keep the house beautiful as new area codes, new highways, new shopping centers and large living communities replaced fields and pastures -- but Dad’s address never changed. Longevity in where he lived.

He converted to Catholicism when he met my mother. He remained a good, faithful Catholic servant who attended church, lived his faith and was prayerful as long as he was able. He remained a Catholic until the day he died. Longevity in his faith.

He took on projects such as model ship building (previous post), bonsai, fishing (he was always the last in the family to pull up his line), and completed puzzles – a cryptogram expert and solver of many crosswords - things that take patience and thinking…and more patience. Longevity in his hobbies.

Our current generation – including my own - has no clue what this word really demands. My Dad did. He knew all good things take time. This is but one part of his legacy. Longevity.

So You Think You're A Smarty Pants?

We're all generally proud of our parents, and we love to talk about their endearing qualities and the characteristics that set them apart and that we cherish so dearly. Some people will say "My dad was the smartest person that ever walked", but they seldom provide data to support this conclusion. Well, I have said it countless times, and I can produce data to back it up! I found my dad's resume while I was going through his things. Check it out. Reckon you could do half these things? I can't even pronounce a lot of them!

My Dad Loved His Dogs

My Dad loved dogs - as a kid, we went to the American Kennel Club shows just about every weekend. They were a blast. For my Mom and Dad, it meant showing two different breeds as their interests changed over the years. We began with Long Haired Dachshunds:and then (don't ask me how this transition occurred) moved on to Old English sheepdogs:My Mom was the handler - she took care of showing the dog most of the time and grooming. My Dad was a steward - he organized the comings and goings from his 'ring'. This meant making sure the judges showed up on time and, well, a myriad of jobs including calling clean-up crews when a dog pottied or personally filling in for an absent judge. My brother and I spent the day roaming around, watching some shows, begging Dad for snack and lunch money from his never ending pocket of change. Our dachshund finished as a champion and our Old English sheepdog basically retired without devouring another dog - a real success as this appeared to be her chosen vocation when in the show ring.

My Dad loved his dogs. You would often see him in his chair offering a scratch to Brandy, Paddington Bear, Katie, Allie and his favorite of all time, his beloved Tibetan Spaniel named Bear - "My Buddy Bear". Ironically, Bear was put to sleep three weeks after my Dad had to enter The Cottages of Clear Lake. I will always wonder if Bear missed his master to death.

My Dad taught me to respect animals and to be compassionate. He had a soft heart, and never was that more visible than when he was with his wife, his family, or his dogs. My Dad instilled a love of all God's creatures. He had a demeanor of kindness and respect and was a true gentle-man. I miss him. I bet my Dad and his Buddy Bear are back together somehow.

My Dad Sang Bass

Queen of Angels Church - Dickinson, Texas

About 28 years ago, my Mom went to a church that had the Latin Tridentine Mass. This form of Catholic worship existed for thousands of years until Vatican II and Pope Paul changed the Mass. That's history. What was new for me was hearing the hymns, the prayers, experiencing the reverence, inspiration and familiarity that existed when I was a child. I began to go to Queen of Angels and joined the choir as I had been in choirs as a kid, sang soprano, was in All State, honors chorale, etc. The church choir sang very complicated things - four and six part polyphonic masses, baroque and classical music, Gregorian chant, music written in the 16th century and beyond that was transcribed by monks and handed down for generations.
This is what Gregorian Chant looks like - very different from modern notation!

We needed a bass - I remembered my Dad sang Bass in the Naval Academy choir. I asked him to join - and he did. Eventually my Mom joined too - she sang alto. It was awesome and I will never forget those days, but this is about Dad.

My Dad had a great voice - and that's not just my opinion. I have evidence in tape recordings. I heard his beautiful voice throughout the 9 years I was in the choir as we practiced long hours and sang for every Sunday Mass, wedding, funeral and other celebrations. I was so proud of my Dad and loved to hear him sing. But it wasn't just his voice that was an asset.... When you put more than 10 people in a group you will have at least 9 opinions of how things should be run. The choir was no exception. We would discuss our particular opinions over coffee and donuts in the parish hall after church. When we asked Dad what he thought about such things, he always had the same reply: "I sing bass in the choir". That was it. Done. My dad knew who was really in charge in that church, and it wasn't my Dad.

When I was home for Easter, I heard the choir sing a familiar Mass that I could sing with my eyes closed. What was hard was that I continued to hear my Dad sing - even though he had passed away the night before. I heard his voice come in when the bass' took the lead. I cried, because I realized that for those 9 years I took hearing that voice for granted. Now, I miss it so much. I will always hear my Dad singing bass in that choir. And, I will always remember who is really in charge -- we are all just doing our own little parts. God is the one who is really in charge. My Dad knew that.

My Dad the Model Builder

One of my dad's hobbies was building wooden models of ships and cannons. He would spend hundreds of hours on the cannons and probably thousands of hours on the ships. He had tiny drills and hammers, two sets of carving chisels, tiny Dremel tools with sanders and buffers and routers, magnifying lights, tweezers, small pliers, clips and clamps, glue and varnish, and countless other tools. He bought me a model kit when I was a teenager; I remember that it was called the Katy. I sanded the hull for what seemed like a year, never having enough patience or focus to complete the model. Dad hung onto that kit long after I left home, and when I was in my 30s, he presented it to me, perfectly crafted and ready to sail.

Below is a selection of cannons that my mom keeps in her living room. My dad made a lot more than this; he gave a lot of them away. Note the expert knots, the cannon balls glued into perfect piles, the chains hanging just right, the excellent woodmanship. My, how he had patience and skill.

Check out the detail below on this ship's cannon. Each little brad was inserted into a tiny hand drilled hole to make it look like the decking of a ship. The little door was on tiny brass hinges and could be swung open. The cannon could swivel on the brass rail, ready for the skilled sailor to position it quickly and get the first mortal shot at his enemy. Each thread (rope) was laced carefully through the miniature pulleys and meticulously tied into the exact type of knot that would have been used in the application. He used dozens of different knots.

This is one of his largest ships, the Sea Witch. This ship has everything from tiny rowboats to coils of rope laid on the deck. The hull is actually copper plated with little copper plates about the size of a match head, evenly and individually laid below the entire water line. There must be thousands of them! There are tiny pulleys and shackles and no less than 500 knots; each one tied and laid just so; ready for the tiny people to sail away on it tomorrow. He must have threaded a football field length of rope on this model. You can see the tiny anchor on its tiny chains if you look closely. This model is about 3 feet long and 2 feet high. It is beautiful. He made at least two of these size models.

And a smaller sailing vessel, I believe that it is a Schooner?

And a rowing boat, complete with hand carved paddles.

While I was going through dad's things, I found a big yellow box in one of the cabinet's in his office. I opened it and there was a model kit, untouched! I brought it home. I'm going to build a model just like my dad used to do. This time, I think I can finish it.

My Niece and Nephew Being Great Americans and Grandchildren

Here is Jennifer and Scott folding dad's flag. That's my mom in the foreground, and their proud mom on the left

Today was Edwin's Funeral

There is no way I can begin to explain the myriad of emotions that filled the day today. From seeing my family and extended family all together, telling my Dad good-bye, seeing my son Scott the Marine and daughter Jen the Navy Lt. solemnly fold his flag, talking to friends I haven't seen in years, seeing his grandchildren who are now adults - some with their own children, hearing the beautiful Requiem Mass - a Catholic liturgical rite that has been in existence since about the 12th century, telling my Dad good-bye, watching my mother and trying to comfort her, feeling the presence of God in the church and at the cemetery... did I mention telling my Dad good-bye? It is my hope that all present will contribute their thoughts here. Stay tuned for some pictures that will only begin to tell the story of today as we all, in our own way, said good-bye to Edwin. We will so miss him as we dearly loved him for the man that he was and the man who will remain in our hearts.

My Dad - The Highschool Essay Contest Winner

Here's a clipping that mom found this morning. Dad attended Handley High School in Fort Worth, Texas. He won the senior essay contest through the Fort Worth Advertising Club on the topic "How Advertising Helps to Raise Our Standards of Living". See, EP comes by it naturally! Dad got $35 for his prize. Mom says that was a pretty good chunk of change back then. He would have been 18 in this photo, probably taken in 1948. I can't imagine my dad ever writing an essay; I thought he only knew FORTRAN coding. Anyway, check out the last sentence in the third paragraph from the end if you can read it - "He expects to become a medical foreign missionary when he finishes his schooling". My, how plans change. I'll bet there was a female student with like aspirations who dad was attracted to? June sure changed that plan!

Dad's Obituary

What an eerie title, but you have to see it. Here it is. Isn't he handsome?
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=17496d811b46051a&-session=TheDailyNews:62C9459907f6012063XoGoC86272

Computers That Changed the World

Dad was a pioneer in using computers for stress analysis problem solving when he designed ships. I remember going to his office and looking at these HUGE machines that took up entire walls of huge rooms. Big shiny cabinets full of hardware; spinning magnetic discs that would start and stop and start again as if they had a mind of their own, machines that would take huge stacks of computer cards and zip them in one end and out the other at the apparent speed of light, big sheets of green and white paper zipping out of huge printers as their print heads whirred and clicked their way across and down each page. It was amazing to watch, and how proud I was of my dad for being able to handle these monsters with such apparent ease. I remember when he came home at night he would have boxes and boxes of these punch cards that he had produced for his various engineering programs. Each card stack had its name written across the edges of the cards so that as a stack, rubber-banded together, you could read their name. Kind of like you would write on the edge of a book. It had to be 8 alphanumeric characters or less. I always wondered what would happen if he dropped a stack - how would he put them back together?

Here's a picture of a typical machine that he used to work with; I believe that it is a Univac 1108 Multi-Processor System. It probably has less power than most hand-held programmable calculators that you can buy today, but what a beast it was in 1968 and what a beast tamer my dad was as he programmed it like clock work to build the finest and sturdiest sea going vessels.

Pagewriters (3), operators consoles (2), and a wall full of central processing units

My Dad's Library

I was going through the books that my mom hasn’t disposed of yet from my dad’s library. Here were some of his favorite reads:

Hydrodynamics in Ship Design
Principles of Naval Architecture
Non-Destructive Inspection of Hull Welds
Theory of Ship Motions, Vols 1 and 2
A Guide to Sound Ship Structures
Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures
Stress: A Reference Manual
Theoretical Soil Mechanics
Numerical Methods of Mathematical Optimization
Theory of Plates and Shells
Stresses in Aircraft and Shell Structures
Theory of Elastic Stability
Structural Welding Codes
Analytical and Applied Mechanics
Marine Salvage Operations
Finite Element Analysis for Thin Shells and Curved Members
Introduction to Structural Stability Theory
Buckling Strength of Metal Structures
The Theory of Splines and their Applications
Theory and Applications of Spline functions
Differential Equations
Mechanical Vibrations
Beams on Elastic Foundations
System 360 Programming: A Self Instruction Manual
Univac 1108 Multiprocessor System
IBM SOAP II Reference Manual for the IBM 650 Data Processing System
Using the IBM 1130

And my all time favorite - PLAP Jacket Launch User’s Manual: A computer program for platform launch and upending analysis

Imagine being a 13 year old and needing help with your homework. I used to dread it and love it all at the same time. I knew that it would be fun spending time with my dad and letting him explain things to me, but he usually lost me within the first 5 minutes of instruction. I acted like I understood, then I went back to my room and tried to put it all together. It usually took me hours, but I always got it in the end.

Behind Every Man...

is someone who is helping to make him great. In this case, that someone is my mother, June Phillips. What people don't know is what they don't know -- how my mother has taken care of my father and set an example that is, and will always be, where the bar has been set for my family. I remember years ago when my father was healthy and Mom was traveling - dogs in car, groceries on the floorboard, clean laundry ready to exchange for not-so-clean - to an apartment in Houston to stay and tend to Dad while he worked at the American Bureau of Shipping, returning to Dickinson on weekends. This wasn't a summer thing, not even a year-long arrangement. This went on for years and years. Dad would go be Senior Engineer and totally concentrate on work as Mom picked up all the slack of home and family and everything else...I guess that's the way we did things back then, but maybe not so much anymore. Anyway, I remember I said to her in a conversation, and I quote, "Mom, I really admire the way you take care of Dad." And I went on in my own awkward way to tell her how highly I thought about all that and how it inspired me to be a better wife. My Mom didn't puff up, she didn't say anything about sacrificing (which she was), or spending so much time and energy (which she did), or anything self-serving (as I would have). Nope. Mom simply stated very matter of factly, "He's worth it."



Fast forward 10 years and my Mom was still taking care of my Dad, though my Dad was mentally and physically much more challenged and needed much more care. Mom had to be there in every way. She lamented the day she had to admit that Dad's health problems were bigger than she is (and at 4'10", she really managed to handle more than anyone I know!). My Dad went to a wonderful place to receive the care he deserved and my Mom visited as often as she could - she made friends with so many of the folks at the Cottages of Clear Lake- and now is realizing she wants to return as a volunteer and continue to touch their lives with her wonderful, outgoing spirit. My mother walks in and everyone looks at her as she talks to them - CONNECTS with them - and brings smiles to so many. I could go on....suffice to say, our mother has provided us with a clear directive and purposeful point of view -- again in her words, "there is nothing like family". We love you Mom.

Dad's Red Sports Car

We all have a mid-life crisis of some kind. My Dad never really did. But when he bought this car, everyone said it was his "mid-life crisis car". The car had a life of it's own...often, the top was down and our Old English Sheepdog, Abby, was in the passenger seat, tongue hanging out, loving every minute as her hair was out of her eyes and blowing in the wind. The hairpin turns in the mountains of New Jersey brought out the G's in Dad's usually docile driving. He had one eye on the road and the other watching the reaction of his passengers - who felt they needed an airbag but were too scared to ask. Oh, need I to mention how it could easily be pushed out of the garage while in neutral...started safely down the street (and out of earshot) for a late night spin to Galveston Island? But I don't know anyone who did that. Mid life crisis or not - that car was a blast! My brother adopted the car years later...he can fill you on that. I think there were some times when it had to be pushed in the snow at the train station in Jersey -- but we didn't care. That was some car....

Ties That Bind

My brother is a genius for creating this tribute to our father. Dad was a gentle-man in every sense of the word - he loved his wife and cherished his family. He brought honor, respectfulness and kindness forward in every relationship he had. The legacy left by my Dad will continue - resurrected battle ships, fish tales, Dallas Cowboys, U.S. Naval Academy, a famous red sports car, dogs and more dogs -- the stories will be shared and remembered ! Above is his grandson, Scott, a recent graduate of the Citadel. Also included is the legacy of the McCollough women - myself, his granddaughters Jen and Annie, and Annie's daughter - my dad's great-granddaughter, Audrey. Here's to sharing stories!

Edwin Faraday Phillips (October 05, 1930 - March 22, 2008)

This is the official blog for our dad. He was the smartest and kindest person we will ever know, and he shaped our lives in ways he will never imagine. We love him and we miss him, and this is just one way that we want o memorialize him. Please enjoy, and feel free to comment.

Mom, Eric, Jenessa, David, Babs and Dad