K-Town 88 Alumni

By DeeDee Arrington Doke, S&S staff writer
European edition, Sunday, June 12, 1988

KAISERSLAUTERN — Chuck Yeager doesn't remember any words of wisdom passed on to the Class of 1941 by the guest speaker at his high school graduation. And he's got a notion that most graduation talks are forgotten within an hour anyway.

So the first man to break the sound barrier kept the advice brief and to the point Friday when he addressed Kaiserslautern High School's Class of 1988 at graduation exercises.

"A man or a girl or a lady who enjoys their work is. usually pretty good at it," Yeager told the assembled graduates and their families. "Regardless of which job you pick, pick one you like to do. If you don't enjoy it, quit."

If those remarks bear a resemblance to sensible, grandfatherly advice, it isn't coincidence. Two of the retired Air Force brigadier general's grandchildren, Jason and Tammy Yeager, were among the 1988 Kaiserslautern High graduates.

Jason, 17, is the son of Master Sgt. Michael Yeager, assigned to Ramstein AB, and his wife, Linda. Tammy, 18, is the daughter of Don and Francie Yeager of Norwood, Colo., but lived with her uncle's family in Germany for her senior year to broaden her educational and cultural horizons.

"When Jason wrote me and asked me would I come over and be the graduation speaker, his grandmother made the decision we were going," Yeager said, keen blue eyes twinkling, during an interview Thursday.

Said Jason, "He's a celebrity. And throughout my life, people have asked about him a lot. He speaks a lot at different places, and I just thought it would be a fun idea to have him come over and speak for us."

The graduation served as a mini-family reunion for the Yeagers. Tammy's parents joined the senior Yeager, 65, and his wife, Glennis — her name has adorned assorted Yeager-flown planes over the years — in their trip overseas.

During their stay, Chuck Yeager has been seeing old friends and showing other family members his former stomping grounds during previous tours in Germany, mixing a little business with pleasure.

"That's the way I live," Yeager said.

Retired from the Air Force in 1975, Yeager spends up to 10 days a month at Edwards AFB, Calif., on flight and weapons system tests. Also filling his time are TV commercials for automotive products and campaign appearances on behalf of Vice President George Bush in his bid for the presidency.

His successful 1985 autobiography, "Yeager," will be followed in September by a second book, which focuses on hunting, fishing and flying experiences he shared with his friend Bud Anderson.

Yeager is amused with his celebrity.

"Whatever happens, happens," he said. "That's the way you should take life, you know. You don't pay an awful lot of attention to it, really. Like when I'm in an airport, a lot of people come and want to meet you or look at you. And they say, `Are you who I think you are?'

"And I say, `How would I know who you think I am?' Or they say, `You look like Chuck Yeager,' and I say, `I should."'

Fame often poses disadvantages for family members, such as frequent requests for autographs and interviews from Yeager. But his down-to-earth attitude about his high recognition factor appears to be shared by his family.

"I used to worry that people just liked me because I was his grandkid, and they wanted an autograph," Jason said. "But I learned that people are different. ... I don't worry about it anymore."

"Your real friends practically forget he is a celebrity," Tammy said. "It's your friends that aren't always asking for the autographs." Next year, Jason will major in engineering at Oregon State University, and Tammy will study physical therapy in Arizona.

Their grandfather, on the other hand, admits that he "didn't do very good in" high school subjects that required homework, and he didn't have much choice in mapping out his future immediately out of high school because World War II was calling.

But, all in all, high school graduation signals the time when young people must start thinking about making a living, Yeager said.

"I think most kids ... basically have had their moral fibers pretty well adjusted and their way of thinking and what they want to be is pretty well established just from their parents and the teachings they got at home,"- Yeager said.

"You always remember when you graduate from high school, because it's the end of a drag, to put it bluntly," he continued. "And that's the way school is to most people. You learn, actually, a lot of things that help you later in life."

"But," he said, "it's no great milestone as far as accomplishing anything."

Steve Morrison / ©S&S
Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager poses with his grandchildren, Kaiserslautern High School graduates Tammy and Jason Yeager, in June, 1988.

From http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=126&article=29556&archive=true