Hi Everyone, I'm new to creating a personal profile about myself. But then again, how will you ever know me if I don't. Anyway, after dropping out of school at the ripe old age of 14, I want to work as a pump jockey at a full serve, service station. you remember those, don't you? I didn't have a work permit, but they needed someone to pump gas, check oil, and the other things we do to keep their vehicles running. When I turned 15, I got a work permit and asked someone, A regular that came into the gas station for a job. A Mr. Edward Cannon said that he needed someone to help carry heavy things around the shop, to help others, and to keep the shop clean. I had no idea what I was getting into. The one thing I do recall is that the pay was double what the gas station was paying. From $1.55 an hr. to $3.10 an hr. that was a big difference back in the early 70's. I went to work for a shop that fabricated interiors for crew, tug, work, and ferries. We made the pilot chairs, passanger chairs. foldable bunkbeds for the crew, and some large and small booths in the lower decks on some of these boats. At 15 yrs. old, this man, Ed Cannon and his business, Eacco Marine Seating and Metal Fabrication, took a kid that was wet behind the ears and turned him into an all around woodworker, seamstress, upholsterer working foam padding for the sewn seating, a painter of wood, stainless and aluminum, and someone that had no direction and turned him into a man with a lot of responsibility. After about 3 months, I was trusted to open the shop, begin my own work or help someone else do theirs and no one ever suspected me of wanting to steal, tear the place up, or any of the stupid stuff kids do. I was well trusted by everyone in the 8 to 10 person shop. Sometimes, I drove to areas of south Louisiana, that I'd never been to before, delivering the interiors for the boats as well as taking measurements with a story pole for the booths we had to construct. A boat sits in the water bow up. when we fabricated the booths, they were constructed on an angle, level with the boats bow and stern. I'd say anywhere from a 7 to 12 degree angle. After about 3 and a half yrs., I was looking to make more money. Mr. Cannon offered me a raise, but oilfield money was to good to pass up. I've been all over the world drilling for oil, but the one thing I miss is working for Mr. Cannon at Eacco Inc. It was he and a fireman that taught me basic woodwork with power tools. I bought books upon books to learn everything I thought I wanted to do at the time. Will finish later... David Frame Jr.