The Greatest Men I Have Known In Almost 69 Years Of Life

    Soon I will be 69 years of age. Yesterday afternoon I was reflecting on the truly great men that I have known in my life. The final list is as follows:

Hubert Noel Ballew: He was my uncle who sadly died in 1968 at age 46.. He was a war hero in World War II both with the Royal Air Force and the US Army Air Corps. He was shot down and became a prisoner of war of the Germans and then the Russians. He went on to have an incredible career at Bristol Meyers as a marketing executive.

William "Bill" Alexander: My first job was in the construction business. Mr. Alexander hired me. He was a great teacher and a very inspirational man. He was a great leader. He fought with the British Army in Burma in World War II.

John H. Glenn: He was the first American to orbit the earth in February of 1962. In February of 1966, I went to his home and interviewed him for my high school newspaper. John was warm, friendly down to earth and incredible. I made a prediction that one day he would be a great political leader. I was right!

Michael O'Reilly Tackney: He graduated from the US Navy Academy in 1964. His father was an admiral in the US Navy. He was my commanding officer in Vietnam. We later served together at Bureau of Naval Personnel in Arlington Virginia. Lt. Tackney was a great leader in combat and a wonderful friend. He took a lot of personal interest in me. He gave me a lot of good advice and guidance in life.

James C. Lewis:  Jim was an Afro-Cuban man whose family moved to New York City from Cuba. He graduated from Columbia University. He became a pilot of transport planes for the US Air Force and CIA. I first met him in 1971 when we were serving in Danang, South Vietnam. He later became my employer in the 1980's. He was the most honest human that I have met in my entire life.

James Baker: In the summer of 1972, I "won the lottery" and got a 90-day internship with this man. At that time, he was a very wealthy and successful attorney in Houston. He was the manager of Richard M. Nixon's reelection campaign for Houston. Later he would serve as Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State. He was a modest, kind, and down to earth man. He had great empathy for people.

The Late President Ronald R. Reagan: Thanks to Mr. Baker's influence, I got to sit in a two-hour meeting with this incredible man. Ronald Reagan was the most charming human being that I met in my entire life. He was energetic and highly-intelligent.

H. Ross Perot: In 1972, he interviewed me for a job and made me a job offer. I was stupid not to take it. Mr. Perot came from a humble family in North Texas. He graduated from the US Navy Academy. He served five years in the US Navy. He went to work for IBM in sales afterwards. He would meet his yearly sales quota in the first two months of the year. He had a vision to build a software company. He borrowed $1,000 from his wife and started Electronic Data Systems. He became a billionaire and ran for president as an independent candidate in 1992. He had a mind that operated at twice the speed of a normal person's mind. He was warm and very friendly.

Joao B. Santos:  Joao began life in a Brasilian slum near Goiania, Brasil. He made his way to Sao Paulo. He learned English and caught the eye of some influential Americans living there. They sent him to San Jose, California. He got a BA degree. In September of 1998 he was working for Morgan Stanley. I got arrested for contempt of court. I was facing a trip back to Houston and an 18-month jail sentence. Joao barely knew me then. He led a courageous and determined fight to keep me in California. He showed courage and initiative that I have rarely seen in life. He literally saved my life. Whatever success that I now have in life never would have happened had he not been there for me.