It takes two

Abstract

The most important principle I’ve learned during my career encompassing aviation and psychology is to take advantage of unexpected opportunities. My interest in training and the use of training devices and simulators grew out of two careers and was a prominent feature in both. My careers involved 23 years in the United States Air Force and 21 years as Director of the Institute of Aviation at the University of Illinois, as well as six years as professor emeritus continuing my applied training research interests. Along the way, I should mention that I never have held a position in a university as a teacher and researcher but only as a dean-level administrator. What propelled me was the wisdom acquired during my Air Force career combined with a passion I developed for applied research in training and human factors. 

This chapter is about how my professional life emerged from my roots in Tallassee, a small town located in central Alabama half way between Montgomery and Auburn, where I was born and grew up. It’s about getting away from the local industries – cotton mills and farming – to attend college and unexpectedly join the Air Force.  It’s about the many places I’ve been and opportunities I’ve shared with wonderful and valued collaborators and colleagues. Most of all, it’s about the events of my life and what I learned that shaped my career and may, in some small way, help with yours.