Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Robert W. Stewart was born and raised in a castle. His Father was a surveyor and an attorney. They also had a family ranch just below Provo, Utah where they raised premium Arabian horses and had enough land to make it a true Ranch. He was the second to youngest of nine children and sickly, small, thin. . who had trouble eating. He was continually bribed by his favorite pie if he would down the hated mush. He swallowed the mush, waiting patiently for the promised pie. It NEVER materialized. This happened over and over. Sad to say this was a trait he caried over into his own adulthood. He would promise his own children this if they would do that. . and he did not deliver! But he was studious, ended up with two degrees. . would have been three but his medical degree was shortened when he fought with a professor and quit just before graduation. The discussion was over teeth. Dad said your teeth could kill you if not properly maintained. He was right! His other degrees were Aeronautical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. He had a very high I.Q. and was scary smart. Another accomplishment: Robert was the firts pilot to fly solo across the United States. He also won a medal in the Los Angeles Olympics (1932 or 1934?) for diving. He memorized long passages of Keats, Kipling, many other poets which helped keep him awake on long flights across the U.S. He started as a Mail Pilot. . the only land reckonings were railroads and memorable buildings in various cities/towns. He had many close calls in flying. One time he was caught in the mountains, found himself in a dead canyon. . a canyon with no exit. . he came close to the end, pointed his plane's nose upward, went as high as the plane would go until it flipped over and he could then fly out of the canyon towards the entrance! A very scary, but effective maneuver. He was meticulous about what he took into his body and exercising regularly.

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