He was a really good mechanic and got a job at at the Gulf

He was a really good mechanic and got a job at at the Gulf refinery in mid0county. At some point there was an industrial accident that significantly damaged his eyesight. In those pre-OSHA days, accidents were covered up in order not the get fired. From that day on, he was visually handicapped and that really messed with his life.

Later he worked on the ammonia machinery at an ice plant on the near north side of Beaumont. To compensate for his poor vision, he removed the glass from the gauges and read the measurements by feeling the needles. Amazing!

When I worked on my 1955 Ford, he would kibitz. I was astounded that he could touch the head of a bolt or nut and sing out, ‘three eights’ or ‘five sixteenth’…just by touch.