Horace Owens

When FDR was first in office, Horace and his brothers tried to get a job at the port rebuilding project down on the coast. The jobs were all filled. When he and his brothers were leaving, the foreman called him back and told him that he just wanted him to know that even if he did have jobs available, he would not hire him (Horace) because "You are too small to handle a shovel all day."

That put Horace to thinking about what he could do, and he came upon an advertisement for a radio repair course for which the tuition was $3. He took the class and was a successful radio repair man. He says, "I made a lots of money but accumulated very little of it. I am much better at making money than I am at keeping it."

Was in service during WWII, serving in Europe in the 221st and 222nd Radio Signal Groups. He says, "I never shot at anyone in the war, and I was never shot at as far as I know."