Steve "Guppy" Guptill
The Tiger Photo
Guppy and Vicky Today
In May, 1972, I walked into the club one night, with a date, and saw a group of about 5 girls at a table. I knew most of them because they were the wives of my classmates. The real cute girl I sat next to (not my date—she wasn’t that cute) was someone I didn’t recognize, so I did some questioning and found out she was Vicky Lindberg, Charlotte Hamilton’s little sister. That was the end of my bachelor days. We got married in November, 1972 and after 3 kids, 7 grandkids (plus one in July) and 10 moves, we still look forward to more time and adventures together. By the way, Charlotte and Vicky have an interesting background. Their father was a career AF dentist. There were 5 kids. The 2 girls married AF pilots and the 3 boys became AF pilots. The youngest brother is now the Wing Commander at Homestead. Two of my nephews are currently in UPT. A niece is a Maintenance Officer. One of my sons spent 8 years in the KYANG. After all that AF Blue, I have one turncoat—a niece about to graduate from the NAVAL Academy!
My AF career was not spectacular, but I did put in 20 years. My first assignment was a C-130 to Taiwan. Then I went to Little Rock. In 1976, I decided to leave the AF and seek my fortune. I went broke. I returned to Active Duty in 1978, not realizing that the move really hurt my career. (Did I mention that I’m not too bright?) Anyway, I spent a few more years at Little Rock before getting drafted to go back to Vance as a T-38 IP. I was passed over for Major, but I was able to get a job in the AF Reserves flying old C-130 A models in Pittsburgh. I began applying to the airlines, particularly USAir, because of the proximity to Pitt. I did mention that I’m not real smart, right? They never called. I got hired at UPS in 1989 and I got a transfer to the KYANG to fly the Herk. I sold my house in Pittsburgh and moved to Louisville. Then USAIR called. Did I mention that I am really smart? I decided to stay at UPS. For 5 years, I had 2 jobs that were separated by a fence—and they were only 30 minutes from home. UPS has been very good to me. Because of the rapid expansion, I made Captain in less than six years. I do mostly international stuff. I have been around the world 25 times. I fly the MD-11 and will retire in December 2013 when I turn 65.
Then I’ll be able to pursue my dream job—Wal-Mart Greeter!