Ode to a Foundryman and a Dear Friend Pat Hale

I lost a near and dear friend last night, Pat Hale.  He and I worked at Texas Foundries for many years, he was the cost accountant.  He taught me all I know about costing and estimating.  We came up with some pretty darn good models.  We were also golfing buddies and camping buddies.  I will miss him.  Here is a story I sent out this morning to all of the TFers and family of his.  He leaves behind a wife and children and grand children...  He  was let go from the foundry in one of the first waves of layoffs.  I often think that the foundry ended up being bulldozed over, after an auction of pennies on the dollar, because they let one of the most important people go - the keeper of the costing and estimating models.  After his untimely departure, there was no one minding the store regarding costing and estimating and things were running amok. The models were dead and costing and estimating became a seat of the pants guesstimate, primarily based on cents per pound. 

I've lost a very good friend and a golfing and camping buddy.  We had a lot of good times together over the years.  Pat and I went camping back in 2001 up to the Buffalo river in Arkansas one HOT July 4th weekend.  Pat didn't want to leave until after the fireworks in Lufkin, so we got a late start in the convertible.  I remember distinctly that we stopped at IHOP along the way for coffee, gosh, Pat loved his coffee, and at the IHOP a drunk cowboy kiddo was dancing on the table - can't remember the kiddos name - in fact, I meant to ask Pat as I'm sure he would remember.  We got to the camping spot early the next morning and it came a downpour.  Poor Pat, his tent had a river run through it and his sleeping bag and pillow were soaked.  He slept in the car and we hightailed it to a laundry mat to dry them off.  We had a great time, but it was blazing hot.  We did a short canoe trip, low water, and it just wasn't that fun.  We spent the next day touring around and went to a very COOL cave and took the tour.  We had to drive a long ways to get beer.  Then the night before we left, a raccoon raided our camp food we had left sitting out.

I have a lot of found memories of Pat.  We worked very closely together at TF.  We played a lot of golf together over the years and had a hoot.  Neither one of us were very good, but we had a good time and that is all that mattered.  He had this habit of driving the golf cart and then hitting the ball, then walking up to hit it again, and again - and soon he was 50-100 yards from the cart and had to walk back to get it.  Always made me smile.

Pat was one of those people that would make you smile and I am forever grateful for his friendship - in good times as in bad.  I will miss him.

He had called me several weeks ago and left a message and I had called him back and left messages.  Playing telephone tag.  Most unfortunately we didn't get to catch up before his passing.

 

 Here are some pics from the long ago canoe and camping trip.