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puddy

Galveston Skydivers

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Anyone ever jump W/ Doc Anognostus & his bunch @ Dickenson Tx. Sam's place 50 yds away , make 2 jumps and retreat to Sam's A/C for a couple? of beers and back to jumping and so on and so on.
Anybody know the wereabouts of Larry Morris? Clyde wallace? Lou Call? Larry Fojt? Bob Williams? Remember The late wild & crazy Carlos Wallace?
Great times! How did we survive it?

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Yes, Don Stewart did jump there sometimes; so did I (but not a lot -- mostly just as a student). The strip is still there, too -- I drove by it earlier this year. Or at least it was in close enough to the same place to fool me.

I remember jumping there with some regularity until at least the very late 70's.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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Going south on the Gulf Freeway, exit to the right at Vauthier road, turn right (don't remember if it's the first or second one -- I just did it by feel), the airport is on the right eventually.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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I have seen the little skydiving symbol on an aviation map. I just never knew exactly where it was. What was it like back in the day? Is it a grass/paved runway? Is it still an operational airport?

You dont't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when.......You can only decide how you're going to live........NOW.
-BASE 1605 Night BASE 227

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The Dz was @ 528 & 1-45 . The runway was just a grass strip that ran north & south paralleling I-45 and about 300 yds west of it. The end of the strip was @ the power lines on 528. Sometimes on take off you went over the power lines and sometimes you went under them! Ths place was not an air field by any streach of the imagination. It was nothing more than a cow pasture!

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I live in League City at 518 and 45 South. I never new there was a DZ at this location. (528 and 45 South) I guess it would have been right behind the big shopping center where Hooters is. This is not the same DZ that Wendy was talking about off Vauthier road down south in Dickinson is it? (Galveston Skydivers) Wendy can you confirm this?

You dont't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when.......You can only decide how you're going to live........NOW.
-BASE 1605 Night BASE 227

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Very interesting. What time frame was this about? Late 70's? 80's? What kind of plane did you guys fly? I grew up in this area and never knew about this place. I spent most of my time out at the old Spaceland. Of course I was a wuffo back then.B|

You dont't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when.......You can only decide how you're going to live........NOW.
-BASE 1605 Night BASE 227

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I think maybe that Doc flew out of more than one place, then, because where I jumped out of Doc's 180 was definitely off Vauthier Rd. in 1975 and 1976. That was after Spaceland was in League City, though -- it might well be that Doc's place moved around too.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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I started jumping with the Galveston Skydivers in Sept., 1969 with a little over 125 jumps. The DZ was located on the NW corner of FM 517 and I-45S in Dickenson, TX. Doc A. (D-114) had a Cessna 190, which was down at the time and was renting a C-206. Sam's "motel" was the original roach motel! But the beer was cold. Doc died in July of 1993. Some more of the regulars each weekend were, Dave Boatman D890, Jessie Hall, Bob Vincent (Spiderman), The Bottrell brothers, Robert and Dave, Jack D-537 and Susie Joerns D-860.
Doc moved the DZ to Volks Field, Hitchcock, TX., between I-45 and Hwy 6 in the summer of 1974. I was in one of the first 10 man stars, at the old field, in Oct. 1972 when Boatman would bring a Twin Otter home from work on the weekend. Pick up jumpers at the airport in Clear Lake City and drop them into Dickenson. Shortly after that Dave opened the original "Spaceland" Dz. Later that airport changed names to Houston Gulf.
Talk about wild parties on Saturday night!!!!!
Don Stewart D-2785

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Don: I left in'68 so I just missed you. The Bottrel brothers were there when i was and Boatman occassionaly. Doc had a 182 until Carlos Wallace got killed and I think got the 190 from his estate. Carlos brought the 190 out a couple of times a month when his little operation had no activity and it was like a cadillac compared to the 182.Yeah, Sam's Beer was cold! Was Larry Morris still there when you were? Any idea where he is if still around? He was older than dirt @ the time. Must have been 40!B|

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Don: You seem to be up to date on Doc ( Gus). How long did Stevie die before Doc? What did Doc die of?
If he died in '95 he must of been about 78 years old. I remember his making 50 jumps in one day on his 50th birthday and that was about'66 or '67. Did he ever loose his love for the ladies? What a guy!!
If a bunch of us got plowed at Sam's he and Stevie would load us up in that red van, take us to their house and put us to bed. When we got up in the morning, we got breakfast and a large glass of warmed red greek wine. A couple of those and you were ready for sunday jumping.

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Yo!
Yep! I made several many leabs w/ Doc Agnosits. He was my JM on #2. Carlos Wallace was my friend, too. He was 'safe' skydiving. 800' was minimum opening. In bars, CG was way crazy. Lotsa guns, then.

Galveston Skydivers had the COOLEST patch ever!

BTW, Gus and George Sage stole Ed Fitch's body and burried it at sea. (Ed helped).
Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

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I waz there. What ever happened to Tiger?

Remember when Doc got 'spayed' by Ed on their dining room table? Didn't work. Tiger says.

Doc jumped w/ the 502 into Anzione Sp/ Italy. Hence the Wing-skull patch & Black gear.
Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

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Hi all, I posted the following in the “Patches from the day” thread but never got a reply, looks like I got my answer here, thanks.

<< I was watching History Channels presentation of “Brothers In Arms” about the 2/502PIR 101ABN and noticed that the insignia of that unit looks almost exactly like the patch the Galveston Skydivers used to wear at Docs old DZ in Dickinson, TX in the early '70s.. It was a round patch with a parachute in the background and a skull with bat like wings. I know that Doc was a veteran of the 101st with 2 combat jumps but he never mentioned the unit.

Does anyone out there know if Doc was in the 2/502 and did the insignia of the old Galveston Skydivers indeed derive from the 2/502 insignia? Does anyone have a picture of the patch? Mine disappeared about 20 years ago.

I used to jump at his DZ in Dickinson before moving over to Spaceland in League City, TX then to the Bear Creek Skydivers in Wieser, TX and finally back down to his new place at Volk field in Hitchcock, TX

BTW – It's neat to see that there are so many old timers still out there, some of whom I remember from my days in the sport. Although I haven't made a jump since 1976, I may try to get back in, who knows? Titusville, FL has a great DZ! >>

Hi Don, you were the one that shortlined the Mk1 PC in my avatar, Look familiar?

Has anyone heard from Joe Stone or Chuck Bowles?B|

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