Reverend Doctor Philip Sidney ‘Sid’ Spain

          I sat next to Chris England on the flight back to the states in the summer of 1964.  Picked up my Austin Healy Sprite in New Orleans, threw a footlocker on the back deck and drove to Southern Methodist University in Dallas.  I didn’t know a soul at SMU, but enjoyed four wonderful, fairly successful years there and graduated with a BA in English.  Went through ROTC, was commissioned at graduation, and allowed to enroll in law school.  That lasted about three weeks.  I packed up my few belongings, and with two friends and headed for Aspen where I worked for a resort company, caring luggage, washing windows, chopping wood and doing anything they wanted me to do.  With the help of my little brother, the AF found me and rather than busting me to E-1, gave me orders to another resort community in Minot, ND.  I married a former SMU classmate, Margaret, while I was in Minot, and our first daughter, Jessica, was born there.  Two years later I received unexpected, Vietnam-canceling orders to Omaha, Nebraska for the rest of my obligation in AF blue.

          I became a committed, called-to-preach Christian in Omaha and began seminary study at Perkins School of Theology back in Dallas.  Graduated with a Master of Theology and Doctor of Ministry in 1977.  While I was in Texas, two more daughters were born, Melissa and Abigail.  Served Methodist churches in San Antonio and Karnes City, TX before I realized how much I missed moving around the world every two or three years. 

          In 1980 I accepted a commission as a chaplain in the Navy and spent the next 20 years on the move.  I served in Newport RI, with Marines in Quantico and on a ship out of Norfolk, VA.  Three great years in Edzell, Scotland (where I ran into and worked with Rich Wilhelm) were followed by a postgraduate year at Navy expense.  A tour in Bahrain was followed by three wonderful years on Widbey Island in Washington.  Margaret and I were separated in 1987 and divorced in 1991.  The girls are doing very well.  All of them graduated from Stephen F. Austin, and Jessica and Abigail earned law degrees from the University of Texas.  Melissa works in her mother’s law office and writes romance novels.  Abigail is happily married and has two beautiful children, Drew and Mary Bess. 

           After Widbey I returned to Newport for advanced chaplains’ study and earned an MA in Human Resources Management from Salve Regina University.  Next was Naples, Italy (too good!) for two years with follow-on orders for Diego Garcia, a tiny British Territory atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean.  DG is like Tahiti must have been in the 1950’s, totally romantic, and six months into my tour I met Robyn.  We were married in 1996, and we both received orders to San Diego.  She went to North Island, I reported to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot where I served as command chaplain.  Our son, Denny, was born in 1999, and I retired to be a stay-at-home dad in 2000.

          Robyn finished her career with a five-year tour at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in MD and two final years at Sigonella, Sicily.  We traveled somewhere every month, to Cairo and down the Nile, to Sharm el Sheik, to Vienna and Prague, London, Berlin, Munich, Garmisch, and Paris, Santorini, Malta, Morocco, Spain and throughout Italy. 

           Robyn retired in 2007 and we moved back to her hometown in Colorado to live near her parents.  Less than a year after we arrived in Colorado I took a part-time position with the Methodist Church in Eagle, CO, down the road from Vail and Beaver Creek.  It’s a weekly 240-mile round trip commute.  I usually leave early Sunday morning and come back to Lakewood Tuesday afternoon.  It works for the church and it works for us.  The church is growing and I love being there every week.  Robyn and Denny make it to the mountains as often as they can—school, soccer, wrestling and other pursuits permitting.  We ski in the winter, camp, fish, hike and golf in the summer.  Robyn and Denny are good skiers.  Denny added snowboarding this year.  Robyn is a pretty good golfer.  I started skiing and golfing this year—a little bit behind the competition.  It’s not pretty.  We’re all learning to fly fish.

          The Spain B&B in Eagle is open year round for visitors.  I’ll bring my booking calendar to the reunion.  Can’t wait to see all of you.
************************************************