cc: file, Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Diane Cluff, Maxine Shirts via mail.
"Independent of faith, as we get older, we more clearly recognize mortality. Bevan Boyd Blake, our Bishop in the Maplewood 2nd Ward, when we first moved to Houston, and later the Houston South Stake President died last Sunday, the 5th of November. This week's Thoughtlet is in remembrance of him.
Last Sunday was pretty quiet. I was oblivious to Bevan Boyd Blake's death. I wrote the Thoughtlet before church. Grandma Shirts seemed to enjoy our ward. I am in a special genealogy class, and so was not in Gospel Doctrine with her. Andrea and I had stake choir in the evening. I have started to develop a new way to index genealogy, and spent several hours working on it (www.walden3d.com/genealogy, especially .../1.1/1.1.html).
Monday was spent printing prospectuses. Maxine left about noon. It was a very nice visit. `Mom.' I hope you can come more often than once a year and stay longer when you come. I know how good it is for Andrea, Rachel, Matt, and me. On Saturday I had delivered copies of the Dynamic Oil & Gas Prospectus to Dick Coons, who has an AMI (Area of Mutual Interest) I am helping him package, and Joe Roberts, who has wanted an opportunity to invest in one of my projects for years. Monday afternoon I got a copy down to Alf Klaviness, who has an AMI in Houston, Trinity, and Walker County area referenced in the Prospectus. He had two geophysicists who know me recording an oral history when I got there. We had a lively discussion about environmental geophysics, then I headed back to the house. I was printing copies to take and get bound until it was time to leave for an HGS (Houston Geological Society) Dinner Meeting where Bob Peebler spoke about `The Virtual Oil Company.' It was a good talk, with a lot of interesting ideas. It won't work as described. It requires trust and a way to index activities, time, and space. These are the areas I have been tieing down since the days of the HyperMedia Expert Association. It will be interesting to see if I am right. I made several good contacts, including Phil Martin of New Century Exploration.
Tuesday morning was continuation of the printing process. It takes a long time to run off a 61 page prospectus, and a 40 page technical supplement: Edition 13 of the Walden 3-D Journal: Advanced Pattern Finding. I took a copy of the supplement to Peter Duncan, and copies of the Prospectus to Rick Zimmerman, Mike Dunn, Steve Webster (via Mike Dunn), and Merril Littlewood. Mike mentioned that one of the GDC partners, Reg Neale, had died. I asked when the funeral was, and Mike said, `You know Reg was an atheist, and so there will not be a funeral. Maybe the family will have a get together.' I felt so sorry for Reg and for his family. Reg had approached me about leaving the Seismic Acoustics Laboratory and forming a company with him back in 1981. His partner John Sherwood had also approached me. My boss Fred Hilterman had also talked to me about it. And it was a complete suprise to me when the three of them started Geophysical Development Corporation (what Fred's wife Kathy called the GD company). This was when Fred left the University of Houston and I took over more of operations. Whe Kevin Kinsella ran his advertisement for an MBA with Geophysical background, Reg, John, and Fred each asked him if I was who he was talking to. The result was the Christmas Meeting at the Omni Hotel in 1981, and eventually the funding of Landmark Graphics. I went from GDC, which Mike Dunn is now the president of, to Merril Littlewood's office. Seems like it has been several years since we have had such a good discussion. Merril mentioned that Bevan Boyd Blake died on Sunday and that the funeral was Thursday. I got home just before Andrea arrived. We had the missionaries over for dinner, and I ended up showing them the Prospectus and talking about oil & gas careers with them. Mike and Janet Smith came over at 7:30 to discuss communication, and how things are going with them.
Wednesday morning was printing. Had a nice lunch with Gary Crouse, and caught up on what he has been doing since being asked to leave the vPatch Communications project a few weeks ago. He is working with a company which puts prospects on the web, and I expect they can support some of the deals Dynamic Oil & Gas puts together. It is sad to see friends get cross-wise with each other. Unintended consequences of independent decisions. There was more printing, and Andrea took a packet to Federal Express for me to send to Jim Trimble at Rudman Wildcats in Dallas. It was our semi-annual basketball evening for my Young Men's activity, followed by the scout committee meeting. Matt left Scouts early, and missed the scoutmaster message, which I heard just before committee meeting. So I print it here for reference:
Thursday, there was more printing and binding. I noticed a message from Dr. Solis giving the results from my recent physical:
The message was I should come back in for another blood test in a couple of weeks. And to think, I gave blood just last Saturday morning at the Stake Center Blood drive. I don't know what any of the data means, and it reminded me of my conversations with Mike Dunn about Reg Neale, and Merril Littlewood about Bevan Boyd Blake. I looked in Wednesday's paper and saw the funeral was at 10:00 and not 11:00, which would have conflicted with a lunch appointment. So I went to Bevan Boyd Blake's funeral. I stopped and picked up some Dynamic Oil & Gas business cards on the way, and was a little bit late. It was a wonderful spiritual experience. As I got there, the Stake Choir was singing the prelude music. There was a welcome by Bishop Dwight Brown, who President Blake and Bishop Tom Eccles (one of our good friends when we lived in Maplewood 2nd Ward) had baptized, after we moved to Katy. As I sat in the overflow section in the cultural hall, I was flooded with memories from 4 years of attending that building. Like the time Roice screamed `Daddy, don't spank me, as I carried him out of a packed sacrament meeting.' Or the night we put on Swedish Roots. Then I counted 23 children, in-laws, and grandchildren in a family choir singing `Families Can Be Together Forever.' Little Erica, who is now all grown up, gave the invocation.
David Blake, who was in Nottingham Country Ward for a while, and who is one of the two children I got to know pretty well, gave the Eulogy. His words included: `His was a simple faith. His faith that Sara (his daughter who died as a child) would be there to welcome him sustains me and my family.' I remember when we performed Swedish Roots, the musical Marti and I wrote, in Maplewood 2nd Ward. Bishop Blake was particularly touched by the words to Sara's song (0032.html). David went on to explain how when President Blake was diagnosed with cancer, and had his first blessing, he was promised he would live to see the Houston Temple built. He also said: `Dad had no hobbies outside church and family. Dad loved to Home Teach and to work with new members. I was privileged to witness countless blessings.' My tears flowed freely.
Johnathan, the youngest son, organized his talk around the Proclamation on the Family:
Specifically Johnathan mentioned `Dad never raised his voice to my mother. His interactions can be summarized as patience. He spent any free time he had with the kids. Church and family came before his job or any hobbies. His legacy is five living children each sealed to their families.' In some ways Johnathan's words made me feel guilty, and mostly they made me proud for what my faith teaches.
Next Paul Blake spoke about his father, Bevin Boyd Blake. `Dad loved Calvin and Hobbs, Bluebell Ice Cream, and cross-word puzzles. His wife, family and Savior were Father's love. He was the second Counselor to Leo Smith, then the Houston Texas South Stake President. He was the Director of the Idaho Falls Visitors Center, on the Houston Temple Committee, and a Sealer in the Houston Texas Temple - sealing families for eternity. I will not remember him for his ecclesiastical service. He had life figured out. Keep the commandments, be quick to forgive, be quick to repent, and go to the temple often.' Paul quoted Elder Ballard at his father's release from the Stake Presidency:
Paul's closing statement was `I love my father and I can hardly wait to see him again.'
Then my Priest spoke. When I was Young Men's President and Priest Quorum Advisor in Maplewood 2nd Ward, Boyd Blake was my only Priest. I taught him how to change the oil on our old brown van. I went to some of his baseball games. And here he was a grown man. His words were grown up too: `Dad is very proud of his High Priest Quorum sitting on the front row to honor him as Pall Bearers. Concerning funerals, Dad always said: (1) they should not be too long (too bad Dad!); and (2) The Gospel of Jesus Christ should be taught at funerals.' Boyd then proceeded to give a wonderful docrinal dissertation on the Plan of Salvation. He mentioned his Father sent him 104 letters when he was on his mission, and his Mother sent him 5 letters. Boyd finished this discussion by reading from the last letter from his dad, and by promising to read from the last letter from his Mom at her funeral: `Embedded between the lines are my feelings for family and the Savior. I know He lives. We can be together for eternity by keeping the commandments.' Boyd described taking his Father on a church history tour last year. `He knew the gospel was true. As we left each site there were tears in his eyes.'
I had a lunch appointment with Phil Martin at 11:30, and had to leave after Boyd spoke. As I reflected on the difference between Reg Neale and Bevin Boyd Blake my heart recognized, at a very deep level, the difference between anguish and peace. Bishop Blake's heritage is much more than his grandchildren: David has 8 children, Paul has 5 children, Boyd has 3 children, Jonathan has 4 children, and Erica has 2 children. President Blake's heritage is much more than his obituary (../9846.hyml):
Bevan Boyd Blake's heritage is an eternal example. Hopefully we can each be partially as blessed. I could not help but think about his example over lunch. Phil Martin lives a block from the Houston Temple, and he went on the open house tour. He is interested in our Prospectus, and it will be interesting to see if he funds any or all of it. From lunch at Carabbas on I-10 between Kirkwood and Wilcrest, I went downtown and reviewed the prospectus with Dave Agarwal, Les Denham, and Bob Horner. It is nice to have friends and colleagues who believe in you. Then I went to Sam LeRoy's office at Westheimer, between Dairy Ashford and Kirkwood, and gave him a status report. The two of us ended up going to the Canyon Cafe to meet Roger, Steve, Albert, Wei, and their computer whiz, Yue-Feng Sun or Liquing Xu, who I do not know well. As we started introductions I received a phone call from friends of Ken Burton, who lives down the street, and spent a half-hour on the phone with them. I have an appointment with them in Flower Mound on Monday after meeting with Jim Trimble of Rudman. Then I get to spend some time with Ethan Evans. The dinner was nice, and Sam and I were very excited about where everything seems to be going as we drove back to the west side of Houston. I got home about 9:30 PM, wondering how Rob and Roice are doing.
Friday Sam and I had lunch with Bob Beardsley and Larry Cochran. They took the wind out of our sails. The issue is owning the property before using the pattern finding techniques to find new reserves. They were completely unsucessful in purchasing fields from major oil companies. Specifically because those who approve such a sale, will be demoted or otherwise punished by the corporation if the field turns out to produce more after it was sold, and they didn't recognize the opportunity. Oh well! I was pretty despondent at home, and Andrea and Matt decided to cheer me up by taking me to see `Mission to Mars.' It reminds me of Bruce Willis in `Armegeddon.' Lot's of action. Fantastic graphics. Poor story. Reasonable science fiction.
Yesterday Andrea went to choir practice with me at 8:00. Two of my Venture Scouts went on a field trip to the Lexus Dealership with Brent Peterson and me from 10:00-11:30. Most of the rest of the day was spent printing Prospectuses, binding and getting them in Federal Express, and working on my genealogy ideas. I was tired when Rachel got home at 11:30. This morning, as I think through last week, plan next week (Sara, I am driving back to Houston from Dallas via Austin on Tuesday, and so Tuesday is the only day this week I will be able to be in Austin), type notes and articles to share with you, the theme that emerges is I hope each of you will find and follow an example like Bevan Boyd Blake."