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He was offered a full-ride scholarship at several universities, but decided on the University of Arkansas, so he could be near relatives. During his freshman year, he joined the Air Force Reserve Officers\u2019 Training Corps in hopes of spending time close to aircraft. Through the program, he learned about the Air Force Academy, and decided to give it a shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t ready to commit to the academy, so I tried the summer program,\u201d Weems said. \u201cI hated it there. Every day I wanted to quit, but I forgot to before the end-of-summer deadline, so I stayed. I kept saying I was going to quit every morning, but I was too busy, so I\u2019d put it off to the next day. It went like that until I realized graduation was a day away, so I figured I\u2019d stick around for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TAKING TO THE SKY<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weems spent the next 21 years flying F-111 Aardvarks, C-130 Hercules and A-10 Warthogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI loved blowing stuff up \u2014 it was the greatest job in the world,\u201d he boasted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With tours in the Middle East, Asia and Europe, Weems said he was deployed to several combat zones, but didn\u2019t see much action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s funny \u2014 everywhere I went, the fighting stopped,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s like I was the white devil of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His military service included 10 years on active duty, one year in the National Guard and another 10 years in the Air Force Reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During his time in the guard, he started flying airliners for Trans World Airlines and climbed the ranks within the company. After retiring from the military, he took up airline flying full time and was one of only about 300 pilots to keep his captain bars when American Airlines bought the bankrupt company in 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn my 40-year aviation career \u2014 in spite of flying in combat \u2014 I\u2019ve never hurt anybody, I\u2019ve never bent any tin, and I\u2019ve never gotten a violation,\u201d Weems said. \u201cSo, I have none of that on my conscious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the sky wasn\u2019t high enough, and nowadays, he\u2019s looking to the stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt my age, the tuition at (the University of Wyoming) is free, so I start astronomy classes in the spring, which will cut into my ski time a bit, but I should be OK,\u201d Weems said. \u201cI hope to take it to Ph.D. on the cost of books alone. I\u2019m 65, and I\u2019m a freshman. I think that\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a few classes at UW already under his belt, he said he was truly impressed with the quality of instruction the university has to offer, and hopes they can help him become qualified to work on the Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, also known as the FAST, in the Guizhou province of China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy goal is in 10-15 years to be qualified and go work with some of my heroes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His voice and his gaze trailed off as he added, \u201cDo you know how rare it is for a man my age to still have living heroes? And to be able to one day work beside them? That would be a beautiful thing.\u201d Moving slow and methodical, Weems pushed through the snow on top of the mountain. Like an empty carousel, the Virginian lift swung its chairs in a wide circle over his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He approached the Centennial run with a smile spread wide across his face, but he was not overeager to speed down the hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, the old man slid down the trail in much the way he\u2019d lived his life \u2014 at his own pace, with his own style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n