Pure Good Luck — My Blessing/Education

John Owen graduated with a First in English from University of Wales in 1939. Then he flew in the RAF as a fighter pilot (Hurricanes and Spitfires) in the Battle of Britain and killed 5 Nazis. In 1963 he was my English teacher at Trinity-Pawling prep school. He help me apply to St. John’s College and wrote a letter for me to the Director of Admissions.

I went to the bookstore, got the Great Books, read them and ended up, by pure good luck knowing a thing or two.

I taught Plato’s The Republic at Harvard summer school and took a course in Transformational Grammar from Janet Fodor, for free, since I taught a course.

All I learned from the Great Books is how to think. I did not learn what to think. Intellectuals are very confusing on what to think. Each one has their own proofs that this or that thing is the best one to think. Same in lawschool. Just a packet of confusing imponderables in the Nth dimension.

I did learn how to win. I became a brawler never a scholar.

In the JAG Corps I was able to use the best minds at JAG headquarters to write all my briefs.

Lucky thing — I knew the Deputy Judge Advocate of the Navy.

He loaned me all the super-smart JAGs and they wrote my briefs.

So, I did OK in Court. No Judge was ever afraid of my legal knowledge, but they were afraid to go against my briefs, which they plainly knew were NOT written by me. I could barely understand them. But I was good at gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. I did particle physics before I joined the Navy.

My boss is Subic (a Marine Major) was not at all pleased when the Pentagon sent out two guys to look me over. Major L said “What are you … some kind of Communist?”

Captain G told Major L to pipe down, and that I was not any kind of Communist. Just a physics guy.

Anyhow, my training never harmed me. It worked out OK. My patent is based on what I know US 10,176,661 B2

It will expire on 18 July 2036.

Till then, you can buy it if you want it.

It makes ID cards and Bank Bills.

UBS could make $20 Billion in new business on it.

So could CITI, or PNC, or Chase.

Mr. Owen gave the Nazis their final end, and gave me a good start.

I am grateful for both.