Bear served aboard the USS
Bonefish (SS 582) and earned his dolphins in 1984. He was honorably
discharged from active duty in January, 1987. During his military
tenure, he earned the Naval Good Conduct Medal and two (2) Battle
Efficiency Ribbons. After his discharge, Bear attended the
University of Northern Illinois where he earned a B.A, degree. It
was there that he met his wife, Alice. She was working on her
Masters degree. Bear said "We started out as friends. Before we knew
it we fell in love and the rest is history." After graduation, Bear
took an internship with the City of Chicago's Department of
Planning, creating maps to support the city planners. He then worked
for a cadastral mapping firm involved with making county wide
digital parcel maps for several counties in the Midwest.
Four years later, Bear
joined Camp, Dresser & McKee, an environmental engineering firm
involved with creating a digital map of the entire sewer and water
network for the City of Chicago. The project lasted several years
and was a great success. In 1993, Bear was transferred to Rochester,
NY for a three (3) year long cadastral mapping project. In 1998 Bear
was transferred to Panama City, Florida where he oversaw the
creation of Bay County's Parcel GIS program. While there he joined
the USSVI and became a member of the Seawolf Base. He served as
Secretary of the base from 2000 to 2002. In 2002 CDM transferred him
to NY to perform a multi-year project for the New York City
Department of Environmental Protection, involving QA of a digital
map of the entire sewer network of New York City, which was being
developed. Bear was a member of Long Island USSVI Base from 2002 to
2006. In 2006, he was promoted and transferred to CDM's Fort
Lauderdale office when he joined the Pelican Harbor Base and served
as Librarian.
Bear has recently
volunteered to take over the vacating position of base Secretary.
Grass does not grow under this shipmates' feet!!.
O Father, hear our prayer
to thee, for your humble servants, beneath the sea.
In depths of oceans, as
oft they stray, so far from night, so far from day, we would ask
your guiding light to glow, to make the journey safe below.
Please oft time grant
them patient mind, then 'ere the darkness won't them blind, they
seek thy protection from the deep, please grant us peace when 'ere
they sleep.
Of homes and loved ones
far away, we ask your care for them each day, until we surface once
again, to drink the air and feel the rain.
We ask your guiding hand
to show, a safe progression sure and slow, dear Lord, please hear
our prayer to thee, for your humble servants, beneath the sea.
Amen
