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OCTOBER 2024 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA, LLC BACK TO SCHOOL PARTY
WELCOME BACK SNOWBIRDS! Landings Resident Profile By Joan Lowery Paulo Istock: A Passion for Flying!
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HALLOWEEN TRAIL
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KID’S CORNER ZOE MCCUE, 9
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J: Paul, how did you make your vision of becoming a pilot a reality? P: I joined Air Force ROTC while attending the University of Cincinnati and got my pilot’s license. After graduation, I entered the Air Force and began my flying career. We were the first group trained on the brand new T38 Super Sonic planes. They were challenging and fun to fly!
J: Tell me about your experiences in Vietnam. P: For four years, I flew a propeller transport plane to Vietnam once a month. Between starts and stops it took us three weeks to get there. We mostly delivered cargo but sometimes we had to bring back wounded or deceased soldiers. That was emotionally difficult. J: Did you ever get shot at while running missions? P: Only once, in Da Nang, and thankfully they missed. J: What happened after your stint in the Air Force? P: I applied for a job with the major airlines. I got my first choice and was hired by Delta. It was an interesting and intense application process. J: How so? P: Well, in those days the airlines
hired mostly ex-military pilots. Over the course of a few days our skills were tested using simulators and we underwent several interviews. The final part of the application process was an interview with a psychiatrist. If the applicant didn’t pass the psychiatrist’s examination, they weren’t offered a job. J: You obviously passed! So, what did you like about flying? P: It’s almost impossible to explain unless you experience it. It’s hours of boredom when the plane is on autopilot and minutes of great excitement and exuberance at takeoffs and landings. I absolutely loved it. It was a great job. I never regretted choosing this profession. J: Let’s divert a bit and talk about your personal life. How did your home life fit into your piloting career which took you far and wide
for extended chunks of time? P: I was extremely lucky because I married a wonderful woman! In fact, marrying Carole was the best thing I ever did! She was a great mother to our two daughters, a wonderful wife and gave our family stability and lots of love. Since my work required traveling throughout my career, her role as wife and mother was the glue that kept our family together. Carole helped us all to thrive. Story continues on page 16.
Paul with his Delta 767-300 plane model
Volunteers who work for you
Ron Pierce
FREE COLLEGE
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Ever since he was a boy growing up in Cincinnati, Paul dreamed of being a pilot. He envisioned soaring through the air, and he made it happen. He flew cargo transport missions to Vietnam during his six years in the Air Force. For 33 years, he flew Delta Airlines’ latest passenger planes - ultimately piloting their 767-300 aircraft. Additionally, he trained Delta’s next generation of pilots, and Captain Paul says he enjoyed every moment of his lofty career!
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This month, we highlight a special volunteer in The Landings, Ron Pierce. He is best described as an avid tennis player, entrepreneur, former football, wrestling champion, family man, and volunteer. He is also known for his self-deprecating humor when on the tennis courts related to his “full-size figure”. If you’ve been on The Landings courts or nearby and have heard someone with a booming voice yell out “butt head, Ronnie”, or “tub of lard” when he misses a shot, its Ron. Or, when he gets a shot that he has to run for, he tells everyone, “I’m the fastest man in my weight class”. When his opponent misses a shot, he tells them it was because they were distracted by “his six-pack abs”. When he gets to a tough shot, he declares “Oh baby”. If his partner misses a shot, he always says sorry, “my fault”, even when he was nowhere near the ball. While he can be seen daily on the tennis courts, it is what he does behind the scenes that contributes so much to our community. But first, let’s get to know Ron. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he grew up with two siblings, Patti who lives with her husband Jary in The Landings, and a brother who passed away several years ago. Their father was a mechanic and World War II veteran. As you will learn later in this article, Ron was a chip off the old block when it comes to mechanical abilities. As youngsters, the family often went camping and on outings to a nearby reservoir where they enjoyed many different water activities. Ron began to flourish in middle school where he played football and wrestled. He went on to have a distinguished athletic career in both sports in high school. He played guard and his team only lost one game in 5 years. As a wrestler he captained the team that went on to the state
championships. It may come as a surprise to those who know Ron, that while in high school he wrestled at the 154 lb. level and weighed 190 lbs. when he was playing football. He would go back and forth each year between those two weights. Today he is much heavier as you can see from the photo. He graduated H.S. in 1968 without intending to go to college. However, a wrestling teammate told his college coach about Ron, and soon thereafter, Ron was recruited to the school and offered a half scholarship. Upon starting at Waldorf Lutheran College in Forest City, Iowa, Ron was recruited by the football coach who offered him another half scholarship to also play football. His team went on to compete in the college league championships. It was at Waldorf College that Ron met his wife, Karmen. Ron transferred to the 4-year University of Minnesota/Winona. Given his need to focus on academics he gave up playing school sports. Fortunately, between summer jobs and work at the university as a lab assistant, he was able to pay for all his college expenses. He received a degree in education in 1972. Soon after graduation Ron and Karmen were married. Ron became a teacher of drafting and also coached wrestling, in Racine, Wisconsin. He personally built their home in Racine. It went extremely well with one exception. While working with a saw, he cut off part of his finger. He teases that when people ask him about it, he says he “bit it off eating a sandwich”. He taught for six years and during that time the school system had three labor strikes. In 1978, he saw an ad looking for people who would be interested in the tool and party rental business. He was able to put together enough money, from the equity in their home, to buy a General Rental operation in
Racine. The business quickly grew and expanded into two locations for a total of 24,000 sq ft of space. In 1980, their first daughter Tiffany was born followed by Courtney in 1984. In 1990, Karmen and Ron first visited Sarasota to see tennis friends from Racine who had a place on Siesta Key. For 15 consecutive years, they came down to Siesta and stayed with their friends on the Key. In 2005, Ron’s sister found (online) a realtor who showed Ron and Karmen all over the region. They ultimately purchased a tree house unit in The Landings. Their realtor was Judy Greene who lives in The Landings. They rented it out for several years and then remodeled it and became snowbirds. In 2015, they purchased a unit on Eagles Point in the Lakeview Association where they currently reside. They sold their home in Racine and purchased a condo there. Their daughter Tiffany and her husband live in nearby Milwaukee and their o t h e r daughter Courtney lives with her family in Las Vegas. Now that you know his background, it’s time to highlight the fact that he has been a st a lwa r t volunteer in Ron in high school
The Landings. He is captain of the 70’s team, President of Lakeview Association, Past Chair for 5 years of the EPCA Landscaping committee, serves on the LRC social committee, has been one of the organizers of poker, canasta and rummikub. When there is a need for a volunteer, Ron has answered the call. When asked what he likes most about The Landings, he focused on the people, quality tennis programs, and the location. He also loves that when his out-of-town family are visiting, they are able to walk and ride bikes safely throughout The Landings and nearby. When asked what he would do to improve The Landings if he had a magic wand, he noted the need for pickleball courts and maybe a snack bar or café. You will often hear that Ron is one of the nicest guys in The Landings and is always ready to lend a helping hand.
Ron Today