It was the late 1970s.  I was young, naïve, and on a road trip for a grad school interview.  In my hotel room I showered, laid out my suit, and shined my shoes.  I’ll admit I was a bit nervous.  As I got dressed, I realized to my horror that I’d forgotten how to tie a necktie.  Panic began to set in.

I called my dad and explained my predicament.  He attempted to talk me through tying the tie but found that he couldn’t do it without actually having a tie around his neck.  Moreover, he had to be looking at himself in a mirror in order to do it.  “Wait,” he said.  “I’ll call you right back.”

In a few minutes the phone rang. My dad had found a necktie, run the phone cord down the hallway into the bathroom, and enlisted the help of my mom.  She held the phone to his ear while he tied his tie in front of the mirror, describing to me what each of his hands was doing.  I listened carefully, followed his instructions, and duplicated the described maneuvers around my own neck.

After a few attempts there was success.  My tie was tied.  I dashed off to the interview.  I got the position, all thanks to Dad.

Mom recently reminded me about all the different living creatures we had around our house growing up. My dad had a number of bee hives in the backyard, so that we could harvest our own honey. The bees also helped to pollinate the avocado trees. There were also a bunch of rabbit cages, so he could raise rabbits (which we would eat). Since we had an avocado orchard in the back, there were often animals roaming around. My brother, David, would catch opossums or snakes. I remember he had a mama opossum with babies in her pouch one time. Another time he had a king snake that got out of the cage and disappeared somewhere in the house. When there was a tortoise in our driveway, my dad drilled a hole in its shell, attached a string, tied it to a water spicket  and found a nice place in our front yard for its new home. It was always exciting around the Mills household. Now that I am a parent, I understand and admire my parents for allowing all these experiences!

Those who only knew him in recent decades may find this hard to believe, but Al Mills was once a very skinny guy.  As an adolescent he was so thin that if he turned sideways he’d almost disappear.  Al wasn’t emaciated or sickly – just extremely lean.  This never proved a problem until one day in 1951, around the time of his graduation from Neenah High School.

Al had been accepted at the University of Wisconsin--Madison but his family lacked the resources to pay for a college education.  The solution? The US Navy!  During the final months of his senior year in high school Al applied for an NROTC scholarship and successfully passed the written examination.  All that remained between him and a full 4-year college scholarship was to travel to the naval recruitment center in Chicago for a physical exam.

But as Al prepared for the trip to Chicago he realized there was a problem.  His weight was several pounds below the Navy’s required minimum weight (135 lbs) for his height.  Al’s mother knew what to do.  When she saw him off at the train station in Neenah, she gave him a large bag of bananas.

As the train approached Chicago Al ate the bananas – a very large quantity of bananas.  He felt a bit queasy as he found his way to the recruitment center.  There, the Navy doctor examining him listened to his heart and lungs then asked him to step onto a scale.  At that moment Al’s future was – quite literally – hanging in the balance. 

The doctor adjusted the sliding counterweights on the scale then wrote down the result.  Al felt like he was going to throw up.  I imagine the doctor sitting down, perhaps frowning, and saying, “Hmmm.  133 pounds. That’s below the required minimum weight for your height, young man.”  Al said nothing.  The doctor paged through Al's dossier, paused, then looked at Al over the top of his glasses.  “I’m going to waive the weight requirement in this case”, the doctor said.  “Welcome to the US Navy, Midshipman Mills.”

There were a number of things we joked about with Dad.

• He couldn't carry a tune, but that didn't stop him from singing! I use to love listening to him sing in church. Fortunately, Mom has a beautiful voice and she was always next to him singing a little louder. 
• He couldn't swim but that didn't stop him from going on ships and boats. He really seemed to like cruises, both Navy and luxury ones.
• He was the best at helping with math, chemistry and physics homework. In fact my friends often wanted to come to my house to do homework, because they knew he would be there to explain anything we did not understand.

My dad's dedication and determination was amazing. As I think about his life, I realize he accomplished what he did, because he made decisions about what he wanted in life, and then he set out to do it. One of those decisions was loving and trusting the Lord. He was also intelligent, had a good memory, and worked hard! I appreciate everything he taught me. I believe, due to his wonderful example and guidance, I have been able to achieve many things in life. So thank you, Dad! I love you and I will miss you so much!!