No Reward! — Larry L. King

I was born in 1942 to “Doodle Bugs”; this was a term given to our type of vagabonds by my dad. He was involved in oil exploration and during my first twelve years, we would live in over thirty states and one foreign country. From the Gulf Coast of Texas to Canada in the north we roamed. Sometimes we stayed only a few weeks in the same location. I attended six different schools in the first grade and countless others before junior high. We finally settled in Dallas, the site of my dad's home office, when I was twelve years old. This story is about a returning WWII veteran. Simon Spangler had taught young men aircraft maintenance during the war and desired to continue teaching. After completing his education, he started teaching in Southern California. He began mentoring six rebellious boys during the week and racing with them on the weekend. Finding his true love, the widowed mother of one of his students, along the way changed his mind about the teaching profession. He had always thought that teaching had no rewards. Changing young men's lives and finding love were all the rewards he needed.