THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
From
the mules and wagon to the Space Shuttle
The title of Charles H.
Souther's brand new
book, hot off the press, is From the
Mules and Wagon to the Space Shuttle.
This Union County native has been working on this book
diligently and
now the book is available for the general public to see almost eight
decades of
life unfold in his delightfully told narrative.
He progresses from his life
growing up on a
mountain farm in the Gum Log section of Union County during the Great
Depression to his work on the Solid Rocket Booster and other systems
for
America's Space Program. To read of the progress of one country lad,
Charles
Souther, through the various stages of his life to engineering and
technical
feats for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at
the
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama is like seeing the
unbelievable unfold. But he was there, accepting the challenges along
each step
of his life of service and achievement.
In talking to Charles Souther on
May 12
when I received my autographed copy of his book in the mail, I
congratulated
him for the achievement of putting his memoirs into print.
I anticipate that it will be read with
pleasure by many of his contemporaries. He said, in our conversation,
that at
nearly age 80, he hoped, like Moses, to take up a new career. And that I think he has done as a first-time
author. His writing is clear and concise. At the same time he reveals
the
behind-the- scenes work necessary to accomplishing the space mission.
"Although his work helped him to
rub
shoulders with some of the great names in space age science, he gives
credit to
his humble beginnings, his parents, extended family, teachers and
associates
who taught him a solid work ethic and dogged determination to get the
job done.
This book is about how he lived, worked, and accepted responsibility."
(from the blurb, back cover of his book.)
|
)
The first part of the book is
about his
growing-up years in Union County, Georgia. He was the first-born son of
Paul W.
Souther and Mabel Mauney Souther of Gum Log. Born February 12, 1929, he
was
reared during the worst part of the Great Depression years. His twin
brothers,
Suell and Buell, were born six years after him. His memories of growing
up on
the farm and how the family "made do" comprise a good account of the
1930s and 1940s. His father had many tales to tell his boys about his
own years
in the West when his parents went to Colorado between the years of
1912-1918
from their farm in Choestoe to try to make a better living. Some of
these
stories are included in the narrative, with the author's comment, "I
grew
up on tales from the west."
Charles Souther's education in
Union County
consisted of being taught by his mother, a country school teacher, and
other
teachers, mainly at Ebenezer Elementary School. He graduated from Union
County
High School with the class of 1947. Following high school came his
stint in the
US Army from September, 1948 through September, 1951. He recounts
experiences
in Ranger Creek Camp at Mt. Rainier, Washington and in Alaska, with
temperatures at times unbelievably cold.
After his discharge from the
Army Rangers,
he remained at home in Gum Log for a short period and then sought
employment at
the Navy Yard in South Carolina. It was there he began studies in the
Electronics Apprentice School at the Charleston Naval Shipyard from
1952-1956.
He met Mary Christina Hill of Berkeley County, SC, and they were
married
September 7, 1952. To this union were born two daughters, Nancy Gail
and
Shirley Jane.
Mr. Souther tells how he read an
article
written by the noted German scientist Werhner von Braun in which he
proposed
the development of a space station that would orbit the earth and of
sending
men to the moon. "The von Braun article along with other meager
information I had on space travel at the time captured my imagination."
(p. 121)
Souther made application for a
job at the
Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Alabama in 1956. He was hired in the
Army
Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) in late 1956 where General John B.
Medaris was
Commander and Wernher von Braun was Director of Technical Operations.
In the
Electrical Equipment Section of the Guidance and Control Laboratory
this
"mountain lad" began his space age career. And as the saying goes,
"The rest is history…"
Souther tells his story with
humility and
sometimes with awe. To have been a part of the engineering crew that
designed
and implemented cable design networks for the Saturn Rockets, the Lunar
Modules, Apollo, Skylab and other space projects was a dream come true.
In 1965
he was transferred to the Logistics and Support Section, Electrical
Division.
There his responsibilities included design and testing of even more
complicated
subsystems. This section of his book, and his part in implementing
these
systems, is a very important account of space history and
accomplishment. He
received numerous awards in recognition of his service.
I was honored that author
Charles H.
Souther entrusted me with the responsibility of reading his manuscript,
making
suggestions, assisting with format and writing the introduction for his
book
published by Morris Publishing Company, Kearney, Nebraska in 2008.
Watch for
book signings as soon as these can be arranged. Charles is also open
for
talking to civic and other groups about his work in the space program.
The book sells for $17.50, with
$3.50
shipping and handling. and may be procured at Souther Book Order, 194
Travis
Road, NW, Huntsville, AL 35806-1562. Phone 256-830- 2654.
I end my introduction to his
book with
these words: "Charles H. Souther has written a book that in places is
hilarious, but mostly it is serious, a time of one man's life and
contributions
to our great American dream. From a dirt farm to the laboratories of
rocket
boosters and space shuttle construction, with significant encounters in
between, the author was there, observing, working, thinking, revising,
reworking. This book is a true account of a person who, despite humble
beginnings, set goals and worked to achieve them. In America, this is
every
person's privilege and prerogative."
[Ethelene Dyer
Jones is a retired educator,
freelance writer, poet, and historian. She may be reached at
e-mail edj0513@windstream.net;
phone 478-453-8751; or mail 1708 Cedarwood Road, Milledgeville, GA
31061-2411.]
Updated June 11, 2018