From The Huntsville Times, March 19, 2007
HUGH ETHERIDGE FOLDS -- Life Story
Hugh Folds grew up poor, later worked with NASA
Hugh Folds always flew the U.S. flag correctly on his flagpole at his northwest Huntsville home. When Gerald Ford died recently, Folds lowered his flag to half-staff to honor the late president. He was proud of that flag, having served it honorably in World War II, said his daughter, Elaine Morton. Folds died Thursday at 80, before he got the chance to fly to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II memorial. Folds wanted to get a seat on a future Honor Flight, which is giving veterans a free trip to the nation's capitol to see the memorial.
Folds grew up in south Georgia in a home with cracks so wide he could see the chickens through the floorboards and the stars through the roof. His father died when Folds was just 2, and life was hard. He joined the Army and was on the way to Japan when the war ended, Morton said.
She put together a scrapbook of her dad's war experiences, which was something he began to discuss only within the past couple of years, said Bill Folds, Hugh Folds' son.
While in Japan, Folds was assigned to the 108th Medical Battalion and drove an ambulance. He had to retrieve bodies of soldiers who were killed during the equivalent of today's suicide bombings, Morton said. Despite that experience, Folds loved the Japanese people he met. He had photos of a couple he called "Mama San" and "Papa San." When he talked about the Japanese children he saw, "he would just start weeping," Morton said. His desire was to represent America well, and he learned to "be open to all kinds of people" through his time in the service, Folds' daughter said.
Back home in Georgia, Folds was working as a ticket agent at a train station when a young nurse named Miss Charlotte Alsobrook bought a round-trip ticket. He knew she would be getting back late that evening and stuck around, so she wouldn't have to get home by herself. He and Charlotte soon married, had three children and would have celebrated their 56th anniversary this summer.
Folds was a natural at fixing things, his children said, and taught himself how to repair radios and televisions. For a while, Folds did bookkeeping work, using his mathematical skills, but he wasn't satisfied.
Charlotte saw a want ad for the Sperry-Rand company in Gainesville, Fla., and the two took off work and went looking for a job. Folds was hired and moved to Huntsville in 1965, where he worked on many NASA projects, including Spacelab. "He would be real hush-hush," said Bill Folds, "until (a project) would become public knowledge. Then he would say 'I was part of that.' " "He felt like he was on the front edge of the future," Morton said.
Their dad was known for his work ethic and abilities. His supervisors would say "if you had a job you needed done and you wanted it done right the first time, you went to Hugh Folds," his son said.
When there was down time on his projects, Folds taught himself computer code and ended up writing a maintenance program for NASA's computer systems that simulated a shuttle launch. His group ended up maintaining the computers on Redstone Arsenal.
Because he worked constantly, either on the job or fixing radios and televisions at his house, Folds didn't have a lot of time to take his kids to baseball games and other things, said his namesake, Hugh Folds Jr.
His commitment to work stemmed from the tough time their dad had growing up, he said. "Whatever he had to do," Hugh Jr. said, "he did to provide for his family."
Thanks to Contributor: Jen (47362231)
HUGH ETHERIDGE FOLDS -- Life Story
Hugh Folds grew up poor, later worked with NASA
Hugh Folds always flew the U.S. flag correctly on his flagpole at his northwest Huntsville home. When Gerald Ford died recently, Folds lowered his flag to half-staff to honor the late president. He was proud of that flag, having served it honorably in World War II, said his daughter, Elaine Morton. Folds died Thursday at 80, before he got the chance to fly to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II memorial. Folds wanted to get a seat on a future Honor Flight, which is giving veterans a free trip to the nation's capitol to see the memorial.
Folds grew up in south Georgia in a home with cracks so wide he could see the chickens through the floorboards and the stars through the roof. His father died when Folds was just 2, and life was hard. He joined the Army and was on the way to Japan when the war ended, Morton said.
She put together a scrapbook of her dad's war experiences, which was something he began to discuss only within the past couple of years, said Bill Folds, Hugh Folds' son.
While in Japan, Folds was assigned to the 108th Medical Battalion and drove an ambulance. He had to retrieve bodies of soldiers who were killed during the equivalent of today's suicide bombings, Morton said. Despite that experience, Folds loved the Japanese people he met. He had photos of a couple he called "Mama San" and "Papa San." When he talked about the Japanese children he saw, "he would just start weeping," Morton said. His desire was to represent America well, and he learned to "be open to all kinds of people" through his time in the service, Folds' daughter said.
Back home in Georgia, Folds was working as a ticket agent at a train station when a young nurse named Miss Charlotte Alsobrook bought a round-trip ticket. He knew she would be getting back late that evening and stuck around, so she wouldn't have to get home by herself. He and Charlotte soon married, had three children and would have celebrated their 56th anniversary this summer.
Folds was a natural at fixing things, his children said, and taught himself how to repair radios and televisions. For a while, Folds did bookkeeping work, using his mathematical skills, but he wasn't satisfied.
Charlotte saw a want ad for the Sperry-Rand company in Gainesville, Fla., and the two took off work and went looking for a job. Folds was hired and moved to Huntsville in 1965, where he worked on many NASA projects, including Spacelab. "He would be real hush-hush," said Bill Folds, "until (a project) would become public knowledge. Then he would say 'I was part of that.' " "He felt like he was on the front edge of the future," Morton said.
Their dad was known for his work ethic and abilities. His supervisors would say "if you had a job you needed done and you wanted it done right the first time, you went to Hugh Folds," his son said.
When there was down time on his projects, Folds taught himself computer code and ended up writing a maintenance program for NASA's computer systems that simulated a shuttle launch. His group ended up maintaining the computers on Redstone Arsenal.
Because he worked constantly, either on the job or fixing radios and televisions at his house, Folds didn't have a lot of time to take his kids to baseball games and other things, said his namesake, Hugh Folds Jr.
His commitment to work stemmed from the tough time their dad had growing up, he said. "Whatever he had to do," Hugh Jr. said, "he did to provide for his family."
Thanks to Contributor: Jen (47362231)
From The Huntsville Times, March 19, 2007
HUGH ETHERIDGE FOLDS -- Life Story
Hugh Folds grew up poor, later worked with NASA
Hugh Folds always flew the U.S. flag correctly on his flagpole at his northwest Huntsville home. When Gerald Ford died recently, Folds lowered his flag to half-staff to honor the late president. He was proud of that flag, having served it honorably in World War II, said his daughter, Elaine Morton. Folds died Thursday at 80, before he got the chance to fly to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II memorial. Folds wanted to get a seat on a future Honor Flight, which is giving veterans a free trip to the nation's capitol to see the memorial.
Folds grew up in south Georgia in a home with cracks so wide he could see the chickens through the floorboards and the stars through the roof. His father died when Folds was just 2, and life was hard. He joined the Army and was on the way to Japan when the war ended, Morton said.
She put together a scrapbook of her dad's war experiences, which was something he began to discuss only within the past couple of years, said Bill Folds, Hugh Folds' son.
While in Japan, Folds was assigned to the 108th Medical Battalion and drove an ambulance. He had to retrieve bodies of soldiers who were killed during the equivalent of today's suicide bombings, Morton said. Despite that experience, Folds loved the Japanese people he met. He had photos of a couple he called "Mama San" and "Papa San." When he talked about the Japanese children he saw, "he would just start weeping," Morton said. His desire was to represent America well, and he learned to "be open to all kinds of people" through his time in the service, Folds' daughter said.
Back home in Georgia, Folds was working as a ticket agent at a train station when a young nurse named Miss Charlotte Alsobrook bought a round-trip ticket. He knew she would be getting back late that evening and stuck around, so she wouldn't have to get home by herself. He and Charlotte soon married, had three children and would have celebrated their 56th anniversary this summer.
Folds was a natural at fixing things, his children said, and taught himself how to repair radios and televisions. For a while, Folds did bookkeeping work, using his mathematical skills, but he wasn't satisfied.
Charlotte saw a want ad for the Sperry-Rand company in Gainesville, Fla., and the two took off work and went looking for a job. Folds was hired and moved to Huntsville in 1965, where he worked on many NASA projects, including Spacelab. "He would be real hush-hush," said Bill Folds, "until (a project) would become public knowledge. Then he would say 'I was part of that.' " "He felt like he was on the front edge of the future," Morton said.
Their dad was known for his work ethic and abilities. His supervisors would say "if you had a job you needed done and you wanted it done right the first time, you went to Hugh Folds," his son said.
When there was down time on his projects, Folds taught himself computer code and ended up writing a maintenance program for NASA's computer systems that simulated a shuttle launch. His group ended up maintaining the computers on Redstone Arsenal.
Because he worked constantly, either on the job or fixing radios and televisions at his house, Folds didn't have a lot of time to take his kids to baseball games and other things, said his namesake, Hugh Folds Jr.
His commitment to work stemmed from the tough time their dad had growing up, he said. "Whatever he had to do," Hugh Jr. said, "he did to provide for his family."
Thanks to Contributor: Jen (47362231)
HUGH ETHERIDGE FOLDS -- Life Story
Hugh Folds grew up poor, later worked with NASA
Hugh Folds always flew the U.S. flag correctly on his flagpole at his northwest Huntsville home. When Gerald Ford died recently, Folds lowered his flag to half-staff to honor the late president. He was proud of that flag, having served it honorably in World War II, said his daughter, Elaine Morton. Folds died Thursday at 80, before he got the chance to fly to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II memorial. Folds wanted to get a seat on a future Honor Flight, which is giving veterans a free trip to the nation's capitol to see the memorial.
Folds grew up in south Georgia in a home with cracks so wide he could see the chickens through the floorboards and the stars through the roof. His father died when Folds was just 2, and life was hard. He joined the Army and was on the way to Japan when the war ended, Morton said.
She put together a scrapbook of her dad's war experiences, which was something he began to discuss only within the past couple of years, said Bill Folds, Hugh Folds' son.
While in Japan, Folds was assigned to the 108th Medical Battalion and drove an ambulance. He had to retrieve bodies of soldiers who were killed during the equivalent of today's suicide bombings, Morton said. Despite that experience, Folds loved the Japanese people he met. He had photos of a couple he called "Mama San" and "Papa San." When he talked about the Japanese children he saw, "he would just start weeping," Morton said. His desire was to represent America well, and he learned to "be open to all kinds of people" through his time in the service, Folds' daughter said.
Back home in Georgia, Folds was working as a ticket agent at a train station when a young nurse named Miss Charlotte Alsobrook bought a round-trip ticket. He knew she would be getting back late that evening and stuck around, so she wouldn't have to get home by herself. He and Charlotte soon married, had three children and would have celebrated their 56th anniversary this summer.
Folds was a natural at fixing things, his children said, and taught himself how to repair radios and televisions. For a while, Folds did bookkeeping work, using his mathematical skills, but he wasn't satisfied.
Charlotte saw a want ad for the Sperry-Rand company in Gainesville, Fla., and the two took off work and went looking for a job. Folds was hired and moved to Huntsville in 1965, where he worked on many NASA projects, including Spacelab. "He would be real hush-hush," said Bill Folds, "until (a project) would become public knowledge. Then he would say 'I was part of that.' " "He felt like he was on the front edge of the future," Morton said.
Their dad was known for his work ethic and abilities. His supervisors would say "if you had a job you needed done and you wanted it done right the first time, you went to Hugh Folds," his son said.
When there was down time on his projects, Folds taught himself computer code and ended up writing a maintenance program for NASA's computer systems that simulated a shuttle launch. His group ended up maintaining the computers on Redstone Arsenal.
Because he worked constantly, either on the job or fixing radios and televisions at his house, Folds didn't have a lot of time to take his kids to baseball games and other things, said his namesake, Hugh Folds Jr.
His commitment to work stemmed from the tough time their dad had growing up, he said. "Whatever he had to do," Hugh Jr. said, "he did to provide for his family."
Thanks to Contributor: Jen (47362231)
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