My father, Louis Hoekstra, Jr, was born and raised in Whitinsville, Massachusetts and after graduating from Northbridge High School in 1952, he spent 20+ years in the Air Force before retiring as a Senior Master Sergeant in 1973. He had numerous assignments throughout the U.S. and the Asia Pacific region including a tour in Vietnam. Upon retiring, we moved to Orlando, Florida where Dad spent the next 24 years teaching the social sciences in the Florida Public School System. During that time, he was best known for using ham radio in the classroom as a supplemental teaching aid. In fact, CNN came to our house one Christmas and did a report on "Ham Santa" when Dad talked to kids all around the world on his Ham radio during the holidays from Christmas, Florida. Mom and Dad were married for 58 years before she went home to be with the Lord. After spending this past summer in New England with his sister Debbie, Dad recently moved into a new home in Groveland, Florida. He has prepared a short history of the Hoekstra family which I plan to post here soon.