Bruce Sterling -- A Man of Action
Written and read by Gene Cavanaugh at Bruce's funeral in Schulenberg, Texas.
July 27, 1997
I first met Bruce in mid-April 1956, that’s over 41 years ago. It was a week or so after Dorothy and I got engaged We were headed to Edinburg so I could be given a once over by the massive Sterling Clan. Bruce and Beebe and their great young son, Michael Bruce met us at Goliad. and we rode the rest of the way with them in their 49 Ford, "the Blythe Spirit”. I was' surprised and pleased to find that Bruce and l had many interests in common. From that day forward, we never ran out of things to talk about.
We shared experiences, we shared opinions, we shared our children’s actions, we shared meals, we shared our plans, we shared responsibilities.
We talked about engineering, we talked about our children, we talked about football, we talked about raising pecans, we talked about computers, we talked about politics, we talked about everything in the world—believe me. Bruce was a very articulate man—he was always able to state his case clearly and concisely. But his statements, as interesting as they were never as impressive as his actions. That's where Bruce showed what a remarkable man he was. Not once, but over and over again. He always started when starting was required, and he always followed through. You could bet on it.
When Dorothy and I were married in September of '56, Bruce was just finishing up at his engineering studies at UT. He and Beebe were flat broke, but somehow managed to scrape up enough money to buy a new suit so he could be a member of our wedding party.
At that time, he was just getting ready to start his engineering career with Amoco in Texas City. He wasn't all that sure how things would go on his first big job. But Amoco soon found out that Bruce was truly a man that delivered the goods. His old friend Ed Wells could verify this, but I don’t think Bruce missed a raise in over 30 years with Amoco. And | don’t think it was just the money that mattered. The raises meant he was doing a good job—that’s what was really important to this man.
Because we lived close to Bruce and Beebe, we spent many weekends and holidays together. Bruce and I seemed to be running parallel paths and there was a certain amount of competition as we went. When I got a raise, Bruce would later get one also. We were always catching up with each other. Even our growing families, it was always catch up, as our four children were neatly spaced between Bruce and Beebe's four.
One day, Karen, Joyce, Amy and Sue came to Bruce and me with a problem. Each of us was Daddy to some of them, but Uncle to the others. Their solution was to call both of us Uncle Daddy. I know that Bruce considered our children very, very important people, just as he considered each and every Sterling cousin. He often said about all of these great young people, "They are what life is about; nothing is more important than them". And just like in every other aspect of his life, he was a man of action. He was never so busy that he couldn't give personal attention to these valuable people. He obviously loved them all deeply.
In 1962, Bruce & Beebe and Tom & Elsie Farek went together on purchase of a 60 acre farm in Schulenburg. They bought it for about $10.000, financed with money obtained from their Gl Loans. This was to be the first of many adventures by these two city farmers in the green fields of Fayette County, TX. We helped 'Bruce and Bebe wire, plumb, insulate and resurface the old farm house. I still wonder how Bruce had the energy and resourcefulness to make it all happen. He just got on with it.
Dorothy and I and our children then made a big leap in 1963 — we moved to California. We really missed our second family — Michael Bruce, Joyce, Amy and Lee were more than just cousins to our kids, they were major factors in their young lives. But we survived somehow, and in not too many years Bruce and Beebe made an even bigger leap — all the way to India, where Bruce worked on the construction and startup of an ammonia plant for Amoco. It was a great experience for all members their family. We did keep in touch with them and somehow shared vicariously in their great adventure.
The disastrous plane crash in 1973 that took the lives of Beebe, Joyce and Amy left deep marks on Bruce and Lee, who miraculously survived the accident. Michael Bruce, on vacation from UT, was staying with us in Houston when the call came from an Amoco executive with the terrible news. Later that night, I was astounded to receive a call from Bruce himself, from his hospital bed in India, asking for his son. He wanted him on the next plane to India. He needed his help. I often wondered how Bruce had the grit to make that call. He simply did what had to be done — once again.
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Bruce recovered from his injuries, returned with Lee to Texas and was soon back at work with Amoco in Texas City. Though saddened, he had the grit to get on with his life. Fortunately, he soon found in Arleen Mueller, a person with whom he wanted to share the future. Their marriage took place outside the old farmhouse in Schulenburg in 1975. For this event, Bruce's enthusiasm knew no bounds. He directed a crew of second rate carpenters like me to build an outdoor toilet to accommodate the overflow crowd expected for the wedding, The last time I looked, it was still there. It was at this event that many of us first met Arleen's mother, Willie. She has grown to become a very important part of the family.
So. Bruce and Arleen now had things pretty well figured out. Work in Texas City during the week and relax in Schulenburg on the weekends. But, wait a minute. In 1978, they made another huge jump, this time to Trinidad where Bruce managed construction and startup of another Amoco fertilizer plant, then stayed on to manage operations of the unit. In all they spent seven years on the island, returning in 1985. Once again, Bruce amazed everyone by planning and executing this difficult program with great skill. By now he not only knew what he had to, he also knew how to do it.
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| Arleen, Bruce, Gene and Suzanne |
By 1987, Bruce was ready to become a full time cattle and pecan farmer, so he took early retirement from Amoco and he and Arleen moved to Schulenburg to stay. The original 10 acre pecan grove, planted in 1987, was added to year by year to reach its current 40 acres. Over the following years, their new home and many other things were added to the farm. The man of action remained in motion, even in retirement.
But, what, you may ask did Bruce do in his spare time. He kept up with just about everything. Examples:
++ Computers-Bruce was up on all the latest features and used this in every aspect of the cattle and pecan businesses.
++ Stock Market - Bruce and Arleen followed it closely; Bruce read the Wall Street Journal every day.
++ Schulenburg Shorthorns. - Bruce may have been, next to his close friend and neighbor, Forrest Dittrich, the leading authority on how the home team could win the state football championship. He seldom missed a game.
++ Politics-Bruce was definitely a conservative and could convince many, but not all, family members and friends of the wisdom of his thinking.
++ Trees, in general- Bruce’s love of trees was not limited to pecans. He studied and planted a wide variety of trees in the 'arboretum' in their front yard and all around the farm.
++ Bird Watching- Bruce observed and admired birds, with the exception of crows, who were a constant threat to the pecan crop. He did what he could to wipe them out, but with limited success. It wasn't that he admired crows less; he simply admired his pecan crop more.
++ Family Reunions-Bruce and Arleen hosted a large Cousins Reunion and numerous mini-reunions at the farm. Bruce was in the middle of Sterling gatherings at the Smokies, Durango, Cloudcroft, and Big Bend Park. He initiated a family trip to Big Bend this spring, before becoming too ill to participate.
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| Big Bend |
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