Air Conditioning Instructor

...why so passionate about the HVACR industry?

Many years ago, while sitting in the USO Club in Sumter, South Carolina, I picked up a copy of Sunshine Magazine and read the
following little nugget:

            Two men looked out from prison bars.
            One saw mud,
            The other saw stars!

Was I seeing mud or stars in my situation, that is serving the
U.S. Air Force at Shaw AFB near Sumter? In general, I believed
that I had a positive attitude about where I was at and what I was
doing. That “general feeling of positiveness” was not passion.

I had entered the U.S. Air Force in 1966 as a way to avoid the
Viet Nam era military draft. I envisioned duty stations at the
garden spots of the world. In reality, I was trained in refrigeration
and air conditioning at Sheppard AFB, Witcha Falls, Texas and
sent to Da Nang, Viet Nam right out of my training station. So
much for avoiding Nam!

After two months at Da Nang, I received orders to move to
Plieku in the Viet Nam highlands. (See the Faith section on this
page for an perspective of that event.) My on-the-job training at Plieku
would be similar to that found in a small town refrigeration shop.
Air conditioners of all types and sizes. Refrigerators, walk-in coolers,
and ice machines. One of my regular tasks, being the trainee among
more seasoned and experienced technicians, was cleaning out the dead
rats from the condensers on the chow hall walk-in coolers. Now that
was something to be passionate about. Not!

Upon completing my tour of duty in Viet Nam, I was sent to Shaw AFB.
The duty there was the military’s way of pulling a practical joke - I was
more combat ready with the tactical outfit there than I was in Nam.
My air conditioning experience was limited to portable military ac units,
assembling large cable to power the units, and screwing on flexible ducts
to the radio and tele-communications vans while playing “war games.” The
“stars” I saw during that assignment had to do more with the diversions I found
at the USO Club and Grace Baptist Church in downtown Sumter than with the
actual tasks done on Uncle Sam’s time.

Well, time passes by – honorably discharged from the Air Force, returned
to Texas to attend college (Northwood Institute in Cedar Hill), a stint as a
fast food restaurant manager, a career in retail, marriage and family, and a
return to the HVAC industry in ten short years. It was the return to the air
conditioning business that proved most fortuitous. It set me on the road to
what I believe is my life’s calling and passion, that of teaching others about
an industry that serves others, provides a variety of tasks to be accomplished,
and affords a comfortable living wage. After acquiring experience with such firms
as Vanco Air Conditioning, Wolverton Company, and others, I opened my own
AC service company, Rxaire Prescriptionaire Service. Eventually, I merged my
business with Professional Service Company where I served as the Residential
Service Manager. Along the way, the joy of teaching others was formulated.
That then led to the next logical step of full-time teaching at Lincoln Technical
Institute now known as Lincoln College of Technology.

Early in my teaching career, I felt so inadequate teaching technical subjects while having to deal with student issues in particular one difficult class of students. At one point, my resignation was on my supervisor’s desk, but the Executive Director, Jim McGuirk, and Instructor Frank Kendall encouraged me hang in there. On the last day of one class, student Terry Gilder, handed me a card that said, “Mr. Robinson, you taught one thing that only a man of God could teach me – COURAGE!” Bam! That statement knocked the pride out of me! I realized that I had settled on seeing the “mud” in my situation brought on by self-pity. It made me see the real purpose for my teaching. It led to the passion I now have for teaching, as my motto states, “Those that CAN…teach…PASSIONATELY!”

I finally saw the “stars”!

If this article touched you in some way, would let me know by email.

...why faith is so important to me?

“I’m pressing on the upward way, New heights I’m gaining everyday…”

The words from the hymn, Higher Ground, resonated throughout the
chapel that Wednesday evening. Reassuring and hopeful words –
for I had received orders that day to leave Da Nang AFB, Viet Nam
for a new duty station at Pleiku AFB in the highlands – literally, “higher
ground!”

Though I had come to Da Nang with a desire to be in the center of God’s
will, the stifling influence of Satan’s power negated my resolve. I was a
young Christian airman in a McHale’s Navy kind of outfit – raunchy and
profane. After two months, I was ready for my higher ground.

“Still praying as I onward bound…”

Prayer. I had seen how prayer had sustained my godly mother through many
of life’s trials – most brought on by my alcoholic father. Surely, a loving mother’s
prayer brought a son face-to-face with the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. And
now my prayer was…

“…Lord plant my feet on higher ground…”

And He did! Spiritual growth…Christian fellowship…meaningful worship…
…opportunities for service and witness to others abounded at that little air
base in the highlands.

The foregoing is just a glimpse of my life’s faith journey. Perhaps, we’ll
have the opportunity in the future to share what else God has done in our
lives. Then we can sing together…

"Lord, lift me up and let me stand, By faith, on heaven's table-land, A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground." from "Higher Ground" by Johnson Oatman, Jr.

If this article touched you in some way, would let me know by email.

...how about my family?

"To infinity and beyond!" says grandson, Seth! Yep, I'm a granddad.
So, that makes Debbie a "Gator Grandma!" (I'll have to tell that story some
day and how I'm known as G'Pop.) Debbie and I have been married 38 years
the 28th of July this year. Do you believe that she has put up with me that long?!?

Our daughter, Mariann, is married to Keith, a policeman. Seth is their seven-year-old
and he is brother to baby Ellie born this year.

Gerald, our son, has graduated from Howard Payne University and is working toward
becoming a Personal Trainer.

Deb's family is from the DeSoto/Lancaster area. I was born and raised in "the Armpit of Texas"
on the Texas Gulfcoast (Clute, Lake Jackson, and Freeport aka the Brazosport are.)

Here's a photo of Seth and GG...

...and Seth and GPop.

Gerald's graduation day with his family. Howard Payne University 2007