I wish I had a dime for every time my father said, “Son, you would rather be an hour early than a minute late.” Believe me, this was not just a phrase. Dad meant it, and he practiced it. My father was a cook at California Maritime Academy (CMA) in Vallejo, California, located just 30 miles north of San Francisco and about 15 minutes from our home. Today, CMA continues to educate and train midshipmen for careers in the maritime industry. From the 1950s through his retirement decades later, my Dad worked the breakfast and lunch shift beginning at five o’clock in the morning until one o’clock in
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