Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to 
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
- Messages
- 51,224
- Reaction score
- 8,192
- Location
- Huntsville
- First Name
- Scott
- Last Name
- Friday
Last week my 90 year old paternal grandfather passed away. We had a great service for him Tuesday. I learned long ago that he was actually my Dad's Step Father. His biological Dad left his Mom when he was just a small baby. When Dad was somewhere around 2-3 years old, his Mom remarried. This marriage lasted 62 years 
Anyway, some years ago it seems that his Mom slipped some pictures of his real Dad to my Mom, unbekownst to me. With all the family down for the funeral, Mom got to reflecting on things and remembered those pictures. Today I was over at their house and saw them for the first time.Jack Vernon Welborn - my biological grandfather
Dad's Mom has been dead for four years and had Alzheimer's for quite some time before that. She never really spoke much of his real Dad so he knows next to nothing about him. They met and married in Oklahoma City in the late 30's. Dad was born in May of 39. He's never met his Dad and I believe he has been dead for quite a long time, having died at a considerably younger age than 90. I am guessing him to be in his early 20's in the image above. The following are the only other images I have of him. He's the rider in both images. It looks like it might be the same bike, but with the fenders removed in the first image. I've no idea what kind of bike. This was before Dad was born but while he and my Grandmother were together, so likely 37-38. These two may explain my tendency to be gravitationally challenged... 
That's him rolling in the dust cloud
That's him with his hand straight up in the air
Looking at the pics, it looks like the last three are all from the same event of some kind. I'm guessing a race. The guy in the background of the last image looks like he's heading for those whoops. I think those are where the bike jump picture was taken. It is kind of interesting. Knowing that my Grandfather's death was coming, and then during the funeral, I have been pondering the ways in which his life has affected my own. The way he raised his kids, treated his wife, treated his friends, his attitudes towards his work, his faith, all contributed to the making of my own Dad, and likewise, of myself. Then there is that old nature/nurture debate. Like it or not, we do inherit physical traits from upstream. I am nothing like my Grandfather in appearance. I don't really see myself in the first image above though. I did see a pic of my Dad from about that same age and they do look alike. Everyone that meets me and my Dad assures me we look a lot alike. Maybe I need to go find a pic of me when I was in my 20's...
Kinda eerie in a cool way!
I couldn't imagine riding a bike like that in the dirt, let alone getting it airborne! Scott, your grandfather had mad skilz! 
Seems he died at the age of 53. Pretty young... My Dad is now 69 and going strong. Makes me wonder what might have happened to him? His older brother lived to 76 and the younger sister might possibly be alive.
