The Way We Were

Book excerpt: The story of Ray Pettit is the story of America. a country of decent and generous people, a country with a heritage and system of government based on liberty and the rights of individuals, a country where opportunity has no bounds. Encouraged by his mill-worker parents, who were lacking in formal education but not in intelligence, character, and love for their children, he used his natural ability in mathematics and high-level academic achievement as a springboard to great accomplishments in engineering, some of which contributed to the development of today's modem cellphone technology .Mill-Village Boy begins with the story of a barefoot boy in overalls, in the small town of Canton, Georgia, during the depression years of the 1930s. Unconditionally loved by his parents, Ray Pettit went from Class Valedictorian to graduation from Georgia Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering. This was followed by Masters and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, and outstanding achievements in industry and academia. Mill-Village Boy has elements of intrigue and danger, love and adventure, comedy and sadness, loyalty and betrayal. . . a fascinating description of an exciting and rewarding life!