Our people: Clovis native has lifetime of stories

Dudley Boone says he is distantly related to Daniel Boone, the noted figure in American history.

Boone has been a military pilot, flown in combat zones, been a commercial pilot, worked for the Federal Aviation Administration and been a Santa Fe railroad engineer.

Boone also has ties to Clovis. He was born here.

The California man has businesses in Clovis and flies into town periodically to take care of things.

During a recent trip he paused for a talk with The News about his life.

Q: So you were born in Clovis?

A: At what was then called Clovis Memorial Hospital at 13th and Thornton streets.

Q: Tell us a bit about growing up in Clovis in the 1950s.

A: It was quiet, orderly and friendly.

I didn't even know what bullying was. Didn't have a word for it.

So there were two times when I was walking from my home on Davis Street to James Bickley Elementary and these two boys started shoving me around. I had no idea what was going on.

Q: Tell us about your family.

A: My father was from Texico, my mother was from Farwell.

I have a younger sister who lives in Colorado Springs.

My wife Valerie is from Tacoma, Wash. I met her at the Officer's Club at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma.

She says we've been together for over 50 years. We were married in 1976.

Our daughter lives in California and our son lives in Kona, Hawaii.

Q: So you joined the military years ago.

A: I went to the University of New Mexico for five years and came away with a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences and psychology.

I wanted to fly so I joined the "Taco Gang," as they called themselves, the New Mexico Air National Guard.

I did it because in 1966 they had a very inviting training program.

I stayed in the NMANG and flew Thunderbirds, C-140s and C-141s.

I retired a lieutenant colonel in 1994.

Q: What do you do now?

A: I can't tell my story unless I tell my father's story. He was a "rocket ship."

He was a Santa Fe railroad engineer for 40 years.

He used to say, "I've been rich seven times and broke eight."

He got rich with uranium, broke in oil, rich in oil and gas, he held patents to about half of the equipment methodology in center-pivot irrigation.

He got rich in turning sandy land into crop land and in the 1950s he plowed land for development.

When he passed away in 2010 he left me and my sister Westgate and Llano Self Storage businesses.

I also have made some real estate investments in California and Georgia.

Q: As a businessman what bit of advice would you share with someone who's thinking about going into business?

A: Plan on working very hard and long and bring lots of money.

Q: Why did you choose to retire in California?

A: I have a big, extended family in California and my daughter lives in California, so it was California for us.

Q: Where's your favorite place to vacation?

A: I don't vacation.

Now my wife drags me all over the place: Europe, river cruises, ocean cruises.

But I do like Bermuda. I went on a cruise to Bermuda and I really liked it.

Q: What's your favorite food.

A: Mexican.

My favorite place to eat ever was the El Monterrey restaurant on Mitchell Street in Clovis.

Q: What's the strangest thing you've ever seen?

A: It didn't happen to me, but it's a story a friend of mine told me that is very memorable, very strange.

It happened over the midwestern states.

He was flying a C-141 cargo jet at night and he saw a light in the distance in front of him.

It kept getting closer.

He woke the crew to get their input on this light that kept getting closer and closer.

So he veered the C-141 off to the left and the light veered off to its left at the same time.

Then it was gone.

It didn't show up on the radar. Had no idea what it was.

And you know, I spent 50 years in aviation including international aviation and I never saw a UFO.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

A: I was furloughed from three different jobs in three good companies at the same time: Eastern Airlines, the Santa Fe railroad and the FAA in 1991.

Q: What's the difference between living in California and New Mexico?

A: California is wonderful.

Mostly the people are so non-judgmental, so friendly, sociable and helpful.

The climate could hardly be better.

Q: What's the worst smell?

A: I don't like the smell of burning sulfur. It's pretty awful.

Q: Do you have a favorite saying?

A: There's one I picked up working at the FAA: "In God we trust, all others bring data."

I like the one my wife says; it's from the shoe commercial: "Just do it."