Page 78 - Cityview_July_Aug_2015

VETERAN SPOTLIGHT VETERAN SPOTLIGHT
From the Bayou to the Great Blue Yonder
“Ours is the commencement of a flying age, and I am happy to have popped into existence at a period so interesting.”
SEVEN YEARS BEFORE Amelia Earhart spoke those words, a baby boy entered the world on a sugarcane planta-
tion in rural Thibodaux, the seat of Lafourche Parish, along the banks of a meandering bayou in Louisiana, some 60 miles southwest of New Orleans.
The child, Jules Bernard, born December 11,
1921, would grow to embody and reflect Earhart’s observation for the bulk of his 93-plus years, making aviation and “the flying age” not only his livelihood but also a passionate pursuit.
In a conversation with Bernard, who has lived in Knoxville since 1998, the upward trajectory of his adventurous life comes quickly to the fore. He was
born into a humble upbringing and rose to accom- plished heights both on the ground and in the air.
Among many milestones, the U.S. Army Air Corps veteran and longtime pilot repaired bombers during World War II in Europe and North Africa, photo- graphed NASA moon rockets for Boeing, cham- pioned exploration for the UT Space Institute in Tullahoma, taught aviation mechanics, and rebuilt vintage airplanes. (In fact, he’s currently rebuilding a Vietnam War–era Cessna Bird Dog observation plane with his grandson for the Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Sevierville—yes, at age 93.)
“I have been fortunate, blessed in so many ways,” says Bernard, as touches of unmistakable Cajun punctuate his soft-spoken, deep-South accent.
And yet the arc of Bernard’s full, colorful life can be traced not only by his penchant for aviation, but also by his equally passionate—if not more fervent— pursuits of nature, photography, cars, travel, and especially an eye-catching fellow college student who would become the love of his life.
Story by Phil Newman • Photography by Tyler Oxendine
76 CITYVIEWMAG.COM JULY AUGUST 2015