I am interviewing my grandfather; his full name is Hillary Cranwell Bowen Smith. His first name is obviously a girl name so he goes by Bowen usually but writes it as H.C. Bowen Smith. I interviewed my grandfather for all of the strange stories he had that were interesting. Like when he was fifteen he was sent across the country to a summer camp, he ran away and for a month worked on a farm by picking peaches. Then finally he decided that he to go home and called his parents, his parents then wired money to him for a train ticket. I drew from this that my grandfather accomplished much more than the average person at fifteen and that he seemingly had no fear.
Clayton: What was the most suspenseful event in your life, and how did you act and feel after words?
Bowen: In 1962, when I was on board a destroyer class ship sailing home from the Cuban missile crises. The ship was caught in a hurricane. The ship was taking on ‘green water’ or the water was rising above the bridge of the ship, which was 38ft above the average water line. There were two guns on the bridge, each weighing 21 tones; both of the guns were wiped clean from the ship when a wave hit the ship. Down in my cabin I was racing up to get to a safe position if the ship was going to capsize. While running up to the deck the ship started whipping side to side. The force of the momentum threw and pinned me up against the wall, I could hear the other sailors bellow deck screaming. As the ship was going to sway back for the third time (usually when it will capsize) a rough wave came and hit the ship, reversing the effect and saving everybody. Ever since then I have had a deep respect for hurricanes and the power of the ocean because it is nearly unstoppable.

Clayton: Why did you pursue the career that you have chosen?
Bowen : When I had gotten out of college I worked as a security analyst from 1967 - 1984 and loved my job. Later I moved to corporate finance and worked with forest products and paper industries. I still work to this day because I am a very sought after figure in that industry, mostly because I know all of the players in that field, so I have a lot of connections. At least a lot more than any new person in that field because of my experience of working till seventy five.

Clayton: Are there any major choices that you made in your life that you wish you could change?
Bowen: There were never any significant events in life that I would like to change. I never had a midlife crisis so that I would wake up at night and realize what I have been doing is all wrong. I am very happy with what I have done in life, all of my successes and my failures have turned out to be more for the better than worse. Of course there were little bumps in the roads but everybody has those. Nothing was ever perfect but nothing ever is for anybody. During my entire life I very rarely had a moment when I would double back on my answer, or have second thoughts on any major decisions. I went with my gut instinct, and I guess it was near always right. I never really felt sorry for any of my decisions also if it altered any body’s life, they had the same chance to succeed as I did when I started off in life and made my success.