Carol Pratt looks back on her life - a labor of love

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Benjamin Franklin once said, "He that can have patience can have what he will." 

As a government budget analyst at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) and a mother, Carol Pratt knows a lot about the virtues of patience. 

She said both her profession and being a parent require patience, attention to detail, keeping up with never-ending changes, and, well, more patience. 

Pratt said another thing parenting and her job have in common is that often the best rewards for one's efforts come later in life. 

Pratt decided to start a family earlier in life, but her formal education and career in finance took a bit longer to accomplish. 

"It only took me 40 years and six kids to get my degree," she said smiling. "I got a scholarship right out of high school and went to college for one full semester. I had met my husband before going away to school and we got engaged at Christmas 1964. I decided I'd rather get married at that point. He was in the military when I met him, at a little radar site [supporting Strategic Command] in Oronogo, Mo." 

At 63, Pratt recently reflected on the journey that brought her from a small town in Missouri to a place like Arnold. She and her husband, Harvey, moved to Tullahoma in 1982 so he could take a position at AEDC as a budget analyst and to be closer to his family. 

Carol first came to work at AEDC in 1985 as a temporary employee, starting as a clerk typist. Like parenting, the rewards were worth the patience required of each path. 

"I had never worked in an office setting and, when I first started, my goal was to be able to be a grocery store checker out at (Kroger) because I thought that was the pinnacle of success," she recalled. "Then I took a civil service test and passed it. And then, I was a temporary for four years almost and finally got a full-time job." 

Pratt said her career has far exceeded her initial expectations. 

"I work in the office that bills the customers we do testing for here at Arnold," she said. "This means I work with the reimbursable program, which this year, fiscal year 2009, is $128 million. This includes commercial [test] customers, NASA, the Army, Navy and Air Force, and foreign military sales, which does testing for other countries approved by the U.S. State Department, as well as other non-DoD entities, such as Department of Energy, etc. 

"Whenever you deal with all these different organizations you do have to have a certain amount of patience and this job is all about attention to detail," she explained. "We have to pay attention to and keep track of the pennies as well as the dollars that our customers send us, for as long as the money can be used, which in some cases can be several years. 

"All of this appeals to the accountant tendencies I have, although I don't have an accounting degree. I think that the biggest challenge as a government budget analyst is staying abreast of the constant changes in regulations and policies and still being able to accomplish the center's goals of excellence in all we do. I think we do an excellent job of that." 

Pratt's youngest son, Patrick, is an undergraduate student with a dual major in international relations and political science who will be going to Kenya in August.
He will be going there to attend the United States International University in Nairobi for two semesters on a National Security Education Program David L. Boren Scholarship. 

Patrick said his mother and father have made a positive difference throughout his life. 

"I probably don't give my parents enough credit for getting rid of cable television in our house, but that was a major contribution," he said. "Essentially, if our antennae didn't pick up the signal, we couldn't watch it. I liked TV just as much as any other kid, but because I didn't have the option to sit in front of a TV all of the time, I developed a sense of curiosity. 

"Also, our parents involved us in many activities, including sports, cub/boy scouts, swim team, karate. I think this contributed to our sense of accomplishment and discipline." 

Patrick said his parents read a lot. 

"So I spent a lot of time in libraries," he recalled. "I believe it was at the [Coffee County] Lannom [Memorial] Library in Tullahoma where I discovered National Geographic and learned that there are other ways of living. I was fascinated with the amazing diversity of humankind and of nature. I read the encyclopedia, and I collected books on everything from gemstones and weather to wild animals and astronomy." 

Patrick said his mother's other attributes left an enduring impression on him. 

"My mom is the kindest and most selfless person I know," he said. "I'm not saying this because she raised me and she might read this, but because it's true. I think if you ask anyone in my family, they will agree." 

More recently, Pratt has taken up a new hobby. She earned a general license as a ham radio operator and joined her husband in manning the Coffee County Emergency Medical Service radios during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June. 

"We will also be doing a duathlon (bike race) on Sept. 30 in Manchester and maybe another bike race in August," she said. 

"What we do is man the radios along the route in case there are any accidents or someone breaks down along the way."