Spartan Life

After graduation, he moved into a spartan cabin (no hot water) on a farm in Golden, Texas. Fellow cadets from the Texas A&M Corps sometimes skipped class to dig and plant bulbs with him. His buddy Brad Gaultney helped structure the business by creating a Web site and figuring out how to process orders. Whenever Chris's brother, John, wasn't flying for Delta, he'd lend a hand, as did other family members. Friends and family still offer their support.

Left: During his first year in this rural Texas cabin, Chris lived off the fish he caught in a nearby pond. His bulb hunting companion is a fine Weimaraner named Fischer.