AROUND THE WORLD continued
on time. A teetotaler. Germ freak. He gets things
done. He’s a rich ‘street kid.’ He’s knows what’s
going on. He’s got a tremendous concentration
and an eye for detail that’s amazing. His father’s
name is Fred. His brother’s name is Fred whom
he lost to alcoholism; that is why Donald is a
teetotaler. I knew the family, all but his mother.
Donald had one thing in common with his
father, well two things: they both combed their
hair the same way. And they both were in the
construction business with no stock holders, no
board of directors. They knew exactly what they
were doing, made sure every detail was perfect
and basically sold their name along with their
properties.” As to the media not sharing the
same understanding, Fred explains, “Because
he’s not one of them. They can’t control him!”
Mr. Fred Para, world traveler.
Retiring again in 2006, Fred and Barbara
continued their adventures together. With
many flights back and forth from Florida to
New Jersey, Moore County became a fuel stop
that eventually led them home. Actually a
thunderstorm landed them in Moore. As the
thunderstorm brewed, the Paras were forced
to make a landing. Spending the night at Mid
Pines, the peaceful, golfing community drew
them to the area.
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world from Singapore to Saudi Arabia to Nigeria.
With roots calling him home, the year 1983
grew a new life chapter as Fred retired from the
oil fields. Remembering his Air Force days in
NJ, Fred revisited a certain lady named Barbara
Harris who never left his mind. Way back in
1965, they met, but as Fred wasn’t ready to settle
down, life happened. As time fortuned another
reunion, Fred and Barbara tied the knot and
embraced new adventure together! Funny thing
is, Barbara was scared of heights but once Fred
took her flying, that was all it took. Fred laughs,
“Before I knew it, Barbara became an instructor
pilot who started teaching flying and soon
worked for the FAA. Before becoming a pilot, she
was a school teacher, a very dynamic fast-paced
person.”
While stateside, Fred reconnected with
another friendship established overseas. Giving
his friend in NYC a call, Fred followed up on the
invitation offered over lunch, “Come work for
me; my boss will love you.” Thus the makings
of another career of a lifetime as Fred became
the driver of a certain businessman named
Donald aka President Donald J. Trump. Hired to
be a company driver, Fred began the journey of
driving Mr. Trump, his family and executives.
From 1986 to 2006, Fred expanded the travels
of his incredible journey. Working on a personal
level with Mr. Trump, Fred experienced the real
deal. Fred shares, “I worked with Mr. Trump for
twenty years. He’s extremely organized. Always
On June 2, 2015, the unthinkable happened.
Fred and Barbara’s shared love of flying ended
their shared love story in an horrific accident.
Pretty broken up, Fred awoke from 12 days in a
coma to discover that his wife had passed away
in the plane crash. Along with his broken heart,
his back was broken, hand was cut off, fingers
were dead, and his foot was cut off at the ankle.
After a long rehabilitation, Fred slows, “I got
myself back together. To be very honest with
you, it’s extremely hard when something like
that happens. Recovery is long.”
As they say, “It takes a village,” so too in
recovery. When Fred saw no future, his sister
Linda encouraged, “Go overseas; get away;
enjoy yourself.” As his sister helped him secure
the Round the World ticket, Fred shares, “The
trip energized me, rejuvenated me; I was away
for six months, five days and visited twenty-one
countries. Currently I am planning another trip.
You know, I lived in the warm climates of the
Orient for so long that I don’t want to live in the
cold anymore.”
Traveling the world with Star Alliance, Fred
used many carriers via business class with
fifteen stops and one year to use the ticket. From
December 9 to June 11, the trip around the world
began in Fred’s favorite place—New Zealand!
From New Zealand, he traveled to Australia, Bali,
Hong Kong, China, back to Hong Kong. From
Vietnam, back to Hong Kong. To Singapore,
Malaysia and Thailand. Back to Singapore, then
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