Daryl Walizer with his brother Craig.
Daryl Walizer is a pilot for American Airlines. He likes travel and the lifestyle that goes with the flexibility of not having an 8 to 5 job. He says, “I’ll go for a stint and then have time off. It’s great to have the ability to adjust your schedule for your quality of life. The downside is that you can work 6 to 7 straight days at a time. You have to be disciplined when you’re home and then plan to be ahead for when you’re gone. Time management is essential.”
Daryl flew International for about 14 years for American Airlines, traveling to Europe, South America and Hawaii. Now he flies domestic transcontinental.
He explains, “It’s hard to describe, but some people are made to be pilots. They have a brain that can compartmentalize and take stress. This means that you do everything in a certain order and a certain way. I use the left brain more. Someone like Mat Bevel Company’s Ned Schaper, who’s very creative and imaginative, uses the right side more. It’s just different ways to use your brain.”
Daryl Walizer celebrating the magic of Christmas and Beveldom before his next assignment with American Airlines.
Daryl describes his personal mission as taking care of family, being responsible, appreciating his country. He says, “I’m a patriot which is why I joined the U.S. Air Force when I was young.”
Daryl donated to Mat Bevel Company in 2019 during the Escape Velocity campaign because of the organization’s work and his love for the Schaper family. He says, “While I donate to be a good citizen, I gave to Mat Bevel Company because I like the work they are doing. Ned and Paula Schaper are my other family. I trust them, and I feel like my donation isn’t being wasted on salaries. You know, many nonprofit officers make huge amounts of money. But Mat Bevel Company is all volunteer and their philosophy is to be resourceful which makes me feel like they are making good use of my contribution. I’m supporting inspiring TV programming and curriculum that helps people be better problem-solvers.”
Daryl thinks priorities in the educational system have gotten skewed. He says, “We need to teach the basics first. Students need to master Science, Math and English before you diversity them! If you can’t count money, why would you teach someone math? You have to establish the foundation before you build beyond.”
Daryl with girlfriend Barb during the holiday!
As far as making the world a better place, Daryl thinks we need to go back and emphasize personal responsibility. He believes we’ve become too much of an entitled society. He says, “No one thinks if you want it done right do it yourself. You don’t have to be a master of everything, but you need to have knowledge of everything. You need to have a wide enough background to take care of yourself, but not be a genius of everything.”
Daryl would like to pass to future generations an understanding of the value of work and how it relates to the value of finance. He says, “You have to understand and have a good work ethic. You need to work to live, not the other way around. There is no free lunch in life.”
To quote Forrest Gump: “And that’s all I have to say to say about that.”