Carl Armstrong: Personable, funny, enthusiastic

Whether he was competing in an Ironman triathlon, flying a fighter jet, or teaching advanced placement physics to Clovis high school students, Carl Armstrong was all in.

"He never did anything he didn't do well," according to Mona Lee Norman-Armstrong, who was married to him for 44 years.

His sudden and unexpected death on Dec. 4 at the age of 68 left a hole in many lives, including area triathletes and legions of students he taught in physics and chemistry classes at Clovis High and Clovis Community College.

"Many students described him as their favorite teacher," according to Greg Southard, Armstrong's friend and fellow triathlete. "Who says that about a physics teacher?"

The Armstrong family moved to Clovis in 1992 for Carl Armstrong's last assignment in a 23-year highly decorated Air Force career that included time as a Top Gun pilot.

They had been stationed for the previous 14 years in Europe, Norman-Armstrong said, mostly living in smaller villages.

"When we came here, Clovis embraced us," she said. "Clovis was one of those villages."

By the time Armstrong hung up his wings in 1996, the family was well-settled in eastern New Mexico. He turned to a new interest.

"Carl said he wanted to teach physics," Norman-Armstrong said. "He was always thinking about physics ... always."

While he brought a keen intellect to his second profession, Norman-Armstrong said it was her husband's innate kindness that drew students to his classroom, whether for challenging courses, an afterschool chess game, or simply a safe and welcoming place to spend lunch hour.

"He did not judge people," she said. "He was a fighter pilot, but he was a gentle soul who saw the goodness in people. He gave students a place."

Lubbock urologist Pranav Sharma was in Armstrong's advanced placement chemistry and physics classes in 2002 and 2003 at Clovis High School. He said Armstrong "was very influential in me going on to medical school."

"He was so enthusiastic about his material and passionate about what he taught," Sharma said. "He explained things in ways that were very practical, and he also made it fun. He loved students so much. He was an amazing person."

Outside the classroom, Armstrong was an avid bicyclist and distance runner, highly visible in his neighborhood and throughout the community on his regular outings.

In the early 2000s, he began training for and competing in triathlons, in part because of his friend and neighbor, Tom Martin.

"Tom created 'The Super Team,'" Norman-Armstrong said, "with Carl biking, Tom swimming, and Becky Rowley and others running."

When Armstrong decided he wanted to start doing all three legs himself, Martin said he tried to keep up.

"I could swim ... I was an OK cyclist ... but I had to walk the run part," Martin said. "Carl was so good that by the time I came in, he would have finished long ago, and he'd already have all my gear packed up."

The triathlon connection also brought Southard into Armstrong's life. The first of their many events together was a Milkman Triathlon in Dexter.

"I mentioned I had a race checklist along with a training log that I thought might be helpful for a couple of guys new to the sport," Southard said. "Turns out, Carl had a three-ring binder with checklist, race details for the upcoming and previous races, race results and a chart of his training. 'The Book' with all its detailed, organized information grew over the years and was a running joke. That was the first of dozens of races we did together over the next 20 years."

Rowley, the former Clovis Community College president, worked with Mona Norman-Armstrong for 25 years and met Carl through her. She and Armstrong became regular running partners, and ran "for at least two hours" every Sunday for years.

"You get to know somebody on a different level running with them," Rowley said. "We talked about all kinds of things. Carl has worked physics problems for me in the middle of runs."

Rowley joked that she could control the pace of the run by asking Armstrong a complex question, providing an irresistible teaching moment for the fervent educator.

Armstrong retired from the schools in the spring of 2019, Norman-Armstrong said, but had no shortage of ongoing interests.

When he wasn't running or bicycling, he could be found working on intricate balsa replications of vintage aircraft, honing his skills at the piano (Barry Manilow songs were a favorite), doing yard work, or mulling over a challenging physics conundrum.

A grandson - William Stanley Vernon - born in the fall of 2021 was a special joy, Norman-Armstrong said.

In keeping with his longtime passion, Armstrong had already purchased a Christmas gift for little Will, a five-volume set of books on - what else - "physics for babies."

"Carl was evolving into another person," Norman-Armstrong said. "...Grandpa."

Will is destined to grow up learning about his grandfather through stories told by those who remember him best, like Tom Martin.

"He was personable. He was funny. He was sometimes in a world of his own, but others were welcome to join him," Martin said. "He was just wonderful."