PROBLEM SOLVED:
In case you are curious, the solution was quite simple and easy. The solution was easy once we figured out what caused the unusual electrical problem!
After spending a considerable amount of time scratching my head over the problem and the terrific technicians at Braxton Automotive (in Atlanta, GA) pouring over the various electrical components in the dashboard area...my wife suggested that the problems may be related to a flat tire that I had fixed immediately prior to the electrical foul-up.
Flat tire? huh? Why would a flat tire cause an electrical problem? My first reaction was to laugh at the silly nature of her comment.
Until we realized she was correct.
It seems that in lowering the spare tire from the back of the truck, some wires were dangling and mangled in the operation. The damaged wiring caused ground problems with some of the electrical circuits. Some simple splicing solved the problem.
And everyone lived happily ever after (although I feel stupid that my non-automotively-inclined wife figured out the problem while I was still scratching my, um, head.
Steve Petzer
Atlanta, Georgia