Comments:
Boy, what a trip down memory lane it has been to attend the reunion. I THINK the last one I attended may have been at 15 or 20. I have especially enjoyed the somewhat random review I have done of others' backgrounds and comments, and the current collective focus on our grandchildren. For those who have none, it is hard to describe the joy of having your granddaughter take your hand in her tiny hand to very excitedly lead you and show you her latest proud accomplishment, or have her run to you, jump in your lap, give you a hug and say, "I missed you, Granddad!" Or have the youngest strugglt to say "Granddad", or something equivalent, just knowing she is calling you by name. What do they say? "Priceless!". This is what life is really about, our legacy to this world.
It brought tears to my eyes to read through the comments and obituaries in "In Memory". If you haven't done it, I recommend you take a few minutes. So many of our friends, acquaintances or maybe just faces in the crowd at BHS, no longer with us for a variety of reasons. I had to mourn, not for them, but for all the family and friends they left behind and those voids in the hearts that never quite get filled.
As for me, the past 40 have been a roller coaster ride, as I'm sure we have all experienced. Graduated from Electrical Engineering at UH (1974), co-op'd in the meantime at the old Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in Houston as a student engineer with Jeff Shepherd, worked six years at Shell Oil in New Orleans, then Houston, started Law School at Loyola in NO(1976) and finished up at UH, went into private practice with one firm in 1980 (San Antonio), helped found another firm in 1991, left that one about 3 years ago due to "creative differences" (boy, was that a good move...after I left, the firm dropped from 40 + lawyers to 10 or so!), have landed with a firm that has offices in San Antonio, El Paso and DFW, still primarily representing product manufacturers who get sued in product liability lawsuits, lots of trials all over, mostly (thank goodness!) successful. Had a daughter (Amy, who is 33), went through a divorce a few years ago, remarried after that to an absolutely wonderful lady who is truly my soulmate and who is "our" age (she is having her 40th in SA the same days as ours, so won't make it to Borger) and now have a 21 year old stepson who is a really great kid (6'2" and 205 #) and who is still figuring out life. He attended the last 2 years of High School in Bath, Maine, and what an experience that was for mom and stepdad. We participated in many activities in Maine that the school provided for the parents, and those have provided a book's worth of cherished memories. Spent a week one summer (mom, stepson and me) in the mountains of Maine at Pine Tree Camp, camping out in pup tents and taking care of wheel chair bound and MS teenagers (Jerry's kids). Ask me about my friend, Brandon.
Acquired a son in law along the way (another unforgettable memory, walking Amy down the aisle), with two wonderful granddaughters (one born to my daughter/son in law in California about 4 1/2 years ago), the other almost 2 years ago in Round Rock (where they now live). What a joy to have the daughter, son in law and granddaughters only 1 1/2 hours away. Lost dad to cancer about 11 years ago. That was a tough one. Mom has continued on her own in Borger, and I have come to admire her greatly for her resilience and enthusiasm for life. We get back to visit her every year or so, she is in SA a lot also.
As for me, a "secret"...my favorite channels are The Food Network and Turner Classic Movies. I love to cook, probably from those years of cooking BBQ at Sutphens, and I love the BW movies from early 30's to early 50's (especially film noir), while I am sitting on my back porch early on a Saturday morning with the newspaper and my cup of coffee...my "quiet" time. I like working with my hands, a little artwork here and there, built the playhouse for the granddaughters shown below for Christmas 2008 (painted in Disney Princess colors, of course, and disassembled in my garage, packed on a flatbed at 3 AM on Christmas morning, and reassembled in the kids backyard on Christmas day), currently refurbishing a 1966 Mustang coupe, 289, emberglow metallic, pony interior. Couldn't afford one growing up, and that process has brought back so many other memories of those uncomplicated times when cars were simple and you actually could do all your work. "Play" golf very badly, but still enjoy it. We love to travel, especially to various spots in Europe...my wife Mary Alice speaks fluent Spanish so that helps, especially in places like Spain and Italy. Spent two weeks in Korea this year meeting with a client...What a trip that was. Menu items like fried silkworms, live octopus, and, yes, dog (a Korean delicacy). And you know what they say about Mikey...He'll eat anything (or at least TRY anything).
Am very active with my wife in our church, in lay ministry retreat activities and singing bass (me, not my wife...she sings alto) in the church choir. I never learned to play an instrument, but I can hit those low notes with the best of 'em.
Still practicing law, and I figure the last economic downturn probably set retirement back a couple of years. Oh, well. I'm still young. All in all, I have had it very easy the last 40, God has been good to me and to my family. I still have everything I was born with (the occasional back surgery, broken bones, and other minor maladies notwithstanding), so I can't complain. Whew!!! So there you have it, 40 years in 6187 characters. (At least according to the counter that I am watching as I two-finger type this...That's another thing. I never learned to type worth a damn. The high school teacher, sorry, I can't remember her name, took mercy on me after the second or third six weeks and let me out of the class after I had done so poorly, and I never took typing again). Exhausting? Not on your life. I think I have enjoyed every minute, or at least 90+ %!!!
I can't wait to see everyone. See you in a couple.
