Mike Collins

I have dedicated my life to encouraging people to understand what they can do to make a difference in the corrupt conduct of our public officials and those individuals who belong to the "nameless club" that operates in every community in our country.

I had no particular reason to select the photo of the 3 boys; Kenneth Driver, me, & brother Pat except it was taken in the dead of winter. Notice wardrobe. My favorite school story didn't happen until I was in charge of the reunion back in the 70's. An old man, whom I will not name, phoned me to say he wanted the reunion to not combine his graduating class with the class that followed his for his upcoming 50th Reunion. His reason was that he was once married to a girl in that class and one night when he went for a pack of cigarettes he never returned and he knew that girl would be at the reunion. I explained that I could not get that policy changed and tried to explain that 50 years was a long time and I thought everything would be alright. On the day of the reunion I was on the second floor of the school looking our over the people and saw "that girl" walking toward the "old man". Sure enough they both opened their arms for a long embrace and kisses on the cheek. We should remember that time can heal some wounds even though some wounds never heal.

Re-live my life, so I could do what I wanted to do instead of doing what I believed I was supposed to do to satisfy others. For too long I concerned myself with what my family, my church, and community thought I should do instead of what my head and heart told me was the correct thing to do. That was a huge mistake that has resulted in regrets I live with everyday.

One cousin, Tina Walker, lives in Carbon
My brother Pat lives in Eastland
My brother Bob and his wife Margaret live in Waco
My sister Betty resides in a nursing home in Austin

38

I love spending time in New York City.

Sam Rayburn

Black Eyed Peas, cornbread, cantaloupe, onion, tomato, ice tea.

Our country has problems that will be its downfall. That problem has to do with education. For those who think education is too costly should look at the real cost of ignorance, Our country's number one problem. We live in dangerous communities, not because of the evil people do but because of the PEOPLE who could stop the evil but won't.