Comments:
I left Texas Western to work for El Paso Natural Gas Co. in 1966, married a young lady while working there and continued with EPNG until 1971, when I took a leave of absence, finished my Bus/Econ degree and started school at South Texas College of Law in Houston.
Before completing law school I went found employment in the engineering and construction industry in Houston where I remained until 1988 when I moved to California to start a construction company (RCD Seismic) that retrofitted commercial buildings to withstand earthquakes. Following The Northridge quake in 1994, I expanded into the insurance business with RCA Public Adjusters, with which I'm still active.
Always an avid traveler and photographer, I still travel as often as possible and photograph whatever "POPS" along the way.
I've spent time in Japan, China, Irma's, Korea, Thailand, The Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and Australia. In the Mediterranean - Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Croatia. Western Europe - Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, The Czech Republic (Prague), Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, England and Wales.
I still think about Fannie Hamiter, who aside from being a great algebra teacher, was a woman of great character and resolve. She also threatened to not allow me to graduate if I didn't get my homework in during the last few weeks before graduation. Since I didn't need the credits, I didn't bother. . .but she passed me anyway.
Kay Snipes, the older woman in my life and her beautiful smile, sparking eyes and her little black Morris Minor.
Patty Robinson, a younger woman from Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua, Mx. who stopped traffic wherever she went, but was never aware of it. She moved to Salt Lake City, captained the cheerleading squad at the University of Utah, married the captain of the football team and had eleven children.
Kelly Smith, who during a hard-fought campaign for student council, stood quietly behind several other candidates in assembly as they each spoke about what they would do if elected. Kelly won both the debate and election when he stepped forward, looked directly at the assembly and spoke the two words that got him the job. . ."ME TOO", he said. Kelly was a pioneer in the fine art of brevity. Kelly was also particularly astute at raising our neck hairs when, during full moons, he would freak us out with wolf-howls in the boys restroom.
Mrs. Tapper, the typing teacher who would hand-crank a spring-driven, antique Victrola and have us type along to the rythym of the music to improve our typing speed and accuracy. Things would go well until the spring in the Victrola would deplete and then music would degrade into a warbled moan. The comedy would then begin, with Larry Yedlin usually the first to fall on the floor, convulsed in laughter. Mrs. Tapper was usually oblivious.
To the guys from Austin who changed the E to an A during our game at the El Paso High School Stadium in 1960. . . its execution was a thing of beauty, and to all of you who took part, please remind us of who you are and what you were drinking. Hey, hey, look at the A. . .really!. . .the A?
To the young man who lost his forefinger to the table saw in Mr. Miller's shop class - I hope that you've adapted well over the years - I also hope that you were the only one to lose an appendage to that saw, but I doubt it.
Patsy Manning - to this day, one of the damndest things I've ever seen - you, caught between those two microphones, a hand clenching each, mouth agape in a silent scream; an agonizing few moments, frozen in time for 3,000 clueless, cheering students - all of them thinking it was part of the show. Was that Freddie Kruger lurking backstage?
In case you don't recall, Clarence Moyers, Steve Cone, and several other people ran to your aid but were knocked back by the same electrical current that was coursing through you body. Fortunately, Jim Francis had the presence of mind to jerk the electrical cord from the wall. Most of us just stood there in shock. Aside from how it affected you, the incident put our entire football team on edge and we lost to the underdog Bellaire Highlanders in a major upset that same Friday night. (We had to blame it on something).
Five years ago I moved from Pasadena, Ca. to Santa Barbara. Our South-facing beaches, offshore Channel Island Preserve, magnificent mountains, beautiful ocean and great year-round weather have been a been a sheer pleasure to drink beer in. An interesting aspect of SB is that certain areas of it look just like Austin, Hippie Hollow and the Texas hill country.
Last Saturday, on my way to El Paso from SB, I drove through Gallup, N.M. As I passed through town, I picked up a local radio station that was broadcasting in the Navajo language. To my amazement, the language sounded eerily similar to Japanese - too similar, I suspected, to be coincidental. Sure enough, when I later Googled, "Japanese, Navajo", several articles referred to not only a similarity in the language but a direct genetic link to Mongolia and Japan. Imagine, this great historical phenomenon in our own backyard! I hear that the Navajo Tribe is opening a Toyota factory next year on the reservation - kidding!
