Reach for the most and find the best

I had the great opportunity to attend Western in the fall of 1974. I grew up in Albuquerque, NM, and at 18, wanted adventure and travel. I had been accepted at Arizona State University and planned on majoring in education. But in the spring of 1973 I applied and was awarded a scholarship from the Explorer's Club in NYC and was assigned to a scientific expedition to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. The professor who led the expedition was Ted Bank from Western Michigan University. He encouraged me to check out Western and I did that winter during a huge snow fall; something I was not used, although Albuquerque did get snow due to elevation but it usually melted in a day or two because of the sun shining almost the entire year.

On August 9 (I remember since President Nixon resigned the day before), I headed to Kalamazoo, Michigan; an adventure that has stayed with me my entire life. What I learned, what I experienced and who I met prepared me for the road ahead. Most of all, I learned about myself and cherish the friendships I made that continue to this day. I am incredibly lucky to live the life I have. It has not been without its roadblocks, such as surviving cancer and being cancer free for 10 years now. My college roommate and I are still in touch and see each other a lot more now that he lives in Houston. I have had the opportunity to see the world and experience the diversity it holds. My travels were due in most part to my work in both the hospitality industry and technology. I occasionally took vacations to places I had heard of but never visited. I did not realize until my late thirties how important my degree was until a colleague said to me: "It's not really important what you studied, but the fact you stayed with your studies and proved you could adjust to living 4 years and obtaining a degree." He was so right.

My memories of my Western years serve me well. Yes, there were a couple of times I almost dropped out or quit. One was what we referred to as the "sophomore blues" and the other was due to a fire that destroyed my apartment, every thing in it, and almost me. But my friends, my fraternity, my professors and my parents were instrumental in keeping my spirits up and keeping me in school. Today I live in Dallas, Texas, and am involved in working with kids at risk as a mentor and tutor. I am one of the first residents to have installed solar panels on my home. In fact, they had no code by which to inspect the first set of panels I had installed. I am a "greenie", I harvest rain water, grow native TX plants, compost, and support providing a cleaner environment for the coming generations.

My years at Western prepared me to be the citizen I am today. Although my politics lean to the left of the majority of Texans, I am making a concerted effort to at least get us to be a voting state and if the color purple comes with it so be it. I could go on and on about myself but in closing, I want to say my years at Western gave me the confidence to go out and explore the world and make it a better place.