After a most excellent homecoming, I went to Hamilton, Canada to see Peni. The sparks did not fly for either of us, but I had a nice visit regardless. Shortly after Christmas I had a malaria relapse and ended up in Chelsea Naval Hospital in Boston for 45 days. When I was released I received a compassionate re-assignment to the small Army contingent at Otis AFB on Cape Cod, two miles from where I grew up so I was able to live at home. My official title was Range NCO. My job basically was to schedule National Guard troops in for live fire training. Occasionally I hopped into the jeep and went out to the range to make sure range safety regulations were being complied with. I was discharged on June 13th and spent the summer working with dad waterproofing brick bldgs. Deciding that working with dad and waterproofing brick buildings was not what I wanted to do with my life, I returned to TCU in the fall and worked concurrently on my incomplete BA and a Masters in Secondary Education.

Upon completion, as there were no teaching jobs available, I continued working at a neighborhood bar named The Stables. In conjunction with a VA stipend and a graduate assistantship, I was able to pay my way through school. When the manager of The Stables moved on, the owner asked me to take his place. I did and several years later, I was managing partner with a friend who helped me buy the business.

Being an alcoholic and spending too much time partying and drinking up the profits, the bar failed and the previous owner took over the business and I was out. During this time I married my first wife, Kathie, and she stuck with me for 13 years when she had had enough. I quit drinking on Nov 1, 1977.

During my years with Kathie I had several jobs. I worked for Pinkerton as a security guard, worked at several restaurants including The Public House and BJ Keefers. Some of you may be old enough to remember them. Bill Keefer was a Vietnam vet who also went to TCU. We had both joined an anti war group called Vietnam Veterans Against the War. We did some guerrilla theater, spoke to civic groups and particpated in some demonstrations including a march to Dallas. When the war ended we moved on to other things. I did some protesting on behalf of the United Farm Workers. While married to Kathie I also worked selling insurance for John Hancock and drove a vending truck for Woody Taylor Vending which was bought out by Automated Custom Foods, if memory serves me well.

Finally, in the fall of 1985, one of my old customers from the Stables told me about a teaching position at Trinity High School. I applied and received the position even though the principal told me I was not his first choice. Kathie and I divorced. At the end of my 1^st year, I was told a former basketball coach at North Texas University was going to get my position as a government teacher. I was told that I could take a position temporarily at Bedford Jr High or a permanent position at Central Jr High, both in the HEB Independent School District. My teaching buddies said take the Central job. I did and taught mostly World Geography to ninth graders. I also taught a little US History and I think I did a year of World History as well. Anyway, I had found my niche.

After 18 years, my principal who was a former counselor told me she thought I would make a good counselor because it was so easy for me to build relationships with my students. I took her advice, went back to school for a second Masters of Education with counselor certification. This was in 2000. I had married my second wife, Jeannie, in 1990. She had three kids from her previous marriage. HEB had no counselor position openings so I applied at several local ISD’s, finally being hired as a counselor in FWISD at a 9^th grade dropout recovery program called Accelerated High School. I was there for two years when the district decided not to renew funding for the school. I was then hired at Diamond Hill Jarvis High school where I was lead counselor for two years. A new principal was hired at the beginning of my second year. We did not work well together so at the end of the school year she recommended I search elsewhere. Well the word was out that I was not a team player (I always put my students ahead of politics), so no one would take me. This resulted in the boss over the district counseling department placed me at Metro Opportunity High School where I became that school’s only counselor. Metro was the district’s long term (30 days or more) placement for students who had committed serious violations of district policy, ie; fighting, vandalism, assault and other violations. The principal and I got along great and I was there for 3 years when we both decided it was time to retire. So in 2010, I retired and took up golf.

I should also mention that I was an education activist joining the Texas State Teachers Association, the state affiliate of the National Education Association. I worked my up to President of both the locals of HEB and Fort Worth school districts, and Regional President of TSTA serving on the state board of the state organization. After I retired in 2010, I went to work part time for TSTA as an organizer and advocate.

In 2012, I really went outside my comfort zone. I had met Steve Maxwell when I played for a softball team named Blind Justice. I had been playing softball for over 20 years. Because of my previous activism, Steve asked me if I might run for Congress as a Democrat against Kay Granger in District 12. Nobody else came forward, so I said ok, why the hell not. After a low budget campaign, I was soundly defeated in the general election of 2012. But it was a great experience and I stayed politically active and served as an election clerk and then an election judge for the next two election cycles. Then I was done.

Jeannie asked me to leave last year, and as I have mentioned previously my therapist suggested the letter blog when I told her how mom had saved my letters. The blog was supposed to be a coping mechanism for what was going in my life. It was but it also opened up some old wounds and memories. So that’s where I am today. It’s been quite a ride. Thanks again for those of you who managed to get through all the letters. Only one person thought I should keep it going so that’s all she wrote. As my favorite Vulcan says, “Live long and prosper” and as my favorite newsman (Les Nessman from WKRP in Cincinnati) says, “May the good news be yours.”