Our family regularly attended Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church. In fact, I almost always had perfect attendance at both school and church, because that was very important to my father.
Most of my youth was about school and running around loose on the streets. My friends and I were largely unsupervised, roaming around on our bicycles. My father, a school administrator and former coach, was very conservative and controlling, so I mostly avoided home. Except for dinner. That was required and growing boys do get hungry. So, I’d pop in, eat, try not to get yelled at, then run back out to join the gang. Growing up I had many great experiences and gained many stories to tell my grandkids, mostly about what stupid and dangerous things not to do.
But despite my many youthful adventures, my feelings about San Antonio were not positive. I found school oppressive: Marching to a bell, dress codes, hair codes … rules upon rules upon rules. And the city from my perspective was a sort of dark, forboding place. It’s difficult now to relate to that view of things, but I know my attitudes were affected by bloody newscasts, such as “12-Star Final,” bigotry against Hispanics (I am half Hispanic), oppressive attitudes toward women and anyone attempting an alternative lifestyle (such as gays or hippies), a lack of healthy activities for young people, the drug culture, and poverty. Maybe not everyone was in poverty, but I never had any money. And most of the people around me were always tight, as well. It seemed poverty was prevalent in San Antonio when I was growing up, and the things that come with it: crime, thugs, drugs … Just a generally unhealthy environment.
It was only when I left San Antonio to attend the University of Texas at Austin that I began to view life differently. I made friends from different parts of the country, and they shared different perspectives. I learned to view the community positively. I also learned about healthy foods and about exercise and better lifestyle choices. Part of this, of course, was just growing up. Another part of it was dating some quality young women who introduced me to better things. And part of it was the university itself. I finally embraced learning. At that point I had figured out what I wanted to study … not only my major, which was journalism; but also my minor in economics and elective courses I took for the pure joy of learning, such as Napoleon and the French Revolution, Creative Writing, Girl Groups of the 60s (Yes, they offered that and I took it!), philosophy courses … When learning became fun and exciting, everything changed for me.
After UT I moved on to pursue my career in journalism around Texas and Colorado. My ultimate goal was to become a popular syndicated columnist. But, instead, my advancement moved along the management track until I found myself acting as editor and publisher of a weekly newspaper in Fredericksburg, Texas. That was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I’ll always cherish it. But a desire to keep moving forward, plus a marriage with children on the way, took me back to San Antonio.
My second round in San Antonio was much more positive. Yes, I had grown up, but I sincerely believe the city had, too. Although there was and still is much poverty, people no longer seem to discriminate against Hispanics. Rather the city embraces its Mexican heritage. The city is much more into education, arts, entertainment, healthy living … There are so many more positive, fun things to do. And, being educated, with experience under my belt, I worked in good jobs with the Alamo Community College District, the University of the Incarnate Word and the Witte Museum. Having good jobs exposed me to high-quality people and put enough change in my pocket to participate in the positive aspects of the city.
In recent years, while working and raising two of the best kids to ever happen, I helped found a bicycle club, which provided healthy recreation and introduced me to some of the finest people I have ever met. Then, through my work in public relations, I got involved with various social and professional groups and lived a whirlwind lifestyle that I found very satisfying. I am lucky, however, that my wife didn’t leave me during that time because we were living separate lives. And we were both working too hard, in jobs that began wonderful but later became abusive. So we began to question the value of our full lives.
My wife, Carol, was an equestrian, who stayed involved with that community. If she could have had her preference, we would have lived in the country with animals instead of people. For me, though, it was all about people. I loved clubs and restaurants, and the many choices for entertainment. I also loved that my jobs often put me in social situations. Carol would visit my world at times, donning cocktail attire or whatever was required. And I would sometimes pull on the boots to go on a trail ride or to a barn dance with her. We had crossover, but we mostly lived separate lives.
So, when I found myself at a career juncture, Carol and I stopped to assess our lives and where we wanted to go from there. The precipitating factor was that I couldn’t seem to find the right combination in San Antonio of an inspiring, fulfilling job and someone who wanted to hire me at the salary level I had come to expect. Maybe it was age discrimination. Maybe I was getting a bad reference. Maybe it was pure happenstance. Or maybe it was the hand of God. But it was time for change and what we discovered about ourselves was that we were ready.
At that point in life, we weren’t bound by anything. Our kids were independent. Carol desperately wanted to quit her job. I had already quit mine. My family was aging and moving into eras of new generations. Yes, Dad and I had reconciled and become great friends; and I valued the kids being around their grandparents. But by now Mom and Dad were ready for assisted living. And my great sisters and wonderful brother had their own lives and families that had become the center of their respective universes.
So, it became a freeing experience to expand my search beyond San Antonio. I began to think of all the wonderful places we could live. And also what wonderful job I wanted to do. Narrow. Narrow. Narrow. I would apply only to places we really would want to move. And I decided higher education is my passion and, even narrower, community colleges. I decided my job of jobs would be to run the PR department for a community college in a desirable place to live. And with that as my objective, I undertook a national search.
After months of looking, it came down to Aims Community College, in Greeley, Colorado; or Hill College in Hillsboro, TX. Hill College won out, not only for its very unique and special character, but also because it put me close to my son and my new granddaughter, Lark. It might have hurt Aims that I took Carol to Greeley in February when the temperature was negative 20 degrees! She failed to see the charm. And another factor was the very high cost of living in Northern Colorado. I wasn’t at all sure we could make that work.
So I tried Hill College out, living in the dorms and commuting back to San Antonio on the weekends for about six months. Finally, Carol quit her job and was ready to move up here with me, so we made the leap in October of 2013. It took a while for me to accept Hillsboro as a residence, but I now know this was God’s plan. (Everyone who knows me knows I don’t talk about God. I’m not one of those religious showoffs. But I do believe in God, and I do believe he directs my life.) At first, it was so difficult to accept that I was really moving away from San Antonio. So many friends, family, the life I had known for nearly 30 years... How could I really leave all that? But after a year and almost a half in Hillsboro, I realize there are other ways of living.
First of all, there is so much to be said for having a job that is a good fit. One where you are happy, fulfilled and appreciated. I worked long enough for people who took and seldom gave. People who treated employees with disrespect, and who talked badly about their peers and city officials behind their backs. And people who demonstrated that the ethics they once seemed to possess were pretenses easily given up when higher needs, such as money arose. I now have a job that I do well, and I work with and for people who sincerely appreciate it. That alone is enough reason to be here. Also, Hill College has awesome benefits, including a 47-hour work week, casual Fridays, three-day weekends in the summer, three weeks off at Christmas, ample holidays, vacation and leave time … And what’s more important is that the time I spend working is spent in a positive environment.
Add to that the fact that I am near my son and granddaughter, and not too far for a weekend visits to my daughter and friends in Austin, or to San Antonio, and you can see that Hillsboro is not a bad location. Small towns do have their down sides, such as a lack of fresh seafood, craft beers, dining choices or even a movie theater. But we have no traffic. Parking is never a problem. We don’t stand in lines. There is precious little to blow your money on, so you keep more of it. And it’s easy to get involved.
I’m on boards, committees … whatever I want to do, yet no one is all that pushy if I don’t want to do something. It is interesting that I am a liberal among Christian conservatives. But they’re nice, and I’ve learned to tone it down. I’ve learned to listen. I try to understand that we have much more in common than the political rhetoric that drives people apart. These people are honest, kind, hardworking … and they’re pretty good about minding their own business. I can live with them.
The college is everything I could ever want. The main campus is a mini-university, with student housing, collegiate athletics and a museum. And we have campuses in three other counties. Our two western counties rival the beauty of the Texas Hill Country. And our northern county is one of the top growth areas in the state. So, you can see there is ample here to keep me challenged and busy.
So, what of San Antonio? I enjoy visiting. And I’ll never say “never” about returning. But my wife is so much more relaxed and happy here than she ever was in San Antonio. Our marriage is stronger because we spend more time together and rely on each other more. So, for us, Hillsboro works. I don’t know how we got here. Again, I point the finger at God. It must have been His plan, because I cannot believe we moved here. But here we are, and here we will stay … for a while, at least.
When I first left San Antonio, it was to go away to college. I grew up in the River City, attending Franklin Elementary, Whittier Junior High and Edison High School before enrolling at San Antonio College.
Most of my youth was about school and running around loose on the streets. My friends and I were largely unsupervised, roaming around on our bicycles. My father, a school administrator and former coach, was very conservative and controlling, so I mostly avoided home. Except for dinner. That was required and growing boys do get hungry. So, I’d pop in, eat, try not to get yelled at, then run back out to join the gang. Growing up I had many great experiences and gained many stories to tell my grandkids, mostly about what stupid and dangerous things not to do.
But despite my many youthful adventures, my feelings about San Antonio were not positive. I found school oppressive: Marching to a bell, dress codes, hair codes … rules upon rules upon rules. And the city from my perspective was a sort of dark, forboding place. It’s difficult now to relate to that view of things, but I know my attitudes were affected by bloody newscasts, such as “12-Star Final,” bigotry against Hispanics (I am half Hispanic), oppressive attitudes toward women and anyone attempting an alternative lifestyle (such as gays or hippies), a lack of healthy activities for young people, the drug culture, and poverty. Maybe not everyone was in poverty, but I never had any money. And most of the people around me were always tight, as well. It seemed poverty was prevalent in San Antonio when I was growing up, and the things that come with it: crime, thugs, drugs … Just a generally unhealthy environment.
It was only when I left San Antonio to attend the University of Texas at Austin that I began to view life differently. I made friends from different parts of the country, and they shared different perspectives. I learned to view the community positively. I also learned about healthy foods and about exercise and better lifestyle choices. Part of this, of course, was just growing up. Another part of it was dating some quality young women who introduced me to better things. And part of it was the university itself. I finally embraced learning. At that point I had figured out what I wanted to study … not only my major, which was journalism; but also my minor in economics and elective courses I took for the pure joy of learning, such as Napoleon and the French Revolution, Creative Writing, Girl Groups of the 60s (Yes, they offered that and I took it!), philosophy courses … When learning became fun and exciting, everything changed for me.
After UT I moved on to pursue my career in journalism around Texas and Colorado. My ultimate goal was to become a popular syndicated columnist. But, instead, my advancement moved along the management track until I found myself acting as editor and publisher of a weekly newspaper in Fredericksburg, Texas. That was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I’ll always cherish it. But a desire to keep moving forward, plus a marriage with children on the way, took me back to San Antonio.
My second round in San Antonio was much more positive. Yes, I had grown up, but I sincerely believe the city had, too. Although there was and still is much poverty, people no longer seem to discriminate against Hispanics. Rather the city embraces its Mexican heritage. The city is much more into education, arts, entertainment, healthy living … There are so many more positive, fun things to do. And, being educated, with experience under my belt, I worked in good jobs with the Alamo Community College District, the University of the Incarnate Word and the Witte Museum. Having good jobs exposed me to high-quality people and put enough change in my pocket to participate in the positive aspects of the city.
In recent years, while working and raising two of the best kids to ever happen, I helped found a bicycle club, which provided healthy recreation and introduced me to some of the finest people I have ever met. Then, through my work in public relations, I got involved with various social and professional groups and lived a whirlwind lifestyle that I found very satisfying. I am lucky, however, that my wife didn’t leave me during that time because we were living separate lives. And we were both working too hard, in jobs that began wonderful but later became abusive. So we began to question the value of our full lives.
My wife, Carol, was an equestrian, who stayed involved with that community. If she could have had her preference, we would have lived in the country with animals instead of people. For me, though, it was all about people. I loved clubs and restaurants, and the many choices for entertainment. I also loved that my jobs often put me in social situations. Carol would visit my world at times, donning cocktail attire or whatever was required. And I would sometimes pull on the boots to go on a trail ride or to a barn dance with her. We had crossover, but we mostly lived separate lives.
So, when I found myself at a career juncture, Carol and I stopped to assess our lives and where we wanted to go from there. The precipitating factor was that I couldn’t seem to find the right combination in San Antonio of an inspiring, fulfilling job and someone who wanted to hire me at the salary level I had come to expect. Maybe it was age discrimination. Maybe I was getting a bad reference. Maybe it was pure happenstance. Or maybe it was the hand of God. But it was time for change and what we discovered about ourselves was that we were ready.
At that point in life, we weren’t bound by anything. Our kids were independent. Carol desperately wanted to quit her job. I had already quit mine. My family was aging and moving into eras of new generations. Yes, Dad and I had reconciled and become great friends; and I valued the kids being around their grandparents. But by now Mom and Dad were ready for assisted living. And my great sisters and wonderful brother had their own lives and families that had become the center of their respective universes.
So, it became a freeing experience to expand my search beyond San Antonio. I began to think of all the wonderful places we could live. And also what wonderful job I wanted to do. Narrow. Narrow. Narrow. I would apply only to places we really would want to move. And I decided higher education is my passion and, even narrower, community colleges. I decided my job of jobs would be to run the PR department for a community college in a desirable place to live. And with that as my objective, I undertook a national search.
After months of looking, it came down to Aims Community College, in Greeley, Colorado; or Hill College in Hillsboro, TX. Hill College won out, not only for its very unique and special character, but also because it put me close to my son and my new granddaughter, Lark. It might have hurt Aims that I took Carol to Greeley in February when the temperature was negative 20 degrees! She failed to see the charm. And another factor was the very high cost of living in Northern Colorado. I wasn’t at all sure we could make that work.
So I tried Hill College out, living in the dorms and commuting back to San Antonio on the weekends for about six months. Finally, Carol quit her job and was ready to move up here with me, so we made the leap in October of 2013. It took a while for me to accept Hillsboro as a residence, but I now know this was God’s plan. (Everyone who knows me knows I don’t talk about God. I’m not one of those religious showoffs. But I do believe in God, and I do believe he directs my life.) At first, it was so difficult to accept that I was really moving away from San Antonio. So many friends, family, the life I had known for nearly 30 years... How could I really leave all that? But after a year and almost a half in Hillsboro, I realize there are other ways of living.
First of all, there is so much to be said for having a job that is a good fit. One where you are happy, fulfilled and appreciated. I worked long enough for people who took and seldom gave. People who treated employees with disrespect, and who talked badly about their peers and city officials behind their backs. And people who demonstrated that the ethics they once seemed to possess were pretenses easily given up when higher needs, such as money arose. I now have a job that I do well, and I work with and for people who sincerely appreciate it. That alone is enough reason to be here. Also, Hill College has awesome benefits, including a 47-hour work week, casual Fridays, three-day weekends in the summer, three weeks off at Christmas, ample holidays, vacation and leave time … And what’s more important is that the time I spend working is spent in a positive environment.
Add to that the fact that I am near my son and granddaughter, and not too far for a weekend visits to my daughter and friends in Austin, or to San Antonio, and you can see that Hillsboro is not a bad location. Small towns do have their down sides, such as a lack of fresh seafood, craft beers, dining choices or even a movie theater. But we have no traffic. Parking is never a problem. We don’t stand in lines. There is precious little to blow your money on, so you keep more of it. And it’s easy to get involved.
I’m on boards, committees … whatever I want to do, yet no one is all that pushy if I don’t want to do something. It is interesting that I am a liberal among Christian conservatives. But they’re nice, and I’ve learned to tone it down. I’ve learned to listen. I try to understand that we have much more in common than the political rhetoric that drives people apart. These people are honest, kind, hardworking … and they’re pretty good about minding their own business. I can live with them.
The college is everything I could ever want. The main campus is a mini-university, with student housing, collegiate athletics and a museum. And we have campuses in three other counties. Our two western counties rival the beauty of the Texas Hill Country. And our northern county is one of the top growth areas in the state. So, you can see there is ample here to keep me challenged and busy.
So, what of San Antonio? I enjoy visiting. And I’ll never say “never” about returning. But my wife is so much more relaxed and happy here than she ever was in San Antonio. Our marriage is stronger because we spend more time together and rely on each other more. So, for us, Hillsboro works. I don’t know how we got here. Again, I point the finger at God. It must have been His plan, because I cannot believe we moved here. But here we are, and here we will stay … for a while, at least.
When I first left San Antonio, it was to go away to college. I grew up in the River City, attending Franklin Elementary, Whittier Junior High and Edison High School before enrolling at San Antonio College.