THEN:
What is your memory of arriving as a freshman at Austin High in 1979?
"I went to a private school in NW Austin for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, and none of those kids were going to AHS. I was supposed to go to Crockett as I lived across from Burger Center, and all my friends were there. I knew maybe 6 people at AHS from the church I was then attending. I was overwhelmed by the size of the place and number of students. Little did I know that in 1st period, 1st day, I would meet the love of my life who was sitting in front of me (Trisha Gerling) and our Matron of Honor (Anne Searles). By the end of the day I had run into some folks with whom I had attended Pease, and some other friends who were then Seniors who started watching out for me. One of them, Kurt Jacobson, would eventually be a huge influence on my life."
What activities were you involved in during your years in high school?
"As I noted, I was supposed to go to Crockett. I wound up in an Explorer Post there that led to my inclusion as the only non-Crockett student in the Crockett Texans. At AHS I was involved in the French Club and Red Dragons, and Student Council for several years. It was not until my friends graduated from Crockett in 82 that I finally became more involved at AHS."
What were your favorite classes and who were your favorite teachers?
"My academic drive was non-existent. I was told from an early age that there was no money for college, so I had zero drive other than to just get through school. For a class to be a favorite, the teacher and subject had to really interest me. French with Mme. Mollberg was great, along with Government with Mr. Schenk and Drama with Larry Dean Preas. Mr. Schenk was a great influence who really awakened my interest in the Constitution and the governmental process. I thought of him many times over the years as I swore to uphold and defend the Constitution on multiple occasions."
Any memories that really stand out, at any point in your four years?
High school was pretty much a blur. Spending time with friends at both Crockett and Austin High. A few folks knew that between our junior and senior years I enlisted in the Marine Reserves. I was at Aqua Fest with friends on a Friday night and said that I was going to call a recruiter and look at the Marines as I had no other prospects after school. On Saturday morning the phone rang and woke me up; it was the Marine recruiter. He convinced me to go reserves and not active duty. I enlisted in August 1982, the second-best decision of my life. That turned out well as I got a scholarship to Texas Southmost College not long after."
Anything you would go back and do differently?
"I would go back and just be me. I was too worried about what “they” thought, and was not myself. I tried to be preppy, which was not really my style. I was a “greaser” or motorhead at heart. I did not have reliable transportation to school early on so I never tried out for things like cross-country or swimming. I should have found some way to get to and from practice even if it meant riding my bike."
What is your most vivid memory of senior year at Austin High?
"The Red Dragons went to Canyon Lake and camped during Spring Break. An unnamed AHS buddy of mine (who had joined the National Guard) and I put on our military uniforms (I was already working in the Reserve unit in town) and drove out to meet the rest of the folks. On the way we hit a little Hill Country bar and convinced them we were old enough to be served. The stupidity of youth…"
What advice would you give your teenage self now?
"Just be you. “They” will not be around after school, but you will be for the rest of your life. Be a friend, not just friendly. There are lots of people that I wish I had known better, and I think having been “me” would have helped with that."
NOW:
Where did life take you after high school?
"Boot Camp started soon after graduation, then I hit Austin before moving to Brownsville for the first couple of years of college. I went to Barton Creek Mall with a friend and ran into Trisha Gerling there. I made the best decision of my life and asked her out. We dated on and off until Christmas (she in Nacogdoches for college and me in Brownsville) until I was stupid and we broke up. In May of 1985 I was getting ready to go to officer training and called her again, and she agreed to give me another chance: we have been together since. I started UT that fall and she moved here as well after another semester at Stephen F Austin. I got commissioned in the Marines in 1987 and started active duty in 1988. We got married in May (civil ceremony for Marines) and July (church ceremony) and she followed me out to 29 Palms, CA with her mother helping with the move. We spent the first few nights with her mother on a rollaway bed in our hotel room. We later moved to Havelock, NC where I was stationed for several years.
I spent lots of time in various desert areas, and then specialized in Arctic warfare with time spent above the Arctic Circle in Norway. Living in a tent 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, in winter, shaving outside in a t-shirt in 20 degrees as it was 40 degrees warmer than Wisconsin where we had done the exercise work up. Trading cut wood to a hotel to use their showers and have access to great coffee and cake (kaffe og kakke). In August of 1990 Saddam Hussein did his thing in Iraq, and instead of more training in Norway I got on a ship with my unit and we sailed out of NC for the Persian Gulf. The desert experience came in handy when we went ashore the day the air war started. We went ashore in Dubai and then to Sharja to fly to Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. We landed to air raid sirens and were told to put on gas masks and hit the bunker as we were under Scud (missile) alert. I found myself on the Kuwait border just before the ground war kicked off. Who knew that the smoke from the oil well fires started by Iraqi soldiers could cause rain. The desert turned green for a day, even with oil mixed with the rain. Herds of wild camels running across the limitless desert. Watching the air move and feeling the blast of a “Daisy Cutter” (15k pound bomb) even though it was dropped many kilometers away. The rest is well-known history. I left active duty in October 1991 and we moved back to Austin. I stayed in the Reserves until I finally resigned my commission in 2000."
(This was shorter, but Laura asked me to add some stories—RA)
(Because that's how I roll...—LA )
What are you doing now?
"When we moved home, I had no real job prospects. I learned that Kurt Jacobson (AHS ’80) was with Austin PD and did a ride along with him. I was hooked, and applied and was eventually hired by APD. I worked Patrol in NE Austin for a couple of years, then went to 6th Street on Walking Beat/Bike Patrol. That was probably my favorite job over my 26-year career. 6th Street is truly a community of its own. The drunk partiers are transitory; the folks who work there make it great. I spent a lot of time with Frank Salinas (AHS 83) at Paradise, which he managed and eventually owned. I ran into Officer Joseph (remember him?) down there when he was on Mounted Patrol. He was an awesome guy, and literally had my back on several occasions stopping people from attacking me from behind while I was engaged in disturbances. I went on to patrol Tarrytown, becoming Officer Joseph for a couple of years. I promoted to Detective and was back in the Downtown and West Campus areas for many years.
If you have college-aged kids, I can tell you stories that will scare you to death. My best memory from this time was working a series of sex-offender related burglaries. I worked with other investigative units to identify a budding serial sex offender. He was a cab driver who would wait and follow drunk girls into their West Campus and west Austin apartments. I worked that case hard, and built a package so strong that he pled out to a 22-year prison deal. I promoted to Sergeant and ran a patrol shift for many years in the east Riverside area, then became the department Emergency Management Coordinator where I facilitated APD interaction with other agencies from city to Federal levels, specializing in exercise planning, continuity of operations, and weapons of mass destruction. I was the only Certified Emergency Manager in public safety in the 10-county region. I retired from APD at the end of 2019 and started immediately with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, working as the Capitol District Coordinator. COVID hit, along with civil unrest, keeping me busy for quite a while. Throw in Snowmaggedon, and I decided it was time to fully retire in 2021 after 39 years in various uniforms."
What could young people of today learn from our generation?
"Independence! Many of us were truly “latchkey kids.” I was pretty much on my own for much of childhood, especially once I started driving. You learn quickly what you can do, and what things will need assistance. Unfortunately, that also included trouble, but I was lucky enough to have kept that to a minimum with the help of a lot of good friends and “surrogate” families."
