your connection to Texas & National Politics!
My 50th College Reunion I=E2=80=99m packing to leave for Brookings SD to attend my 50th College Reu= nion at South Dakota State University, the A&M of South Dakota. It does not= seem like 50 years when I walked across the stage to get my BS in Politica= l Science degree and also be commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the U.S. Army.=C2= =A0 1959 was a great year to be a 22 year old young man and to look forward= to the future and not have any idea what life would be for me in the next = 50 yrs.=20 There was not a war yet, but Viet Nam was just around the corner and Presid= ent Eisenhower was just finishing his last term in office and warning about= the military- industry complex.=20 I had two years of active duty ahead of me so I just guessed that things wo= uld work out and they did. After the army I talked the University of Denver into letting me attend gra= duate school. My grades in college were not exactly graduate school materia= l. But the army had matured me and with a lot of studying I did well and re= ceived my Master in Public Administration. I joined the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission as an intern and spent 6 years i= n Las Vegas and the Washington DC area working mostly on equal employment p= rogram. Along the way I became a Democrat I suspect due to President Kenned= y. But I was bored being a bureaucrat and jumped at the chance to move to H= ouston and help set up two urban research centers. I was also happy to get = away from my first wife and get a divorce in Texas. For the next 35 years I lived in Houston and worked for the Mayor of Housto= n, for the President of a natural gas company, as a lobbyist for a number o= f companies and nonprofit groups, as a political consultant for over 80 can= didates and issues, as a political analyst on TV and radio and as a writer = for my own web site, www.political.com. =C2=A0 I also was a husband again(to number 2 wife), a dog trainer and owner, a un= cle to many young people, a lover and friend to several great ladies, a bro= ther to my sister and brother and a son to my parents each of whom have pas= sed away.=20 It has been a fast 50 years and I look forward to seeing old friends and cl= assmates as well as seeing the University.=C2=A0 I have not been back to Br= ookings for 34 years.=C2=A0 I was there in 1975 as the honored alumni playi= ng the part of Weary Willie at homecoming. So, I wonder just like I did 50 years ago what lies ahead.=C2=A0 Will I be = around for the 60th reunion? Will my beach house survive another hurricane = like the one last year? We will just have to wait and see. =C2=A0 George Strong, June 8, 2009 (My 72ed Birthday)
See us at www.georgestrong.com. 713-526-3606. PO Box 1698 Crystal Beach TX = 77650 --0-725995211-1244496206=:64116 Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
@@@@ My 50th College Reunion I=E2=80=99m packing to leave for Brookings SD to att=
end my 50th College Reunion at South Dakota State University, th=
e A&M of South Dakota. It does not seem like 50 years when I walked acr=
oss the stage to get my BS in Political Science degree and also be commissi=
oned as a 2nd Lt in the U.S. Army. 1959 was a great year to be a 22 year old young man and t=
o look forward to the future and not have any idea what life would be for m=
e in the next 50 yrs. There was not a war yet, but Viet Nam was just aroun=
d the corner and President Eisenhower was just finishing his last term in o=
ffice and warning about the military- industry complex. I had two years of active duty ahead of me so I just=
guessed that things would work out and they did. After the army I talked the University of Denver int=
o letting me attend graduate school. My grades in college were not exactly =
graduate school material. But the army had matured me and with a lot of stu=
dying I did well and received my Master in Public Administration. I joined the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission as an int= ern and spent 6 years in Las Vegas and the Washington DC area working mostl= y on equal employment program. Along the way I became a Democrat I suspect = due to President Kennedy. But I was bored being a bureaucrat and jumped at = the chance to move to Houston and help set up two urban research centers. I= was also happy to get away from my first wife and get a divorce in Texas.<= o:p> For the next 35 years I lived in Houston and worked =
for the Mayor of Houston, for the President of a natural gas company, as a =
lobbyist for a number of companies and nonprofit groups, as a political con=
sultant for over 80 candidates and issues, as a political analyst on TV and=
radio and as a writer for my own web site, www.political.com. I also was a husband again(to number 2 wife), a dog =
trainer and owner, a uncle to many young people, a lover and friend to seve=
ral great ladies, a brother to my sister and brother and a son to my parent=
s each of whom have passed away. It has been a fast 50 years and I look forward to se=
eing old friends and classmates as well as seeing the University. I have not been back to Brookings for=
34 years. I was there in 19=
75 as the honored alumni playing the part of Weary Willie at homecoming. So, I wonder just like I did 50 years ago what lies =
ahead. Will I be around for =
the 60th reunion? Will my beach house survive another hurricane =
like the one last year? We will just have to wait and see. George Strong, June 8, 2009 (My 72ed Birthday) |