after UTEP, moved to Dallas area in 1972 to open Montana Mining Company (steakhouse) -- later got into the oil business and eventually started Sunray Petroleum Company (President from 1981 to mid-90's) -- started Vanco Consulting in mid-90's, a business consulting firm specializing in small business start-ups -- raised two sons, then divorced in 2008 and then ran into Colleen O'Leary ('69) at the 40th Reunion later that year -- we were married at sunset on a hilltop in Tesuque NM on October 9, 2010 (the most beautiful wedding I ever attended happened to be my own) -- my lovely former IHS cheerleader and I are now easing toward retirement and happily spending lots of time travelling, slowly checking off many items on our "bucket list!"

in short, I LIVED at Irvin from 1965 to 1968, and to this day have never met a FINER group of people in my life -- wouldn't have traded growing up in Northeast for anything -- funny and treasured memories are WAY too many to list here -- one of my favorites, though, was when Mike Daigle, Martin Rodela and I followed the football team during the fall of '67 to Tucson AZ (my parents actually agreed at the last minute to let me use the family car for "official school business") -- we barely had enough money to fill the gas tank and buy a hamburger, certainly not enough for a hotel, so being resourceful Northeast kids we slept at the Rescue Mission in downtown Tucson with all the street people -- anyone who ever had a class with Rodela knows that he had a propensity to bellow out loud, unexpected YELPS during class -- the social worker led the three of us (with a flashlight) to our bunks in a large VERY dark room -- once we had settled into our bunks, Martin let out a blood-curdling scream, sending many of the patrons straight up out of their bunks toward the ceiling -- fortunately, we weren't kicked out, and had a nice breakfast of "green eggs and ham" with the gang the next morning -- btw, the football team CRUSHED the #1 ranked team in Arizona, Tucson Catalina, 35-7...