FEBRUARY 26, 1971 - SEPTEMBER 27, 1994
FIRST..ME..I WAS BORN IN MISHAWAKA, INDIANA, SEPTEMBER 24, 1937 (I WAS MY SISTERS' FOURTH BIRTHDAY PRESENT) AND RAISED NORTH OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA. ATTENDED WEBSTER ELEMENTRY SCHOOL, GRADES 1 THROUGH 5, THEN ON TO MEADOWBROOK SCHOOL FOR THE 6TH GRADE....ATTENDED WASHINGTON-CLAY HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL (THEY WERE COMBINED) FOR GRADES 7 THROUGH 9, BEFORE WE GOT A NEW HIGH SCHOOL DOWN THE STREET...GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN 1955, WORKED FOR A YEAR PLUS BEFORE GOING INTO THE U.S. ARMY (3 YEARS ENLISTMENT), OCTOBER 23, 1956 AND RECEIVED MY DISCHARGE OCTOBER 14, 1959. CAME TO TEXAS IN JANUARY 1957 AND THEN VERSEAS TO OKINAWA, JAPAN, AND KOREA IN JULY 1958. CAME BACK TO THE U.S. AND RECEIVED MY DISCHARGE FROM THE ARMY IN FORT SHERIDAN, ILLINOIS. I HAD GONE TO RADAR MECHANIC'S SCHOOL AT FORT BLISS BEFORE GOING OVERSEAS. RECEIVED MY DISCHARGE 8 DAYS EARLY, ON OCTOBER 14, 1959. WENT TO EL PASO IN NOVEMBER OF 1959 TO SEEK EMPLOYMENT AS MY WIFE AT THE TIME, WAS FROM EL PASO. I AM PRESENTLY MARRIED FOR THE LAST TIME. MY WIFE, BELINDA AND I HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR OVER 19 YEARS AT THIS WRITING...MY REALLY BIG PASSION IN LIFE, GROWING UP, WAS TO BE A PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER. DID NOT MAKE THAT BUT DID DO SOMETHING IN MY JUNIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT MOST EVERYONE ELSE HAS NEVER DONE IN BASEBALL, AND THAT WAS TO PULL OFF AN "UNASSISTED TRIPLE PLAY" WHILE I WAS PLAYING "CENTER FIELD". THIS WAS AGAINST "GREEN TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL"...LOOK IN THE WASHINGTON-CLAY HIGH SCHOOL YEAR BOOK FOR 1954 AND YOU'LL SEE I AM NOT PULLING YOUR LEG ON THAT ONE...AND THEN...
MY LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER STARTED ON JANUARY 16, 1960, WHICH WAS MY FIRST DAY ON DUTY WITH THE EL PASO, TEXAS POLICE DEPARTMENT. MYSELF AND 3 OTHERS WORKED TWO WEEKS ON THE LINE AS POLICE OFFICERS BEFORE GOING TO THE EL PASO POLICE DEPARTMENT ACADEMY. I WORKED AS A UNIFORMED POLICE OFFICER UNTIL JUNE 04, 1964, WHEN I WAS PROMOTED TO DETECTIVE AND
WAS ASSIGNED TO THE "BURGLARY-THEFT-NARCOTICS DIVISION". I WAS AT THAT TIME, THE SECOND YOUNGEST DETECTIVE ON THE EL PASO POLICE DEPARTMENT, 26 YEARS, 3 MONTHS, AND 21 DAYS OLD AT THAT TIME. BACK IN THOSE DAYS THERE REALLY WAS NOT MUCH IN THE LINE OF NARCOTICS...MOST OF OUR DRUG ARRESTS WERE HEROIN USERS. VERY LITTLE MARIJUANA AND / OR COCAINE. LOTS OF STORIES ABOUT SOME OF OUR "RAIDS" ETC...I LEFT THE EL PASO POLICE DEPT. FOR THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY "HIGHWAY PATROL"
IN AUGUST OF 1967...
ATTENDED THE TEXAS DPS ACADEMY TILL THE END OF NOVEMBER, AND WAS STATIONED IN SIERRA BLANCA FROM NOVEMBER 1967 TO THE END OF DECEMBER 1968.WENT TO FORT HANCOCK AND OPENED IT UP AS A "ONE-MAN" HIGHWAY PATROL STATION. I REALLY HAVE TO ADMIT THAT THE THREE PLUS YEARS THAT I PUT IN THE HIGHWAY PATROL WERE VERY GRATIFYING. WHEN STATIONED IN SIERRA BLANCA AND ON PRO-BATION, WORKED WITH WITH HIGHWAY PATROLMEN, ROBERT "BOB" NEWMAN FOR THREE MONTHS, AND THEN WITH CHARLIE FLEMING FOR 3 MONTHS BEFORE GETTING OFF MY
PROBATION. BOB RETIRED FROM DPS AS AN EDUCATION OFFICER IN EL PASO AND STILL LIVES IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY. CHARLIE, AT THIS WRITING IS A RETIRED TEXAS RANGER AND CURRENTLY THE CHIEF DEPUTY FOR THE DENTON CO. SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. WE COMMUNICATE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. I HAD TAKEN THE BORDER PATROL EXAM ON JANUARY 25, 1970, IN VAN HORN, TX. AND MY ORAL BOARD IN MAY OR JUNE OF 1970 IN EL PASO
