I’ve been reading about more folks going back to college to get their degrees.
Latest example: former UTEP and NBA basketballer Greg Foster who returned to
UTEP 17 years after dropping out.
Even some people you’d never think would do that, like Shaquille O’Neal, the
huge NBA super star, and Tex Cobb, the former heavyweight/actor, have done it.
And this year, one fellow graduated from UTEP some 60 years late.
get my degree.
When I returned from the Army after World War II, there was the G.I. Bill of
Rights dangling before my eyes.
I still didn’t know what I wanted to do but I knew an education was crucial so I
enrolled at what was then Texas College of Mines. When I showed up I was asked
what I wanted for a major. I said, “What’s a major?” They explained and since I
already knew English and Spanish and had picked up some German and French in
Europe, I thought I’d be a teacher of languages. I said, “Languages.”
THEN THEY asked me what I would like for a minor. I said, “What’s a minor?” They
explained and I thought and thought. Then I remembered my high school English
teacher at El Paso High School, Maud Isaacks. Often when I would write an essay
she would write at the top things like “Excellent” or “Good writing” and one
time she wrote “You should be writer.”
Oh, how a teacher can influence a student. Because of her comments I popped up
and said that I wanted journalism for my minor.
To make a long story short, I was getting good grades in languages but super
grades in journalism and I changed my major to journalism.
GOOD DECISION. I’ve had a wonderful career as a sports writer, sports editor
and author. But all the time I felt incomplete, unfulfilled. Since I only served
two years in the Army I got only three years of schooling from the G.I. Bill. I
was married and had already been hired by the Herald-Post so I said to myself
after three years at UTEP, “I’ll drop out and go back to get my degree in a year or two.”
Bad decision. It’s easy to drop out, hard to go back. For the next 40 years it
bugged me that nearly all the people I was working with and interviewing had
degrees but I didn’t. So after I retired from the Herald-Post in 1990, I went back to UTEP and got my
degree.
I was afraid some of the young folks wouldn’t accept older people but I was
wrong. The only complaint I heard was a young man who told me jokingly, “The
only thing I don’t like about you older folks is you ruin the curve.”
TRIVIA question: Who was the first high schooler to break the 4-minute mile
barrier?
NICE GESTURE: Santa Teresa Country Club pros Chris Thomas and Miguel Bautista
played a golf marathon of 108 holes last Monday for charity. The six 18-hole
rounds took them eight hours and 20 minutes. Thomas was about even par all told
and Bautista averaged about 77 for each 18 holes. Some $1300 was raised and will
be split among three charities, including the First Tee of Greater El Paso
Program that helps kids take up the sport.
By the way, I tried out one of the new golf carts at the club. What class. The
new ones are gas powered, which will save money on electricity and battery
replacements and will cut down on maintenance. Each cart comes with two towels
and a rake for sand traps
TRIVIA Answer: Jim Ryan.
Veteran sports journalist and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his
column.