What a decision

My father went to high school in Las Cruces, NM, the town that I grew up in until I was eleven. He played golf in high school and was an excellent young amateur player. After graduation, he went to work. Later, he met my mother and they were married. He was then drafted to fight for our Country in the Vietnam war. Upon his return, he enrolled at New Mexico State University. He joined the golf team and at some point earned a scholarship. His junior year, while his team won the conference title, my father took home medalist honors for the conference championship. He was also named an All American that year. After graduating from school, my father had a decision to make. Join the work force using his degree or try to play professional golf?

He definitely had the talent to play professional golf. On his All American plaque, names like Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite were there along with his. However, at the time, I was three years old.

My father decided to use his business degree and got a job. He states that it was not a difficult decision. He had a wife and a three year old son at home to support. Professional golf was not an option with those responsibilities.

A few years ago I visited the clubhouse of the NMSU golf course, where my father won the conference tournament. I was wandering around and noticed a few plaques on the wall. I went over to look at them and they were pictures of recent NMSU golf teams. This piqued my interest and I continued following the pictures. I continued looking through the decades and finally came to the 70's. When I found a picture for 1973 and saw my father with the medalist trophy and his team, I was extremely proud. A copy of the All American plaque was there as well. It was very cool to see my father's accomplishments on the wall at NMSU.

My father's decision has influenced the way that I look at decisions that affect my family. The impact of his unselfish decision to look out for his family instead of pursuing individual goals sticks with me. I have had many opportunities to move my family all over the United States for federal law enforcement jobs, but it was never in the best interest of my family. Thank you Dad for showing me by example, what comes first in life, family.