I was born in South Charleston, West Virginia,
almost 55 years ago. I always tell people
that I’m only one generation off the
farm, but what I mean by that is, that although
I have grandparents on both sides that were
farmers, my father left the farm after the
war and worked in the factories and chemical
plants across the river from West Virginia’s
capital. A couple of my dad’s brothers
stayed in farming, or at least agriculture,
and one of them moved to Gainesville to teach
at the University of Florida in the late
fifties. We came down on a number of occasions
to visit and vacation, and when my father
lost his job in 1963, we moved to Gainesville
where I grew up and went to school.
I met my wife Kathy at Gainesville High
School and she’ll tell you to this
very day that she stayed in town to go to
college because the University of Florida
was the only choice I had. We got married
in our second year of college and lived in
Gainesville through college and law school.
We can each blame the other for that. She
told me that I needed to go to law school
and I told her that I would if she would.
During that time we also had to be concerned
about the military service and I had jointed
the ROTC at the beginning of college. They
wouldn’t let Kathy in, although we
tried, because they “didn’t need
any WACS”. By the time we graduated
from law school, they were pleased to offer
her a direct commission into the Judge Advocate’s
Corps, and I was able to transfer as well,
courtesy of our law degree.
We spent three wonderful years in Germany,
thanks to Uncle Sam, and returned to live
in Orlando in the late 70’s, and started
a family and new jobs at approximately the
same time. We had both been in service clubs
during our college days and were involved
in our kid’s organizations and events
while they were in school. I was a member
of a law firm along with Richard Owen, a
long time member of the Casselberry Rotary
Club. With all the time and dedication that
Rick put into it, I didn’t think that
I could ever fill his shoes, but when he
departed to Saudi Arabia about four years
ago, Dan Freeman told me that he needed a
successor to Rick Owen. I had already met,
through professional contacts, many of the
members of the club, and had heard about
even more of them, and so I was predisposed
to enjoy all the people that I came to know
as a Rotarian.
I have enjoyed community service projects,
and it was natural to become involved. I
also like helping in “real” projects
such as Paint Your Heart Out, Habitat, Coalition
for the Homeless, etc.
Editor's note: Al is our current president-elect
and will be leading our club as of July 1,
2006.
