Gilbert Barnes:
CLASS OF 1985
Riverdale High SchoolClass of 1985
Ft. myers, FL
University of Central FloridaClass of 1990
Orlando, FL
Gilbert's Story
Life
Married for 8 years now to my wonderful wife Vanessa. 3 kids; Kenny age 15, Dorian age 7, Donovan age 2. No plans for anymore. Vacation spots are Hawaii, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Mexico, oh and Orlando for a quick trip. My boys are getting bigger now. Donovan still looks more like his mother, but Dorian is all me, from head to toe. Love the married man, family life that the Lord has given me. I coach every sport my 7 year old plays and now we are just waiting to see what Donovan wants to do. In my last bio, I said I didn't play any sports, now I play golf every now and then. I keep plenty of balls in my bag! 5 years of college football will cure you of ever playing organized sports again. My passion is cleaning house, doing yard work and whatever my boys want to do. They sooth the soul and give you time to reflect on today and plan for tomorrow.
School
High School life was great. I never missed a day of school the entire 4 years as I didn't want to miss a thing that went on. Plus, all my friends were there. My biggest crush was on Barbara Crawford! I don't think that is a secret to anyone who knew me back then. Don't ask me why now because I can't remember. I also had this secret thing for -------, I almost slipped that time. I still can't tell anyone about that! But my best friends from school were and still are Christine Moore, Tim Bursey and James Domineck,(Class of '86) Tim and I even went to UCF together and James is my attorney. The teachers that had the most influence on me were Hill and Dooley, Dean Adams and FCA Leader Mr. Hoke. The funniest and craziest teacher had to be Mr. Moreland who taught Social Studies.
Would I do it over again; only if I could take what I know right now with me. Otherwise, what's the point? Made too many mistakes and probably didn't take time to get to know as many people as I should have.
I must say that I enjoyed everything about school; the education, the contact with others and just having good fun.
College
University of Central Florida - Class of '90
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oyed every second of the experience, but would not ever do it all over again. I still have a lot of college friends that I communicate with, but we all feel the same. Played tailback for all 5 years (Red Shirted my sophomore year). First running back in UCF history to have back to back 100 yard games. Nicknamed Smokin Joe Frazier because of my propensity of taking hard shots, while still coming back for more;(Ali vs Frazier). That came from the Raider Spirit! Not really; it came from wanting more playing time while staying alive at the same time. :) Had to keep reminding the press that I came from Riverdale, not Riverview all 5 years, but at least they knew my name and spelled it with 1 "L", not 2 (Gill). Most memorable moments were scoring the winning touchdown against Troy State in the Division 2 Playoffs in '87 and the high point of the '88 season when the press referred to me as Hurricane Gilbert ( A real hurricane named Gilbert was blowing at the time). Got injured later that same season and the wind died out of both hurricanes. I still had great fun and still go back every year for the Alumni Football Weekend event to hang out with the former players and coaches and network. Who doesn't sell pharmaceuticals? :)
Workplace
16 years with the Florida Department of Corrections. 5 1/2 years on the street as a Probation and Parole Officer. The last 10 have been as an Administrator at DC headquarters in Tallahassee. I got tired of following policy and procedure and started writing them instead. Now I'm the CPA over In-Prison Substance Abuse for the state. No I'm not an accountant; Correctional Programs Administrator. :) Right now I'm on assignment at the Governors Office of Drug Control. Taking on special projects, coordinating council meetings and legislation are challenging things, but also rewarding. I like the assignment and hope I can stay for a while.
Military
ROTC in college and that was enough for me. Always liked shooting things, but I hate when they shoot back. Bad things happen man; bad things.
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