Randy Cox:  

Where to start? A life I don't deserve with opportunities that I most assuredly never deserved and family/friends that I'm not worthy of. Nevertheless, the Lord showered me with all of these. As of December/2021, we are all in our 60's now. We grew up in times that I believe were on the latter edge of the best times this nation has ever known. We all went to a school where kids didn't judge each other based on their economic status. We were just kids trying to fit in, and I'm grateful to have went to Mesquite High School with what I consider to this day to be a really great group of people (not just my small circle, but all of you). A time when teachers had a sense of being a moral compass. I wasn't all that visible in school, and certainly not the best student. I was in a hurry to get out of school and I shouldn't have been, as that probably caused me to overlook many of my classmates back then. I look back at this stage and I do wish that I had taken more time with those that were placed in my life/in my school. I grew up on Camino Dr, right at the intersection of Newsom and Phillips St. We didn't have much, but my older brother and I had parents that loved us, a Dad that worked hard every day to put food on the table and ensure we were clothed with our basic needs. They have now gone home, but they left their mark on me and I think of them daily. Growing up I remember the Texan Theater, Moon's Drive-In, and I even remember Miller's Cafe. We come to Mesquite rarely these days. One of those times we were up on the old square and I walked over to where the Texan used to be (now some kind of coffee shop) and walked inside. I asked the young girl there if the theater part was still there, and she said yes. She asked me if I wanted to go in there, so I did. Just standing in there brought back so many memories, good memories. All of my friends back then had parents, a Mom and a Dad, except for the few who lost one of them early in life. I never recall being shunned by anyone back then. While my memories of those times have been a bit spotty over the years, I still have many fond memories of hearing the MHS band practicing, since we lived so close to the school. I remember some nice, crisp mornings listening to that sound, and because I always thought those things would be around, perhaps I didn't appreciate them as much as I should have. I met and married the love of my life, Donna Garner, at MHS. I didn't deserve to hold her hand and still don't (44 years now). We had two children, a boy and girl, now grown and on their own. I wouldn't trade that decision for anything. Since that time life has happened, just...Expand for more