Ron Marshall:  

Well, at 18 years old and graduating high school, we all thought we had the world by the "you know whats". A bunch of hell raisers and fire pissers. I still remember being called down to the counselors office in November 1972 with every other senior male that had a birthday that month as we had to sign up for our selective service registration card(otherwise known as the draft card). We could never know how our lives would turn out. Some rock and roll star wanna-be's, some Rhodes Scholars, hippies going to find themselves after burning their draft cards, and others that wanted nothing more than to kick some Viet Congs ass half way across the world. Dreams that would never happen and situations that would take us in a totally opposite direction. I remember some guys that were into "ECOLOGY", riding their bikes to school and waving their little green flags with a flourescent peace sign as their reflector. Now they are working for "the man" and going to work in their SUV's and calling their "significant other" on the cell phone as they drive the kids to soccer practice in the mini van. What about that global warming? Not that big of a deal now, huh? Some graduates were reading Wall Street Journal while others were reading all the underground news papers. Musicians often seen glancing thru Buddy magazine and all of us trying to figure out if there really was an Alfred E Newman(Mad Magazine). Ah, most of us have become our moms and dads, even though we swore it would never happen. We take the same medication, rub on the same linament to the joints, and watching the same conservative news programs. The only change is technology. We have CPAP machines to sleep with to keep us breathing and stop snoring. Some still have their long hair and others of us weren't so lucky. Here is how my dream has turned out so far: After graduating from Pearce, I hired with the Dallas Police Department. Patroled mostly S. Dallas around Fair Park and the projects in and around the downtown area. I earned my pay every day and loved each and every minute of it. Was with DPD from 1974 to 1983. Worked towards my degree at Richland and UTD while working full time and many extra jobs. Graduated UTD with a BSBA in Management Information Systems in Aug 1983. Started working in technology in Jan 1984. After many years as a full time employee, I decided to start consulting. Consulted for approx 9 years and currently work as an Assistant Vice President for J P Morgan/Chase in a technology group. Man I sure miss working the streets of Dallas, but at least I'm able to feed the family now. My biggest vices are horses and Harley's. Have owned 3 quarter horses where I ride with a unit in the Shrine. Yes, ...Expand for more