Daniel Graves:  

Hillsboro High for 3 years, then to Pearl for one year. That was mandated by the Civil Rights Bussing laws, which I thought were going to destroy my Senior year. Turned out go be one of the best things that ever happened to me. I learned how unaware I was of the deep-seated racial issues in Nashville, and unaware of my own "white privilege". And how interesting/enriching it was having friends walking very different paths. Ever since, I have always tried to live and work among diverse people from all backgrounds. (an aside...That's one of the reasons I love Los Angeles. We have all the spectrum, never a dull moment, and the overwhelming majority here embrace diversity. My current friends look more to your character, less to your surface (good thing, because my looks aren't what they used to be!) After high school, the tough choice was "which career". In both my parent's lineage there have been a wide variety of professions, and many "jack of all trades". I was considering 1) Musician, 2) Actor, 3) Physician/Psychiatrist, 4) Air Force pilot, 5) Teacher, and I chose 6) Engineer in Computer Science and Electronics. Honestly, because it paid well, and it could finance most of the others as hobbies. And computers were easier to understand than people. After College, worked in Huntsville AL for ~20 years on the NASA Space Shuttle and Spacelab programs. Lots of Domestic and Foreign travel and lots of cool projects. Got promoted into management, but never really liked the politics. By the late 80s, stress of corporate world was draining me, and my marriage of 7 years was crumbling. Then, I got caught in one of the cycles of Layoffs so common in Aerospace. And my m...Expand for more