Tom Beckman:  

I'm the guy people usually don't remember because I've always been the "silent observer" type (it didn't help that I weighed 90 pounds well into my twenties). At school I blended into the wallpaper whenever possible to avoid getting pummeled by one of those apes who, if movies have taught us anything, peaked in '79. (Suckers, I didn't peak until '83!) I played drums in a band that gigged at several of those hazy "parents-out-of-town" house parties that you may or may not remember during '78-'79. After a lackluster college career in advertising and jazz drumming studies at UNT (9 years!), I fell into the wine biz where I've been ever since. I now work for a large collective of 1600 grape growing families located in Trentino, Italy; I represent their wines in TX, LA, AR, OK. I travel throughout Italy and have become something of a Renaissance history buff and hopeless lover of all things Italian. I was married for 7 years (no kids) divorced (good friends, really!) I'm remarried to a beautiful Ukrainian women I met at Starbucks - it's funny but I knew on our third date I would marry her (just like they say; you know when you know). Now I'm learning Russian and she's learning patience. I've also parlayed my travels and those years of quiet observation into a writing career on the side - mainly dramedies and spoofs, but a musical I've written about the Renaissance is hopefully getting produced locally (2022). Being an observer, I remember many people from White but I've never run into anyone except Hanneke Winnubst (I walked into their family bakery behind Half-Price Books one day.) We attended the same schools since 5th grade but alas, she had no recollection of me. Story of my life. Hence, I don't attend the reunions - I'd still be the one in the corner you did...Expand for more