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Workin’ it out
BY BILL HARVEY
Just over four months ago, Tania French and I began a journey of understanding.
We thought it might be fun, and perhaps of interest, to explore the universe of working people in Calhoun County. You know, sort of a “Dirty Jobs” without commercial interruption. So over the following weeks, we traveled to a bait house in Port O’Connor, to the home of a retired welder in Seadrift and walked halls of Calhoun High School, just to name a few stops along the way. It also took us to places we will likely never actually visit, the Sea of Okhotsk and within the walls of a prison, for example. We met cowboys, educators, entrepreneurs, politicians, life givers, life savers and a bona-fide, right-off-the-Wheaties box American hero. That experience, chronicled dutifully in newsprint, has been a revelation, for as different as might be their chosen professions, these people are remarkable similar.
First, these folks actually don’t do much work. That is not to say they don’t spend long hours in execution of their chosen profession, in fact, by any definition ever conceived by the Department of Labor or Webster himself, these are extraordinarily hardworking people. But that which makes them unique and I would argue one of the critical elements of their success is that their definition of “workin’” would be that of doing something other than what they do for a living. Might I explain?
Richard Meyer lifted his gaze to me across a plate of barbecue and told me about how hard he worked when he row-cropped for a living. But when he quit farming and began to do what he loved to do (cowboying) he never once uttered the word “workin’” again. Robert Sanders spoke with genuine emotion about the years he has spent piloting his shrimp boat in the bays of Texas and what a wonderful life that has been. Without exception, every person who has appeared in the “Workin’” articles has told us the same thing, “I love what I do.”
There are other themes that run through their lives. Each sees him or herself as part of a greater whole and each is quick to point out that whatever success that comes while “workin’” is largely the result of the fact that they work with other good people. Clearly, much of the enjoyment or lack thereof that accompanies our working lives is related to the relationships we have with those of whom we work. Ted Wilson talked about how much he had loved and respected the crewmembers of the submarines he had commanded and Ed Presley never once gave himself any credit for the academic and athletic success (which has been enormous) that has come to Calhoun High School.
The third element of the occupational triumvirate is that these people are really, really good at what they do. Ask anyone who knows anything about growing any crop, ”who are the best farmers in Calhoun County” and I guarantee you that the names of Diane and Dwayne Nunley will be on the short list. When the Emergency Medical Services truck roles up, who would you like to see crawl out of the cab? That would be Henry Barber. And on a personal note, if there is one person in Calhoun County I would want overseeing the expenditure of my tax money, well, I guarantee you that would be Mike Pfeifer. Each has found mastery within a context which is totally appropriate for them.
I once knew a young person who discovered the philosophy of Viktor Frankl who wrote, as that young man recalls, that the meaning of life was to be found in the knowledge that (1) each of us was part of a greater whole, (2) in mastery of some element of lives and (3) in understanding that we are each part of a greater universe of beings. In reflecting upon those who have graced these pages, it appears as if he was right.
Now, we are going to change gears here for a while. The romance of loving what we do for a living and the joy of loving our profession obscures the hard cold fact that finding or preparing for our lives’ work—particularly in a technology driven world—requires access to higher education. College study is often the doorway to economic success in our society but the chasm between high school and college is --for many people—abyss which they find daunting. That is, unless someone builds a bridge and is willing to guide tentative feet in their crossing.
That bridge is rapidly being built in Calhoun County and it takes the form of Victoria College’s Calhoun County Center. It may well be that if, I don’t know, maybe five years from now, we ask ourselves, “What was the most significant event in the last decade here” the answer would be Victoria College’s arrival in our town. The story of how the “College” came here and how it has already begun to affect the lives of the people who have enrolled is one that speaks to visionary thinking, remarkable cooperation, incredible customer service and unspoken kindness. This is a terrific story and over the next few issues we hope to bring that story to you. And if at the end of this you are not convinced that there is no better community of people than those found in this rural political subdivision we call Calhoun County, well, let me know.
I will see if I can get you an appointment with Dr. Phil.
We thought it might be fun, and perhaps of interest, to explore the universe of working people in Calhoun County. You know, sort of a “Dirty Jobs” without commercial interruption. So over the following weeks, we traveled to a bait house in Port O’Connor, to the home of a retired welder in Seadrift and walked halls of Calhoun High School, just to name a few stops along the way. It also took us to places we will likely never actually visit, the Sea of Okhotsk and within the walls of a prison, for example. We met cowboys, educators, entrepreneurs, politicians, life givers, life savers and a bona-fide, right-off-the-Wheaties box American hero. That experience, chronicled dutifully in newsprint, has been a revelation, for as different as might be their chosen professions, these people are remarkable similar.
First, these folks actually don’t do much work. That is not to say they don’t spend long hours in execution of their chosen profession, in fact, by any definition ever conceived by the Department of Labor or Webster himself, these are extraordinarily hardworking people. But that which makes them unique and I would argue one of the critical elements of their success is that their definition of “workin’” would be that of doing something other than what they do for a living. Might I explain?
Richard Meyer lifted his gaze to me across a plate of barbecue and told me about how hard he worked when he row-cropped for a living. But when he quit farming and began to do what he loved to do (cowboying) he never once uttered the word “workin’” again. Robert Sanders spoke with genuine emotion about the years he has spent piloting his shrimp boat in the bays of Texas and what a wonderful life that has been. Without exception, every person who has appeared in the “Workin’” articles has told us the same thing, “I love what I do.”
There are other themes that run through their lives. Each sees him or herself as part of a greater whole and each is quick to point out that whatever success that comes while “workin’” is largely the result of the fact that they work with other good people. Clearly, much of the enjoyment or lack thereof that accompanies our working lives is related to the relationships we have with those of whom we work. Ted Wilson talked about how much he had loved and respected the crewmembers of the submarines he had commanded and Ed Presley never once gave himself any credit for the academic and athletic success (which has been enormous) that has come to Calhoun High School.
The third element of the occupational triumvirate is that these people are really, really good at what they do. Ask anyone who knows anything about growing any crop, ”who are the best farmers in Calhoun County” and I guarantee you that the names of Diane and Dwayne Nunley will be on the short list. When the Emergency Medical Services truck roles up, who would you like to see crawl out of the cab? That would be Henry Barber. And on a personal note, if there is one person in Calhoun County I would want overseeing the expenditure of my tax money, well, I guarantee you that would be Mike Pfeifer. Each has found mastery within a context which is totally appropriate for them.
I once knew a young person who discovered the philosophy of Viktor Frankl who wrote, as that young man recalls, that the meaning of life was to be found in the knowledge that (1) each of us was part of a greater whole, (2) in mastery of some element of lives and (3) in understanding that we are each part of a greater universe of beings. In reflecting upon those who have graced these pages, it appears as if he was right.
Now, we are going to change gears here for a while. The romance of loving what we do for a living and the joy of loving our profession obscures the hard cold fact that finding or preparing for our lives’ work—particularly in a technology driven world—requires access to higher education. College study is often the doorway to economic success in our society but the chasm between high school and college is --for many people—abyss which they find daunting. That is, unless someone builds a bridge and is willing to guide tentative feet in their crossing.
That bridge is rapidly being built in Calhoun County and it takes the form of Victoria College’s Calhoun County Center. It may well be that if, I don’t know, maybe five years from now, we ask ourselves, “What was the most significant event in the last decade here” the answer would be Victoria College’s arrival in our town. The story of how the “College” came here and how it has already begun to affect the lives of the people who have enrolled is one that speaks to visionary thinking, remarkable cooperation, incredible customer service and unspoken kindness. This is a terrific story and over the next few issues we hope to bring that story to you. And if at the end of this you are not convinced that there is no better community of people than those found in this rural political subdivision we call Calhoun County, well, let me know.
I will see if I can get you an appointment with Dr. Phil.
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