Hometown: San Antonio;
Present city: Dallas;
Education: University of Texas School of Law (J.D. 1980), Trinity University (B.A. Economics and Music 1977);
Profession: Attorney (retired)
Tell us about your family.
Lydia and I have been married 39 years. We have resided in the Lake Highlands area since 1987. Our son, John, daughter-in-law, Ashley and grandson, Archie, live near Denver.
How about your work or volunteer life?
I practiced law in Dallas for 36 years with a couple of large law firms, primarily focused on business bankruptcies.
Any favorite hobbies?
Music has been a serious avocation my entire life. I maintain a repertoire of classical pieces on the piano and Celtic tunes on the fiddle. I also participate in jam sessions with other musicians playing a range of styles from rock classics to jazz to bluegrass. Also, I took up golf in my early 40s; now I play, on average, three rounds a week and still seem to be improving.
What is your favorite place to travel?
I have traveled to much of North America and Europe. I especially enjoyed my two trips to Ireland.
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
In early 2016, we conducted a survey of worship options among churches in a roughly five-mile radius around our home. After visiting about a dozen churches, we assigned each a score in various categories. Wilshire received our best overall rating, and we joined later that year.
Where are you engaged at Wilshire?
I’m a member of the Epiphany Class and sing bass in the Sanctuary Choir. I currently serve as a deacon and on the Committee on Committees. I’m also serving on an ad hoc committee to consider changes to Wilshire’s bylaws. I lead singing for the Friday Friends meetings, which is Wilshire’s ministry for the benefit of caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s.
Tell us about your faith journey.
I was raised in a Christian home, accepted Christ as a child at an altar call and was baptized in a swimming pool at a youth camp. In college I lost my youthful fundamentalism. My ongoing faith journey continues to evolve in response to lifelong studies in history, science, theology and Western philosophy. I’ve participated in an accountability group for many years which brings discipline to my prayer life and Bible reading. Singing hymns often restores emotional balance to my faith.
What adjectives best describe you?
Open-minded, listener, decisive when necessary, dependable once committed to a project.
*If you are interested in being featured in an upcoming I Am Wilshire feature, contact Carolyn Murray (cmurray@wilshirebc.org)