My Hero

Born in Dallas/Fort Worth Texas in 1945, he was immediately curious about the natural world. He helped his father run the ranch, but made sure to have enough time to romp around with his buddies catching rattlesnakes and turtles. At one point, he even had an opossum as a pet! His favorite thing to do was to explore and learn about all the local flora and fauna. Surprisingly, he went into medical school, but this was less of a choice as it was of an insistence from his parents. They wanted him to be successful, so what did he do? He became a thorasic and vascular surgeon! In the time from the beginnings of his medical school to his full-blown profession, he traveled and went on many adventures. He climbed Mount Kilamanjaro, delivered a baby in the Amazon rainforest (the baby was named after him), ran the Boston Marathon, backpacked across the floor of the Grand Canyon, and had countless more adventures. When he retired from being a surgeon, he began to pursue his dream of becoming a biologist. He is currently working on his second PhD and is studying the metabolic rates and thermoregulation in birds and bats in the Southwest. This man never stops. It is inspiring to see him constantly grasping at the eternal knowledge of life. He always wants to learn and his mind has proven great retention because he is one of the most intelligent people I've ever known. The massive amounts of information he holds is riveting. His understanding of the natural world range from the inner workings of the human body to the vast void and miracle that is outerspace. On top of all these accomplishments, he is also kind, caring, generous, and loving. His jokes are corny and he makes himself laugh, but it is endearing. When he loves, he loves with all of his might. He is goofy, kind, and brilliant. He is my hero and he is my father.