In 1967, after my one year at Texas A&M graduate school, I decided to go back to Houston and apply for a job in one of the High Schools. I was sent to Sam Houston High School, at the time the largest high school in Houston and the oldest. I shall never forget my interview with the principal, Mr. Powell. He asked me a few questions and of course I do not remember any of them. Upon completion of our visit, I exited Mr. Powell’s office and went to the door which I thought was the exit. Surprise, it was a closet door. My face must have turned a bright red as this Aggie was totally embarrassed. I guess that did not ruin my interview because later I received a call saying I had been hired to teach science. Back in those days, of course there were no cell phones, and so I cannot remember how they got in touch with me. Perhaps my cousin, John Farrell, had a phone. Anyhow, in August of 1967, I went to work at Sam Houston High School. Little did I know that my future wife was destined to go to work for Sam. This did not happen until 1971, but God already had his plans set.
In October of 1967, one the saddest days of my life happened. My Sister, Vivien and her husband, newborn child and my mother, were involved in an auto accident, which killed my sister and newborn outright, and my brother-in-law died a few days later. By the grace of God, my mother, after spending about 2 weeks in the hospital, did survive. My new school and new beginnings suddenly became secondary as it took a long time for my mother to be healthy again.
I am not sure of the date, ’68 or ’69, Mr. Powell passed away and we had a new principal, Mr. Kenneth Wilbanks. I was given the opportunity to teach a new course, Oceanography. I suppose because one of the graduate courses I had taken at Texas A&M was Oceanography. As a recipient of this new course, I was given the opportunity to take a fieldtrip to Galveston each year. The first trip I was given one of the HISD’s Oceanography curriculum persons. He guided me through the places I should collect Marine organisms and how to get them back alive to place in our saltwater aquariums. He taught us what to carry on the trip and where to look, how to seine and how to keep the organisms alive. After this I was on my own. So, from ’68 or ’69 until 1973, I took students on a Galveston fieldtrip to collect organisms for our aquariums. In the fall of 1973, I left Sam Houston High School and joined my former principal, Mr. Wilbanks, at Spring High School, north of Houston. From 1973, until I retired in 2000, we made at least one fieldtrip/year, which added up to 27 years at Spring High School. Go to this link to see more information https://blakehart.com/MarineOceanographyFieldTrips.html
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