Someone once asked me why I was writing this book. I could not give them a single reason why I was spending the time and effort to capture these Life Lessons. That is because this book is the consummation of a journey in which I was embarking on to impart my knowledge, wisdom and experience for all to read.Early during my retirement, I was approached by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University to join their External Advisory and Development Council. This council provides guidance and insight to the department and bridges the gap between the department and its former electrical and computer engineering students. I eagerly accepted the position and saw this as an opportunity to give back to my institution which I dearly love! During my time on the Council, one of my major contributions was achieving a department sanctioned Mentorship Program where outstanding students are paired with former electrical or computer engineering students (Council Members) - now well-respected and successful members of the workforce. It was during my interactions with these students in a mentor capacity that I began to fine tune these Life Lessons to be shared semester after semester with my numerous mentees. And the result was the same for each mentee: a successful internship or permanent placement and excelling in each respectively. As a sidebar, these Life Lessons shared with the mentees are the exact same Life Lessons I shared repeatedly with my son Steven, and daughter, Kristi, who both took these Life Lessons to heart and are very successful today in their own careers. Consequently, it became obvious that the Mentorship Program needed to be expanded. After all, the program was limited by the number of available mentors and the bandwidth per mentor. Fast forward to Christmas Day a couple of years ago. I was talking with Betty Upton, a distant relative and very impressive eighty plus year old. The discussion came to what I was doing in retirement and I mentioned my involvement with Texas A&M University. She was impressed and very supportive of giving back as it was a staple of her and her husband’s retirement as well. It was not until we discussed the success of the Mentorship Program that she told me I should write a book to capture my Life Lessons for all to read. It was as if someone grabbed me, shook me, and said, “Wake up!” It was at that very moment the idea of this book was born, and the rest is history. You might say Life Lessons came to light one Christmas Day.
Listed skills include Strategic Partnerships, Leadership, Wireless, Start Ups, and 40 others.
