My father was a painter, and he painted a lot of houses in a town called Highland Park.  It is for the extremely wealthy and he was so good at his job that is where he got most of his business.  I often rode with my father in the summer and we drove a lot down a street called Mockingbird that ran right in front of the Southern Methodist University campus.  In the early seventies there were not a lot of Mexicans so people assumed daddy was Hispanic.  Being half Choctaw, his skin was a very dark red.  We could not afford a nice car but it was used for work anyway.  Invariably, we would get pulled over.  Was it racial or economic?  I believe it was a bit of both.  My father always complied with the police but as I grew older I started to understand why he was targeted.  He had wanted to go to SMU but he only lacked six hours from having a double masters in history and economics.  SMU became my dream in the fourth grade when I sang in Caruth Auditorium as part of the Dallas Girls’ Chorus.  Despite my grades in high school the guidance counselor never met with me to discuss colleges.  My father encouraged me to start with Richland Community College while I worked.  During my time at Lord & Taylor a woman who came in a lot would often tell me I should apply to SMU on an academic scholarship transfer.  She was a stranger but for some reason she believed in me and would always ask if I was going to do it.  I am proud to say my father lived to see me graduate from SMU.  My Daddy used to say the one thing that can never be taken away is an education.  So I carry that with me and I want my little one to carry it with her as well.  You can see by this photo I’ve tried to indoctrinate her early!  This was her first Homecoming.  The American Evangelist Billy Graham said:

“The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”

Yes I am an alumni and my daughter will be a “legacy” at SMU.  But it is my father who left us the real legacy.