“My dad was a chemist, and I was always fascinated with that sort of thing. I did all kinds of experiments as a kid. I invented things.

“When I was a junior in college I came up with light solution. All you did was add water and it made light. That was pretty special.

“You know something about light solution? It’s highly romantic, and I used that to get my very first girlfriend in 1969.

“Two churches in Buffalo, New York, booked a trip together to Syracuse, and I didn’t know any of the kids on the bus. I had my light solution and I had my science book. When we got off the bus for lunch, somebody took my book. That somebody was Kathy. When I got back on the bus she said, ‘Hi, I’m Kathy. Do you want your book back?’ I said, “No, you can read it.’

“Then later on I invited her to sit with me. After a little conversation, I got up enough courage to pop the question: ‘How would you like to see my light solution?’ She said she would, and I said, ‘You know, you have to see it in complete darkness.’

“So I took her up to my room in the hotel, turned off all the lights, and sat her on the bed. I took out a little beaker from my suitcase, poured a little bit of the light solution in there, added water, and it made a wonderful green-colored light. It was my most successful experiment ever. I’ve been married to Kathy now for 41 years.”

— Bob Botto

A chemist at ExxonMobil for 34 years, Bob transformed into Mr. Wizard to put on chemistry shows for students of all ages.

Related:

• Marathoner survives cardiac arrest to run another day
• He enjoys running for a cancer-fighting cause

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“I have run 25 marathons and 76 ultra-marathons. As of Jan. 1, including all my races and training, I have run 30,875 miles. But it’s not the long distance that kills you. It’s the short distance.

“I was entered in a 3,000-meter race on June 9, 2012, at Rice University. I had no idea that anything was wrong with me. In January, I had won a U.S.A. Track and Field 100-kilometer race for my age. In February, I did the Rocky Raccoon 100-Mile Trail Run at Huntsville State Park. In March, I won a U.S.A. Track and Field 50-mile mountain race. In April, I ran the Relay for Life here in Baytown. In May, I ran in the Boxrox Marathon in central Texas in 95 degrees on rugged trails. So I survived all of that.

“Then June 9 came, and I was lined up for 3,000 meters. I ran through the finish, then I started walking and cooling down. I don’t remember anything that happened after that. Nothing. I had collapsed and died. My heart was not beating for up to 50 minutes, is what the doctor said.

“John Bryant, a friend of mine on our ExxonMobil track team, was there within one minute to begin doing CPR. He continued until Station 33 arrived from Houston, and they used the paddles to get my heart beating again. My wife met me at the hospital. She felt my ankles and said there was a tiny, little heart beat there. That was about two hours later.

“The doctors decided to put me in a medical coma. By the sixth day, they disconnected the EEG monitor because there was no data coming out of it. On the seventh day, they asked my wife for permission to disconnect me from life support. What she said was, ‘If you do that, he’ll just be on his own.’ So they didn’t do it. And I woke up at 6 o’clock the very next morning.”

— Bob Botto, 67

Related:

• He enjoys running for a cancer-fighting cause
• Chemistry experiment lands him a wife for life

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“When the housing market went under, when the economy went to hell, my husband’s hours were cut and I was pregnant. We went into foreclosure, and we could have lost our home. Instead, we were able to work with the bank and find a way to keep it.

“During that whole process, I went back to school when the baby was old enough to be left with someone. That had always been my plan. But I remember confiding in a friend that we could lose our house. She said, ‘What are you doing back at school? You need to get a job. You need to go to work.’

“When I told my husband he said, ‘It’s always been your dream to finish college. I can’t let you go to work right now. We’ll figure it out.’

“Looking back on it all, I realize that the universe was challenging me. It was saying, ‘Is this what you really want?’

“When we hit another difficult financial time while I was attending school, I approached a counselor, and he said something that has stuck with me. It was along the lines of, ‘In order to prove to the universe what you really want, you have to overcome the challenges before it’s handed to you.’

“Not too long after that, I read a book called ‘The Alchemist.’ The entire theory of the book, basically, is that you’re going to be challenged. You might start out with a little bit of beginner’s luck. But to reach your goals, to achieve your dreams, you’re going to face a multitude of different challenges. And don’t give up because, in the end, it will all be worth it. I think that’s pretty good advice for life.”

— Shona Saunders

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• She teaches her boys kindness and compassion
• ‘Chicken boy’ has the last laugh on Thanksgiving

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“I was working for Humble Oil (later Exxon) as a systems analyst, and I had been feeling fatigued. When I went to the doctor through my health insurance he really set me up, you know, with improper directions and the wrong medications. By the time they sent me to Stanford Medical Center, I was feeling much weaker. I was being evaluated for a heart transplant, which I really didn’t want.

“They rented a deluxe apartment for me and I spent about five months there. The doctors had me doing exercises regularly and asked me to come see them once a week or so. There were a lot of bizarre tests, like how much pain can you tolerate before you start screaming. At one point they placed me in a centrifuge and spun me around, which I thought was strange. One thing they were trying to evaluate was if I got a new heart, how would my lungs function.

“As I continued to take their stress test, I kept improving. In the end, they decided that exercise and changes to my medication and diet were more acceptable than a heart transplant.

“Although I was feeling better, my new medications were going to interfere with work. The company wasn’t interested in accommodating some of what that would entail. So two months later, I took a medical disability retirement. I’ve been retired now for more than 20 years.”

— Sam Springer

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“I did 29 years of shift work at ExxonMobil. I worked outside as an operator. I worked in the heat, in the rain, in the cold. I wore flame-retardant clothing, a hard hat, safety glasses, safety shoes.

“When I hired in, all the old-timers told me I should buy Exxon stock. They said buy as much as you can and don’t ever touch it. Just do this for your whole career and you’ll be a very wealthy person when you retire. And they told the truth. I put the maximum amount in for 29 years, so I’m reaping the rewards now.

“I do lots of hunting and fishing, and I travel a lot. As a matter of fact, I’m going to Lake Tahoe in the morning. After that I’m heading out on a cruise around Australia, and then I fly to New Zealand where I’m doing an archery hunt for a red stag.

“I told my financial guy, I want to be the poster child for retirement. My resume for retirement is what I wish everybody could do, and afford to do.”

— Robyne Gold

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• Cancer survivor continues to look at life as a gift

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“I grew up in Elgin, Oregon, way up in the hills and the mountains. I was a farmer’s daughter. We were what they called shoestring farmers. We didn’t make very much money. You lived year to year. Three bad years would break you.

“We didn’t have any electricity until I was 9 years old, so we did everything the old-fashioned way. We lived off the land. It was a hard life, but it was the best life that I could have ever had.

“One of the things my parents taught me was to be optimistic and hope for a better day. Farmers are always hoping. They’re hoping it’s going to rain and then they’re hoping it’s not going to rain because they need to get the wheat or the hay in.

“Probably the most important thing I ever got from my parents was the concept of hard work. They taught me how to work with my hands, which is something I was able to do for years. I think that was the best gift of all.”

— Betsy Wheeler

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“I work inside ExxonMobil as a contractor. I deliver port-a-cans and tanks, and move septic waste. I can literally say that I have a shitty job.”

How often do you use that line?
“Oh, all the time. Actually, the job has been pretty good to me. I’ve got my weekends off, so I can spend more time with my kids. I’ve been married almost a year. I was lucky enough to find a woman who had three wonderful children, and together we were lucky enough to have our fourth. I have a 14-year-old, an 11-year-old, a 10-year-old and a 17-month-old.”

What’s your biggest challenge?
“Raising a kid. I always knew it was going to be hard. But when you jump into a relationship where there are already three kids and you bring a fourth one in to take care of, it can get tough at times. But as long as you stay true to each other and commit to giving 100 percent to the family, you can do it. I’m living proof.”

— Tyler Housley, 25

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• Personal changes help make him a family man

The post Helping to raise four children can be challenging appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“Retirement is a big step, deciding what you’re going to do and who you’re going to trust your money with.

“I do a little work on the side right now, building a house or two. I’m not sure how involved I want to be with that after I retire.

“I don’t want to be tied down too much. There are places I want to go, things I want to see.”

— Robin Tolleson

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“I came here in 1976 from Trinidad. I was just passing through on my way to Saudi Arabia, where I was going to work for a company as an instrument fitter supervisor. Before I left, I wanted to raise money to buy clothes so I took on a construction job at Exxon.

“Then I got a stroke. It paralyzed my whole right side. That prevented me from going, which turned out to be a blessing. If I had gone to Saudi Arabia, I would have been a dead man. I would have had the stroke and nobody there would have understood my language, my thick accent.

“I think by God sending me here, it ended up saving my life.”

The post On the way to Saudi Arabia, stroke changes his life appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I recently retired from Exxon after nearly 40 years. It was a good job to have for the long term. You can make money anywhere, but what really counts is who’s going to take care of you later.

“Now I’m planning to do my part by going to the gym as often as I can, losing weight and getting in better shape. My parents are in their 80s, so longevity runs in the family. It’s just a matter of how well I take care of myself so I can get there, too. I’m out of excuses.”

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