“My dad passed away in June. He was at home. It was just a few days after Father’s Day. He had been dealing with cancer for eight years. This time, it was the final K.O.

“It was also roughly a month before he was able to retire officially. In a sense, at least to me, that was adding insult to injury.

“It’s been hard, for my sisters and my mom especially. She told me that she’s cried herself to sleep. That’s how much it hurts. They were married 41 years.

“I’ve been looking for a job. The last place I worked was 7-Eleven. That guy let me go due to my being too slow. One day he just said, ‘OK, you’re off the schedule,’ and that was it. He didn’t bother to discuss things with me like, ‘Any way I can help you out with this?’ I’m still agitated about that.

“I’ve applied for other jobs since then. I’m just trying to stay positive and keep my spirits up by saying, ‘Everything will be OK. Just keep on trucking. You’re not the only one going through this.’ It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve just got to keep trying.”

— Kevin Alford, 38, who’s living life with autism

Related:

• Autism isn’t keeping him from enjoying life

The post Trying to keep spirits up after losing father, job appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’ve had a lot of jobs. But I’d have to say my most favorite job ever was secretary for the detective division at the Baytown Police Department.

“You remember those old detective shows on TV back in the ‘70s? It was like that, only I was living it.

“They would bring in somebody who had done something bad, like a murder suspect, and start asking questions. It was my job to take down the statements in shorthand, and then type it all up on the IBM machine for them to read and sign.

“It wasn’t unusual for it to be the middle of the night, since that’s when a lot of crimes happen. They would send a patrol car to my house and bring me in. I was in my early 30s and single, with a young daughter. Until she was old enough to stay by herself, I would take her to my mother’s house. After they brought me home, I’d have trouble falling back asleep, just thinking about it all.

“It was a great job. I loved it from day one. With the different cases, there was something going on all the time.

“I got to know three or four of the detectives very well. I got to know their families. Those guys were just wonderful to me and my daughter. I was divorced and raising her by myself. It’s like they took us in and kind of looked after us.

“I also got to know Judge R.L. Smith, who would give the Miranda warning to the prisoners. He ended up stealing me to come work as his chief clerk. I did that until I moved to Colorado, where I worked for a district attorney.

“I’ve been a realtor now for 25 years in Aurora, right outside of Denver. After working in the criminal justice system so long, and being exposed to the criminal element, I figured I needed a change.

“Those jobs definitely helped make me a stronger person. They showed I can deal with the worst of society. But I was ready to do something where I made people happy. Selling homes, especially to first-time buyers, they’re very happy.”

— Nellie Harris-Cassel

She was known as Nelda Page when she worked at Baytown Police Department.

The post Supporting detective squad ‘favorite job ever’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I made up my mind when I was young that I was going to retire early. And I did it. I retired last August after 33 years with LyondellBassell, just as I was fixing to turn 57.

“Never been married. No kids. But I was married to my job, I believe. I was one of those guys that liked money. Others my age wanted off all the time to run around, goof off, and waste money. Not me. I wanted to make money. So I always volunteered to take their shifts. I worked holidays. I was an overtime freak.

“And I tried to play things smart by investing in everything I could out there. I wanted to pay everything off as soon as possible. I didn’t want to have any bills. I didn’t want to owe anything to credit or loan companies. In the end, I pretty much accomplished what I set out to do.

“When I was going to work, I would leave the house by about 4 in the morning. It’s still no different. Most days, I’m up at 3:30 or 4. I get a little something to eat, and then I take off on my bike. I love riding when it’s dark out and hardly anybody’s around.

“I ride seven days a week. I go all over town. I cross the Hartman Bridge sometimes and ride in La Porte, or go down to Morgan’s Point. I’m a member of the Dirty Bay BMX Riders, so we’ll ride together. I’ve done the MS 350 to Austin for multiple sclerosis.

“When you’re riding this bike here, it’s like riding a Cadillac. You lean your back against it, and just kind of lose yourself. It relaxes me.

“I never know where I’m going to go or what I’m going to do. But I have my cell phone with me. I always have money on me. I have things to drink and eat. I have all kinds of tools and patch kits if I ever have a flat. I have lots of music. And I ride until I decide I want to stop somewhere.

“I’m not as young as I used to be, so I work out every day. Matter of fact, I just got done doing all my pushups and squats out there on that floating dock. I do them at home, too, and I work out on a punching bag.

“I live life day by day. I wake up in the morning, kick the dirt off me, and see what the good lord offers me.”

— Jerry Puckett

Jerry and his partner have a shop where they build quarter-mile hot rods and custom bikes.

The post Retirement plan pays off for bike enthusiast appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“You see where you found me. I’m here at a basketball court, shooting hoops, listening to music. In the past, I probably would have been at a friend’s house, figuring out how I’m going to make my next buck. Or I would have been somewhere smoking weed with my friends, trying to figure out where the chicks are for tonight.

“But now I know they can strip that freedom from me at any time. Now, whenever I get pulled over by cops, it’s no longer, ‘Hey, put your hands up.’ It’s automatically weapons drawn, because I’m a felon. So all the decisions I make are based upon that.

“Now when my friend hits me up and asks if I want to go to a bar, I’m like, ‘I’m cool. I’m going to be at the house.’ Now when my friend asks, ‘Hey, bro, you want to make some money?’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m cool. I got a job.’

“A lot of that is hard to break because of the connection you have with these people. Since the playground, I’ve been with these guys. So for them, it’s like I’m turning my back on them. But I’m trying to look out for me.

“They may not understand that. But it’s because they’ve never been put in the position I was in. They didn’t get everything stripped from them in 2.5 seconds. And it’s hard to come back from that.

“Right now, I’m unemployed. If you have a theft on your record, it’s especially hard. They don’t know if they can put trust in you. That’s totally understandable. I can’t be mad at that. I mean, I put myself in that position.

“Even though it’s been hard for me to find a job, I’ve been blessed to have people in my life who are not constantly saying, ‘You need to find a job. You need to find a job.’ Instead, I have people telling me, ‘You need to find what you love, and do that. You need to find what you want to do in this life, and you need to do that. You need to find your niche, whatever that is, and follow it.’

“Right now, as a 24-year-old, I’m still trying to find myself. Trying to find where I can fit in as a productive member of society.”

— Sergio Yepez

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• Staying strong key to surviving in jail

• Gang tattoos lead to jail confrontations

The post Finding a job, while trying to find himself appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I went walking today, and I found this beat-up basketball over there in the grass. I thought, I may as well see if I can still shoot.

“I played sports in high school, basketball and football. It’s been a while, though. I’m 56. I didn’t think I could do it anymore. But I surprised myself. I’m moving parts that haven’t moved in years.

“I’ve got this little knee problem from years ago. I slipped and fell at work. I never did try to file or anything. I figured it would work itself out. But it’s catching up to me in my old age. That’s why I keep moving. That’s why I’m out here exercising. If I stop, it gets stiff. Then I can barely do anything. I’m about 50-50 with it. I could have been 75 and above without it. But I can handle it. I can maintain. It’s just part of life. You’ve got to go with the flow. I have to because I’m still working.

“I work in cooling towers at the plants. It’s definitely hard work. Especially at my age. Everybody asks me, ‘What are you doing still working at this?’ Hey, I need to work. I didn’t go to college. If you don’t go to college, you’ve got to go to work. That’s what I try to preach to my grandkids. Hey, go to school. But they don’t always want to listen. I guess they just have to learn that on their own.”

— Walter Gonzales

The post ‘I’m moving parts that haven’t moved in years’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’m thinking about officially quitting nursing. I’m just tired. I’ve been at it for 43 years. I started in doctors’ offices in hospitals. Since then, I’ve done everything known to mankind.

“I worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice at their women’s prison farm in Texas City. I was a case manager at UT Medical Branch in Galveston. I’ve run two adult daycare centers, which was my favorite job. And 12 of my years in nursing were in psych. Harris County Psychiatric Center had a position open in admissions, and they needed somebody pretty quick. So I thought, what the heck. I’ll give it a try. Oh, man, it was something else.

“When I started, guys would come in wearing aluminum caps. They said it was keeping the government and satellites from zapping their heads. Every year we’d get a visit from a guy who told us he was Tupac Shakur, and he needed to be admitted. We saw a lady who claimed to be the mother of Michael Jackson’s daughter. She said, ‘Michael Jackson was my husband.’

“There were times when people were truly psychotic. But typically, it was all drug-induced stuff. One time a woman came in from the streets and said, ‘I’m a vampire. I feel like sucking blood tonight. So I thought to be safe, I’d come here.’ I tried breaking her. I acted all dumb and said, ‘I remember when I was in nursing school, we learned there were like three main types of blood.’ She said, ‘No, there’s four.’ And I said, ‘Right, there’s four. So do they all taste alike?’ I mean, I tried to get her to crack. But she was into it. She was really character driven. I tried to get her to a place where I could tell this was all just so much hooey. It was during the time of those ‘Twilight’ movies. The work there could be pretty challenging, but I found it fascinating.

“Now, after all these years — I graduated from Lee College’s nursing program in 1978 — I’m just tired. I think I’m ready to try something else besides nursing. But I’m not quite sure what. I’m still curious about stuff. I’m not ready to say, ‘OK, I’m done. Give me the first shovelful.’ I just haven’t found what I want to do with the rest of my life yet.”

— Jan White

The post After 43 years, nurse ready for something different appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“My dad is from a family of 12 in Matamoros, Mexico. There were six women and six men. But my grandpa would always bring my father to go cut grass, track cows, trench out ditches — anything that had to do with the ranch. Sun up to sun down. Through the years, he came to realize that my grandpa was teaching him the value of hard work. If you have nothing else, you know you can always go to work and make things happen.

“My father has been involved in construction for years. He’s gone from industrial to commercial, wherever the work takes him. He’s always been a hands-on, hard-working man. If he doesn’t know how to do something, he learns. That’s something he’s passed on to me. He says, ‘Son, you’ve got to be wise. You’ve got your hands and your feet, and you’re smart. Try it. If it doesn’t work out, just relax, take a second look, and find a different way to try again.’

“In Spanish he says, ‘No pasa nada,’ which means ‘nothing happens.’ That’s a good way to approach life, whether it’s how to do something at work or how to interact with others. Sometimes you run into difficult people. But you’ve got to find a constructive way to speak to them and work with them. If one way doesn’t work, no sweat. No pasa nada. Think of a different way to handle the situation and try again.

“I’ve learned so much from my dad, just like he learned from his father. I love my last name. I just want to make a difference, like he has, and honor my family legacy.”

— Louis Soria

The post Son proud of family work ethic appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“When one of the older barbers retired, I inherited Mr. Charlie as a customer. I’ve been cutting his hair for at least 20 years. He lives in Anahuac, but he’s been coming to Baytown all this time.

“More recently, he was doing good just to make it in. The next thing you know, his wife was bringing him. When she was unable to, a grandchild was doing it. Finally, it got to the point where it’s easier for me to just go to his house for a haircut and shave. I’ve done it about four times. I think he has Parkinson’s disease. He has around-the-clock care, and his wife is there with him. He’s a true gentleman and a super nice guy. I’m happy to drive out there for him.

“I turned 50 on March 12, and I’ve been cutting hair since I was 21. So I have a lot of longtime customers. If I’ve been cutting their hair for years, and if they followed me from the Trophy Barber Shop to my Baker Road location, and now to my new shop, that means something. These are not just customers. They’re friends, and I care about them. So when they call, or their wives call, and tell me they can no longer make it in, and ask if I can cut hair at their house — of course. I don’t mind at all.

“I’ve also cut hair at the Baytown hospital countless times. I’ve been to the medical center many times. I’ve been to every nursing home here in town. And I’ve even been to the funeral home twice. The wives will call and say, ‘He passed. Do you mind cutting his hair? Only you know how to do it.’

“The way I’ve always looked at it is, if I was laid up in the hospital or at a nursing home for a long time, I would want somebody to give me a haircut. To be able to make a person look better, feel better, and to have some pride in their appearance, it’s just a very meaningful thing.”

— Robert Gresham

He opened Baytown Barber Shop, at 4810 N. Main, a few months before the pandemic.

The post Yes, this barber makes house calls appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“Disney was such a happy experience, and it was so exciting to be in Florida. I was loving what I was doing, loving the people I was with and the community I had created. I had found a church there. There were just all sorts of aspects that fell into place.

“Within a matter of days, all of that was ripped away because of COVID. After I got back home it was like, OK, now what am I going to do? I spent the next three months struggling with my anxiety and depression. I spent what felt like hours upon hours in my mom’s arms, crying to the point where I had no more tears left.

“The job market didn’t help. I applied to company after company and received no more than a generic ‘sorry, we’re not hiring during this unprecedented time’ email. My program ending early felt like a stab wound through the heart, and every email was the twisting of the knife of rejection and failure.

“Finally, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and said, all right, what am I going to do next? I settled on getting my master’s in social media and marketing. I began researching programs and started those applications. It’s something that I’ve always been super passionate about and have enjoyed doing. To get to study that and hone my craft is really exciting. A lot of it has to do with my time at Disney. Just figuring out that I really love the creative side of things, and the whole start to finish of a creative project.

“As hard as it’s been, I’ve learned a lot about myself and others, and a lot about patience and enjoying life where I’m at right now. It’s not just me. The whole world has paused. Millions of others are going through something similar or have it far worse. I still have my family. I still have my friends. I still have my health. So, yeah, it’s tough right now, but this is only temporary. There’s so much more out there. I’m excited to see what happens next.”

— Kenzie Lackey

As she finalizes plans for her master’s studies, Kenzie enjoys helping prepare meals and social media posts for The Mustard Seed Tea Room in Baytown.

Related:

• Disney internship adventure begins

• COVID-19 brings abrupt end to internship

The post ‘It’s tough right now, but this is only temporary’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I was supposed to be at Disney World from January to May 2020. But I was having so much fun as a PhotoPass photographer, I applied for an extension to August, and I got it.

“In our morning briefings in January, they reminded us about flu season, and to make sure we washed our hands, used hand sanitizer, that type of thing. Mid-February, the briefings started talking about this thing called COVID. They asked us to help limit contact between guests, limit photos we were taking, and wipe down our equipment often. Beginning of March, they really upped the precautions.

“Then around March 12, we learned Disney World was closing for 2-3 weeks. We thought we were going to just stay in our apartments, then head back to the parks when they opened again. About two days later, we got an email saying that due to COVID-19 and all the unknowns, they were ending our program early and sending us back home. We had to be out of our apartments in 72 hours.

“We still had one full day of the parks being open, and I had a shift that day. Because it was such a shock and everything ended so abruptly, Disney cast members and management really made our last day memorable.

“One of my managers asked if there was an area or character I’d like to work with. I said that I’d love to shoot with Mickey and Minnie, even if just for one family. She put me with them for three hours. It was unbelievable. They even cleared out the area to give me one last goodbye with Mickey and Minnie, and I got some hugs and pictures with them.

“After clocking out for the final time, they again went above and beyond. They asked if there was anything on our bucket list, like rides or shows we hadn’t seen, and they made it happen. Cast members showered us with love and appreciation. We had so much fun. And as sad of an ending as it was, it was something I’ll never forget because of the kindness of so many people who poured out their hearts to us.

“Then we went back to our apartments and packed it up. About 24 hours later, I was on the road, heading back to Texas.”

— Kenzie Lackey

Related:

• Disney internship adventure begins

• ‘It’s tough right now, but this is only temporary’

The post COVID-19 brings abrupt end to internship appeared first on The Baytown Project.