Happy Graduation!

It was in the Fall of my Senior year of high school, 1987. Our football team was preparing to play our arch rival on Friday night, October 23. Thursday night I joined a group of friends and we paid a visit to our rivals' football stadium where the game would be played. We snuck in and decorated the field in our school colors. After making our escape from enemy territory, I returned home and crawled into my warm bed about 1 A.M.

As I recall, the phone rang around 4 A.M. It was my brother calling from Waco (where he was in law school) to let us know his first child was soon to arrive. I jumped in my car and followed my parents the 90 miles to Waco because I knew they would want to stay and I was planning to return home that night in time for the game.

I must admit I don't even remember who won the game, but I have vivid memories of seeing my oldest niece for the first time. Jordan Elizabeth Bailey was about the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen! It seems like only yesterday.

In fact, yesterday that little jaundice baby graduated Summa Cum Laude (4th in her class of 424) from Birdville High School. She is a Texas Scholar, member of the National Honor Society and has received the Harding University Chancellor's Award and Freshman English Major Scholarship and the Birdville High School PTSA Council Award. She has had quite an illustrious high school theater career including being named best actress and making All-Star cast twice during One Act Play competition this year and being named the Artist of the Year by the BHS Theater. Did I mention she was also voted most likely to succeed and she was a Homecoming Queen nominee?

Yeah? Well I decorated our arch rivals' football stadium in our school colors! So there!

Congratulations Jordan! Your Uncle Stephen is just a little proud of you!

The graduate with her proud cousins and sister. (Top Row: Bailey Brown, Jordan Bailey, Hutton Brown, Caitlin Bailey. Front Row: Rainey Bailey, Connor Brown, Reagan Brown)
Jordan (who was born during my Senior year of high school) with my daughter Emily (who was born during her Senior year of high school).