Anchor
KRIV-TV
Houston is home. I grew up here and experienced Houston’s transformation from a medium-sized American town to a world-class city.
When the 8th Wonder of the World, the Astrodome, opened in 1965, I went there to sell popcorn and peanuts. As a child I also sold newspapers to commuters getting off the trains at the old Union Station downtown, which is now Minute Maid Park, the home of the Astros. I watched with awe and pride the rise of one of the world’s most spectacular, beautiful, sleek and modern skylines. A far cry from my days as a child when one of the tallest buildings downtown was a medium-sized skyscraper with a huge orange GULF Oil neon sign sitting on top of it. A literal sign of the important role oil has always played in Houston.
“Houston” was the first word spoken from the moon. That is still exciting to recall even today. I was a young teenager living in Houston’s Second Ward at the time of the first lunar landing, yet everything seemed so distant and surreal. Now I live in Clear Lake near the Johnson Space Center and have actually gotten to know some of the current astronauts. One of them one was my son’s little league basketball coach. I think that is pretty cool. So naturally I remind people to experience everything NASA has to offer here. The space program is so important to the future of our country and the world.
When not at work, people can find me spending time with my family, my wife Sylvia and our three sons Mike, Bill and John Paul. If I am not cooking fajitas for them at home, we like to go to Kemah to enjoy some of the fine restaurants there because it is so close to Clear Lake. If we are in the mood for some good Mexican food, we stop by an old neighborhood favorite restaurant Taqueria del Sol near Broadway and the Gulf Freeway. My favorite place to shop is Dillard’s in The Galleria or at Baybrook Mall. That is usually where I buy all my suits, shirts and ties.
A perfect day for me is hanging out with my children, eating and laughing and catching up on what is going on in their lives. I also love being able to attend my sons’ basketball games and cheering them on to victory.
I have been covering the news in this town for more than 30 years, and I am happy to report Houston has so much to offer everyone. It is a great place to work and raise a family. Houston’s ethnic diversity is a shining example of the best America has to offer. Everyone is made to feel welcome. There are fantastic venues for the arts as well as sports. There are magnificent public parks and lakes such as Clear Lake and, of course, the beach and Galveston are just a short drive away.
You can have it all in Houston. Oil capital of the country, Space City, Bayou City, H-Town my favorite thing to call Houston is to call it my home town.
