Category: Commentary

Tomorrow is the 40th Reunion of the Nolan Catholic High School Class of ’78. On one hand, it’s hard to believe four decades have come and gone since 172 students walked across the Will Rogers Auditorium stage in Fort Worth and received our diplomas. Then again, a lot happened during those 14,600 days.

Marriages, children, career changes, divorces, second chances, walking daughters down the aisle and witnessing sons taking brides. Joy, heartache, discovery, disappointment, lessons learned, restarts and success. New friends, lost loved ones, estrangements, reconciliations, missteps, perseverance and hope.

In a small class everybody knew everybody. At our 10-year, conversations centered around a decade of achievements. At 20, discussions focused on kids’ activities. At 30, photos were shared of new grand kids.

My guess is the 40th will be a celebration of togetherness – with a deep understanding that these decade-apart moments are a special pause on the timeline of life. Six of our classmates have passed away… and next time the number will be higher, so each gathering is a gift.

During our nine months together, “Star Wars” and “Saturday Night Fever” were in theaters, Billy Joel released “The Stranger,” J.R. Ewing debuted on TV, the hometown Cowboys captured the Super Bowl, and we won the state championship in basketball.

Seems we chose the right class motto as freshmen: “78 is Great”

There was a time when my recall was sharp as a knife, especially sports. Name every Heisman Trophy winner. Check. What was Babe Ruth’s lifetime batting average? Easy. Who wore #14 on the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks? Got it.

I could even hold my own with history. Who was Button Gwinnett? Know it. What were the years of King Tut’s reign? Uh huh. Which president fulfilled all of his campaign promises: acquiring California from Mexico, settling the Oregon dispute, lowering tariffs, establishing a sub-treasury and retiring from office after one term? Yep.

However, as my laps around the sun click over to 58 in a couple weeks, I no longer have the memory to describe for you what I scored on every hole of every golf course I ever played for the first time.

So… is this the natural process of aging starting to show up on my timeline? Could it be that my mind is so filled with data after nearly six decades that it’s operating slowly? Might I simply be (heaven forbid) slipping?

Whatever the reason, now I not only walk into rooms and forget why I’m there, sometimes I go to a website and can’t remember what I was hoping to find when I clicked.

It will be interesting to see how things progress during the coming years. Everything should be ok when I’m 80, even if I need reminders to take my medication and have to write my address on the inside of my wallet. It’s just the way things are. Heck, who really cares that Jon McGlocklin played alongside Lou Alcindor on those Bucks, Tut reigned from 1332-1323 B.C., and James K. Polk did all that in four short years.

Maybe I just need to forget a bunch of things to defrag my hard drive.

My philosophy is you’re in pretty good shape if you have relationships with a/an: attorney, doctor, minister, banker, plumber, insurance agent, golfer and car dealer.

With three kids equally divided in age, our strategy for autos was simple: the 2001 Toyota Camry I drove for many years would be handed down as they, in turn, received their licenses – and no one would have a car her/his first two years in college.

During our eldest child’s junior year at UT-Austin, we decided to lease a Honda Civic. That went so well, we did the same thing for Kyle – and two weeks ago our youngest, who just finished her sophomore year, received her Civic, as she has a summer internship and needs transportation.

Add in cars for Kathy and me, plus additional leases for the oldest two, and we’ve purchased eight cars from Russell & Smith Honda – which is about a 45-minute drive from us – since 2009. We also referred four friends who bought from that dealership, so they know the Handlers well.

My strategy is simple: contact the sales manager a few days before and tell him we’ll be coming in to buy a car. Ask for his best price on the desired model. Send an email to five other dealerships in town requesting the same. Then see how the offers compare. Typically, their lease pricing is within $10-20 per month.

Then I reach out to Dino again, and tell him, “I’m seeing some good pricing, and I’d like you to sharpen your pencil.”

Sure enough, on Saturday, we walked in, Dino came right to us, and said, “We’ll take care of you.” He also said I was the subject of his morning sales meeting. “I told the team you’re a knowledgeable customer who always has his facts,” he said. “I used you as an example of how we have to take care of everyone.”

Kirsten took a test drive with a salesperson, picked out the color she wanted… and within two hours we were on our way home. Relationships mean everything. Be sure to cultivate yours.