The passion of honey bees?

I met my first honey bees as a 10-year old kid in the Panhandle of Texas.  Thomas Apiaries grew via swarms captured in empty nail kegs from the lumber yard modified with a hole drilled in the side, a wooden top and wired in trees in the few shelter belts in the county.  I sold honey at a self-service honey stand in front of our house (on Highway 83).

As a High School senior, I knew I would be expected to go to college; since my parents had college degrees.  My experience included typical small school activities, plus my 4-H and FFA activities – showing and judging beef and dairy cattle, swine, et al. 

My decision to major in entomology in college was logical.  This cold-blooded, spineless animal was fascinating and profitable.  I found that the return on investment (ROI)far exceeded that of my other projects.  Thus, my decision to major in entomology was logical.  Since there was only one place in Texas and Western Oklahoma that offered a degree in entomology (in 1955), so the decision was made for me.  Texas A&M, “Here I come”.

There were a few things I didn’t know or consider at the time.

1)     A&M was as far away as China.

2)     A&M was all-male and comulsory military.

3)     I knew only one entomologist in my life, Norris Daniels, TAES entomologist at Bushland Experiment Station.  Would I have to wait untill he retired to get a job?

Even though I carefully arrived at my decision to become an entomologist, I certainly did not consider the prospects of getting a job after graduation.  It did work out and I found my career as an entomologist incredibly rewarding and challenging.  I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again exactly as done from May 1957 to February 29, 1992.