ACC Fire Academy Speech

Last night, I was honored to give the commencement address for the 36th class of the ACC Fire Academy. I am posting the transcript of that speech on this blog.

I would like to thank Brette Lea, ACC's executive director of Public Information and College Marketing, for her assistance in the creation of this speech. All of the ACC facts and much of the excellent wording in the speech come from Ms. Lea. The "goofy remarks", questionable grammar, and any other mistakes that may appear - that's all me.

Commencement Address
36th Class of the ACC Fire Academy
Taylor High School
10 MAY 2008, 19:00

• Good evening, on behalf of President Kinslow and the Board of Trustees of Austin Community College I bring you greetings and thanks for a job well done. This is a special occasion and it is my honor to be here today to celebrate you as future firefighters and graduates of the Austin Community College Fire Academy.

• As the primary trainer of first responders in the region, Austin Community College is proud of the Fire Protection Technology program and the nearly 1,000 graduates who have trained here over the past 18 years and are serving as firefighters in communities throughout Central Texas.
• However, before I get too serious, I’d like to start with a brief story that illustrates the willingness of firefighters to solve problems no matter what crisis might befall their way.
• As the story goes, a couple of firefighters are out in the woods hunting when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. His friend and professional colleague whips out a cell phone and dials 9-1-1. He gasps to the operator: “I think my friend is dead! What can I do?” The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: “Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.” There is a silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes back on the line and says: “OK, now what?"
• It’s at this point that I think Dr. Kinslow may regret encouraging me to use my ~quote~ “irreverent sense of humor”. However, not everything in my life is a joke and there are a few things that I take very seriously.
• One of the things that is important to me is my country and the pride I take in American accomplishments. In that spirit, I am proud to say that I stand here today at the nexus of two great American creations: Community College education and organized firefighting. In the 20th century after the World Wars, we, as a nation, began to evolve in our understanding of the need for post-High School education. No longer would higher education be accessible to only a few but all peoples in our great nation would have access to as much educational opportunity as they were able to put in the effort to complete. I am so proud of the community college system and specifically of Austin Community College. It is an honor to serve as one of your nine-elected Trustees.
• And then there is organized fire fighting. The history of modern organized fire fighting can be traced back to 1736 when Benjamin Franklin organized Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company. Yes, that Ben Franklin. The founding father who was scientist, beer lover, and by most accounts, quite the ladies man. Should it come as a surprise that he was a firefighter as well?
• And one doesn’t have to go back nearly 300 years to remember historically significant contributions made by firefighters in this country. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I remember waking up late – I’m a teacher at St. Edward’s University and that Tuesday my first class of the day was in the afternoon. I got up that morning and the first thing I did was check my e-mail messages. That’s how I first learned of the tragedy. I immediately turned on my television and saw an image that haunts me to this day. CBS news had a close-up shot of one of the towers and just as I turned the television on several people started jumping out of upper story windows. The channel zoomed out and Dan Rather quickly apologized. However, the image was there. An image of a tower in a fiery hell that people were going to leave, no matter what the cost. Well, as we learned, not everyone left. A few brave souls were actually entering the building. Those brave souls were fire fighters. Fire fighters doing what they were trained to. Making the ultimate sacrifice in order to try and save the lives of others.
• Now, one might think that the acts of 9/11 were acts of bravery but it wasn’t just on that one day that the firefighters were brave. In 1908, Edward F. Crocker, the chief of the Fire Department of New York said “firefighting is a hazardous occupation; it is dangerous on the face of it, tackling a burning building. The risks are plain.... Consequently, when a man becomes a fireman, his act of bravery has already been accomplished.”
• The Fire Academy’s vision is to develop professionals who provide our communities with emergency services for the 21st century. Their motto - “Desire to Serve, Ability to Perform, and Courage to Act” - sets the bar high.
• Today, we honor the 29 cadets who leaped over that bar and who are now ready to take on the challenges of being a firefighter. For the past 16 weeks, you have trained hard, in the classroom and in the field. More than 600 hours of hard work have gone toward learning how to respond to emergencies, extinguish fires, contain hazardous materials, and save lives.
• The classroom work challenged your mind, while the skill training was physically demanding. It wasn’t easy, but neither is the job.
• You have received some of the best training available in the state, and because of that training and your experiences here, you will be singled out as leaders at fire departments and in your community.
• When you leave here today and go to work at fire departments in Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Oak Hill, Del Valle, San Marcos… wherever you choose… men and women, girls and boys – and the occasional cat - will look up to you as a hero.
• This class of cadets is no stranger to performing heroic duties. I’m told we have several here today who have served our country in the military overseas, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. I want to thank you for your service to the country and I am glad you have chosen to continue serving on the frontlines of our communities by becoming a firefighter.
• You’re in good company. Some big names have served as firefighters over the years. In addition to the previously mentioned Benjamin Franklin; George Washington, Sam Adams (Founding Father, not the beer), John Hancock, and Paul Revere all served their country as firefighters.
• I am proud to say that ACC provides more firefighters to our communities than any other organization, and I am proud of your accomplishments
• I hope to never have a fire in my home, or get in a car accident that requires emergency services, but if I do, I am confident I will get the best service possible because of the positive influence this Academy has on firefighters in this region.
• To Captain Terry Hill and the entire Fire Academy team, I say Congratulations. Your total 300 years worth of experience, combined with an unmatched dedication to excellence, has paid off big.
• To the cadets, congratulations on successfully completing the ACC Fire Academy program and “thank you” for the vital contributions you are about to make to the citizens of Central Texas.

How I graduated from High School at the age of 14

Note: This blog was written in May 2005 and originally posted on my MySpace page. I have copied the blog here in case anyone is interested.

20 Years Since High School Graduation

This past weekend I attended my 20th High School reunion. I was a member of the first class of the Louisiana School for Math Science and the Arts. This school (created in 1983) was the first of its kind - a residential publicly funded High School for the academically gifted and artistically talented. If you want to learn more about my school you can check out the school's website, http://www.lsmsa.edu/.

As part of our reunion activities, the class of 1985 participated in this years graduation exercises. The guest speaker at the event was Dr. Robert Alost, the first executive director of the school. As part of his speech, he told my story (i.e. how does a 13 year old end up in the eleventh grade at the Louisiana School?). Well since he went public with the story and so many people often ask - how did you graduate at such a young age, I've decided to tell the story. So, here it is...

I was born in 1970, the oldest child of a Southern Baptist minister and a stay-at-home mom (who later got a degree in elementary education when I was 10). My Dad never stayed at any church for too long and as a consequence, we moved around a lot. Here's a summary:

• birth - August 1970 Collingston, LA
• 1970 - 1972 Bastrop, LA
• 1972 - 1975 Oak Grove, LA
• 1975 - 1977 Liddieville, LA
• 1977 - 1980 Natchitoches, LA
• 1980 - 1982 Archilbald, LA
• 1982 - 1983 Marion, LA

Growing up I was a very smart child. If there was a gifted and talented program, I was in it. If there was an academic achievement test, I always scored in the 99 percentile. When I was in the seventh grade, I met a man that would change my life. His name, George Harmon Smith. Mr. Smith is an author (his book Bayou Boy was made into a film by Walt Disney). Mr. Smith was also the mayor of Marion when I lived there. As part of an extracurricular assignment, I interviewed George Harmon Smith. Mr. Smith was so impressed with me as a 12 year old that he asked my father if he could test my IQ. You see, Mr. Smith was also an educator and educational testing expert. Well, on one Saturday afternoon I was given those tests and, while I won't give you the numeric results, it was the highest of any person that George Harmon Smith has ever tested.

Okay, you following the story so far? I was 12 and had just been tested. When George Harmon Smith explains these results to my father, my Dad goes nuts. My Dad knew something was up (I mean I was the one that had been correcting the grammar in his sermons since I was 7), he just didn't know what to do. Mr. Smith gave my father some suggestions. I needed some kind of "advanced" educational opportunities. He mentioned that if I was just a bit older I should apply to that "new" school they were starting in Natchitoches (i.e. The Louisiana School for Math Science and the Arts). The only problem, LSMSA was just going to be for 11th and 12th graders (I was in the seventh grade, remember).

Well, my Dad was pretty stubborn and he ended up having me apply to the Louisiana School. He personally visited Natchitoches and spoke with Bobby Alost. Bobby (aka Dr. Alost) thought my Dad was nuts. However, to deal with this crazy man, he told him to have me apply and they would consider my application. So, I took the SATs, I completed the essays, and went through the interview process. After this, Dr. Alost's staff came to him with a problem, "that McGuffee kid has made it through the selection process, what do we do now?". Well, in one last step they had me come to Natchitoches and take an eleventh grade achievement test and (even though I was only in the seventh grade) I scored in the 99th percentile.

To his credit, Dr. Alost took a chance on me. I'm not sure why he did it, it was kind of crazy. However, I thrived at the Louisiana School. Even though everyone was three years older than me AND these were the best and brightest in the state, I did well. I ended up graduating with honors (top 3rd of my class).

It wasn't always smooth and easy. For example, when it came time to graduate, I didn't have enough credits (see I skipped the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades). But, just a little time before my graduation the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education took the highly unusual step of waiving my credits and awarded me a High School diploma. They also wrote me a personal letter commending me on my achievements.

So that's how I graduated from High School at the age of 14.

The Nature of Sin

Recently, I attended four hours of baptismal classes at St. Ignatius Martyr. I attended these classes to support my wife in her faith and in anticipation of the Roman Catholic (RC) baptism of our son and our nephew. Lynn’s older brother is expecting a son in June and our son, Gage Woodson, should arrive before the end of May. One of the subjects covered was the RC definition of the four categories of sin: mortal, venial, original, and omission.

This discussion caused me to think of what I believe of sin and I wanted to share my thoughts. I dislike the oppressive guilt-inducing definitions of sin. I don’t view sin as an act that displeases God but as an act that causes us to be separated from the loving perfection that is God.

Let me give an example. Consider the love of a long-term committed relationship with a spouse. I love my wife. I love having sexual relations with my wife (for proof see pending birth mentioned in the first paragraph). One of the great things about the sexual relationship with my wife is the bond and closeness we share. To me, this is a gift – a divine gift if you will. If I were to sin and commit adultery, I would be hurting my loving committed sexual relationship with my wife. Thus, the act of sinning would be separating me from a loving family life.

And that is an example of how I view sin. Sins are those acts (or in the case of sins of omissions – lack of action) that keep me from living the most fulfilled loving life that I can live. With this view of sin I don’t go around “not sinning”. Instead, I try to go about living a “Godly life” and by doing that I avoid sin.

The difference may seem subtle but to me, it’s important. Consider the Greek word “metanoia”. This is the New Testament word that is translated in to English as the word “repentance”. Literally, “metanoia” means, “changing one’s mind”. Thus, to repent is to decide that the actions one had chosen previously are inferior to the actions one has now decided to embrace. In other words, to repent is to turn away from sin and embrace actions that are superior and more in line with the actions of a child of a loving God.