Check out this interesting story of how a young woman’s bus ride to Houston in the 1960’s led to a better life. A redeeming quality of Houston is that it attracts folks who are looking to improve their lot in life. I hope that quality never changes.
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Wow. Just that one little paragraph brought back a flood of memories more than 30 years old…
Ms. Woodruff’s story might as well have been my mother’s:
In 1978 my mom was a 32-year old single parent trying to raise 5 kids on her own on a waitressí salary in El Paso, TX. Needing to make a change, she studied and worked her tail off and became one of the first women switchmen for Southern Pacific Railroad.
However, the job required her to move to Houston ó 750 miles away. One of my momís sisters moved in ó along with her two sons ó to take care of us while my mom took a bus to Houston to start her new career.
My mom lived in a cheap motel near the rail yard, and saved every penny she could. Six months later she moved us all across state (my aunt and my two cousins, too) to the Houston area (Spring, TX).
That bus trip my mom took was the start of a brand new life for all of us ó and it truly was a better life. Thatís why Iíll always consider Houston home, no matter where I live.
Hey. That guy that loaned her ten dollars. That was me. I need it back, and, uh, you can calculate the interest, being more of a financial sort of guy than me.