I did a search tonight of one of my old websites (about a year before acquiring brockp.com), and I found a brief autobiography from 1998.  Eh, why not share it and see how my 22-year-old brain worked?    And yes, several things have changed since then.

From July (maybe August?) 1998:

Let’s start with the basics: I’m from a little town in southern Alabama called Coffee Springs. Believe me, if I hadn’t been raised here, I wouldn’t have heard of it either. I went to high school in Geneva, a town just a few miles down the road. I graduated from G.H.S. in 1994 and found myself enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. More on that in a second…

I had a lot of really great friends in high school. My best friends were Chris Forehand and Kim Hughes. I have known Chris since the 3rd grade and known Kim since the 8th. Chris and I were always talking “Star Trek” or listening to our Spanish teacher threaten to kick everyone out of the class and not caring since he got paid no matter what. Kim was in the band with me, so we were always at the football games and contests. We were always together and as close as any two friends could be. These two mean the world to me and are such a blessing because our friendships continue until this day. I thank the two of you for always being there.

I can’t continue talking about band unless I mention the director, Rob Grice. People have often referred to us as twins, or father and son. I just know people think we look a lot alike. Rob wrote the music and drills for our shows. He always pushed us to be the best and we were. We’ve won a lot of awards because of not only our dedication, but the leadership Rob gave us. And if you ever need a laugh, Rob is there. Thanks for being a great friend, Rob. Keep turning out that “murhsic” and keeping a smile on the kids’ faces.

In the band I played the trombone. During my junior and senior years, I was the drum major, which was a lot of fun. I also marched with the Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps for two years during that time. I played baritone there as we toured the country and won back to back Division II World Championships in 1991-92. After all of that, I took an apprenticeship at WKMX to learn about radio broadcasting. I was there for a couple of months and then went to work at WGEA as a part-time disc jockey. I was there working during my senior year and that’s when I graduated and enlisted in the Air Force.

The Air Force was an experience never to forget. Of course, basic training took place in San Antonio, Texas, at Lackland AFB. I attended the satellite communications school at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS. The 6 a.m. classes were the biggest pain in the world, but everything else was pretty good. I met a great friend there named Gene McHale. I was going through some rough times and was lacking in my faith in God, but Gene helped me get back on track. Gene and I would go out with people from church there and play soccer and discuss Jeff Gordon (Go #24!). I’m glad that Gene and I have been able to remain as close as we have. He’s like a brother to me and I thank God for him because he’s a great guy and friend.

I thought I never would again step foot into the Lone Star State after Biloxi. Wrong! Lucky me… out of any assignment in the world for an AF guy, I get to be one of the priviliged few to get stationed at Fort Hood, TX. If you know about Fort Hood, you know this place is flat, brown, and huge! Not a pretty site to wake up to every morning. The last 3 years of my service was spent there. I made a lot of good friends there and got to do a lot I probably never would have. I got to take a little tour to the United Arab Emirates and wound up there with Gene in next-door Saudi. I also got to become a hockey broadcaster. I wound up working part time for the Central Texas Stampede, a WPHL team in Belton. That’s where I got to meet another friend of mine, Jim Mirabello. Jim has been broadcasting for some time and offered me the position when I responded to the internet ad. Since then, Jim and I have become great friends. I thank God for Jim, too, because he’s been there for me and a lot of fun to hang out with. Thank you, Jim. I hope that the puck doesn’t fly up and hit Spock. That would be most illogical.

I can’t leave the Texas stories without talking about Ron Gorham and Mike Potvin. These two guys made my time on Fort Hood worth the ride. Ron has a sense of humor that you can’t find anywhere else. He definitely kept me laughing. He was also a great supervisor. Don’t have too much fun overseas again! Mike was the guy who got me into the Detroit Red Wings. He was always there to play darts and answer the call: “Aaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeee!” with his own “Aaaaahhhhhhh-hhhaaaaaahhhhhh!” Thanks for being a great friend! I’m not practicing darts right now, so if you need someone to defeat…

Out of all my time in Texas, this has to be the best story. It’s how I met my finacée, Amy. I went to a Geoff Moore and the Distance concert during the Christmas of 1995 in Macon. Georgia. Chris and I were sitting there when a young lady came and sat down next to me. During the concert we began to talk and she introduced herself as Melanie. We chatted and after the concert we exchanged addresses. It took a year of being pen pals for me to get back to Georgia to see her. I visited on New Year’s Eve and that’s when I met her older sister, Amy. Amy and I began to e-mail each other, even when I went to UAE. I came home last June and spent a weekend with her and her family. It was that weekend that a huge change took place in my life. Needless to say, the rest is history. At her house, on July 3, 1998 (our 1-year anniversary), I proposed to her and she accepted! The wedding will be on June 12th, 1999. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with her because she is such a beautiful and sweet person. Most importantly, God is first in her life and first in our relationship. Amy, I love you with all of my heart and cannot wait to be your husband. Thank you for your love. God has truly blessed me. I love you.

I’d like to thank my Mom who has been with me from day one. I’m truly blessed to have you on my side. Thank you for your encouragement, your trust, and your love. You taught me wrong from right and that God always loves me as imperfect as I am. I love you and thank you. You’re the greatest!

A final thanks goes to my Father in Heaven above. I love You and I praise You. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross so that we might live today. All praise and glory unto You. I love You!