In the fall semester I dated Brenda Tix, now Brenda Hayes).

One of my fellow trumpet players in the band was Nelson Hatt. He was beyond incredible as a talented musician. He was in the class of ’66 and worked part time at the Houston Speech and Hearing Center. Since he was departing to go to the University of Pittsburgh to work on an advanced degree in psychology, he recommended me to Dr. James Jerger, his boss and the director of the research unit at HSHC, as his replacement.

Backing up a little, I had my ’55 Ford with me in Houston for the entire sophomore year. It was barely reliable and I was hot for a new car - preferably a V8 convertible. My folks showed up with this simple four door, 180 slant six, blue, bottom of the line car.

This is the only photo I have of the Valiant.