What a long, strange trip it’s been.
Right. Time for some good news from the school front.
Today, Harrison Jake Walter will graduate from the Custer County Schools. He’s bound for Colorado Mountain College, with a couple of scholarships in hand.
Some scoff at the proverb that “it takes a village” to raise a child, but I think it was provably true in this instance. Custer County had Harrison’s back for 18 years, and his parents, Hal and Mary, will be the first to tell you that this was not always easy.
So, gassho to Harrison, Hal, and Mary. And also to the school, its students, and their community.
College is the next journey. There will be bumps in the road. But this is the nature of roads. The Great Way for Harrison and the rest of us is one step after another.
Tags: Custer County, Harrison Walter
Mad Blog Media 
May 28, 2022 at 9:42 am |
Terrific news for Harrison and his parents, Hal and Mary! Congrats to all! And THANKS to Custer County for supporting them!
Colorado Mountain College has a wonderful variety of programs that I’m sure will appeal to Hal’s talents and inclinations.
Well done, Walters!!
May 28, 2022 at 3:36 pm |
Indeed. I think Harrison came of age in the best possible place for him. A very supportive community, the Greater Weirdcliffe Cosmopolitan Area.
May 28, 2022 at 11:31 am |
I wish a long and prosperous life for Harrison, Hal, and Mary. Good news indeed!
May 28, 2022 at 3:40 pm |
The two locally sourced scholarships will help get Harrison started, as will a little cash infusion from an aunt. Anyone else remember scrounging for college money? I was one of the lucky ones — our parents were big believers in education, and they were saving for our college expenses from the get-go. I had to work odd jobs for beer money (some of them odder than others), but that was it. Otherwise I had a free ride courtesy of The O’Grady Foundation.
May 28, 2022 at 2:41 pm |
I hope Harrison is going for a STEM degree, not just because that’s what I went for, but because we need more technical minds running things.
May 28, 2022 at 3:43 pm |
I’m not certain what his focus is going to be. I think it’s already changed once. Harrison has musical abilities, but he’s also a techie, a big Apple fiend who’s handled a few repairs for family and friends.
“Just keep him out of journalism,” I told Hal, who was way ahead of me there. Talk about the fast lane to the breadline.
May 28, 2022 at 6:01 pm |
Hey there mi amigo, easy on the journalism majors. When I was hiring interns, I always looked for the critical thinkers who could communicate effectively in writing and orally. You know, like you. They would say, I don’t know anything about electronics or logistics. My answer was I can give you the training you need in those areas. I need people who can communicate and work in a team. English majors also did well for me.
May 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm |
I have met a lot of sharp, quick-witted, hardworking people over my years in The Game. But hoo-lawd, didn’t none of us get rich playing it.
True story: When I got that copy-boy job after dropping out of college, my first city editor asked what my major was.
“Journalism,” sez I.
“Oh, shit,” sez he. “How far along are you? Can you change it? To something we can use, like business or whatever? Anything but journalism. We’ll teach you more about journalism in a year than they will in four. And we’ll pay you while you learn.”
I eventually went back to college and got that sheepskin. Journalism, with a minor in political science. I was not smart then either.
P.S.: Harrison got lots better grades in high school than I did. I thought that “high” school referred to one’s state of consciousness and acted accordingly.
May 28, 2022 at 8:52 pm |
I ain’t smart, and I damn sure ain’t quick witted. But, getting rich was never my goal. I just wanted to earn a decent living. I was after all, a government worker. I got what I wanted. People seeking wealth went elsewhere, not where I was.
May 29, 2022 at 8:29 am |
Well, we both found paying work and made it last to retirement. Neither of us is fighting the pets for their food. I call that winning.
June 2, 2022 at 10:13 am |
Unrelated …. or somewhat related to “paying work for a lifetime”:
https://www.mtbr.com/threads/shocker-outside-has-ended-publication-of-beta.1205037/