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Birth of James
I was born in Fort Worth, Texas at Harris Hospital on October 27, 1969. My parents are Tommy and Dianne Newman. My father at that time was a basketball coach at Richland High School and my mother at that time was a elementary school teacher. We lived on Kingsbury St for several years after my birth. Sports was a huge part of our lives, always going to the basketball games my father was coaching. Additionally, my uncle played major league baseball, so we also attended these games. -
Influence of Dad
My father was very dedicated to his job, which was coaching basketball. This was a major part of our life, not only would our immediate family attend, but my grandmother and other family members. When I was born, he was a high school coach. He eventually worked his way up to be the head coach of a major university. Because of this, our family was able to travel extensively and be exposed to different parts of the country. This probably had a big influence for my love of travel and sports. -
Influence of Mom
My mother was a great supporter for our family, always making sure we got were we needed to be, keeping us fed and showing us unconditional love. At times, she took a backseat in her career because of my father's career and missed out on things she may have wanted to do in order to support all of us. She eventually did put her career on the front burner again and worked her way up to be Director of Upward Bound. My mother's compassion and generosity has had a great influence on me. -
Influence of Sister
For the first four years of my existence, I was an only child. And then in 1973 my sister was born shattering the world as I knew it. The nerve! My sister, Jenifer, luckily is a great person. We had a lot of fun growing up together attending all the games of my father and uncle. She also loves travel, spending several months in Mexico during college. She is now a teacher in Denton ISD and is studying to be a librarian. Jennifer is very up front and honest, which i greatly admire. -
Influence of Sports Life
As I mentioned before, sports was a huge part of our family life. My father was a head coach at two different colleges in the area and my uncle played major league baseball. Because of this, our entire family (including cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc) would almost all travel to the various games. It was always great fun since we had access to the 'behind the scenes' perspective. Both my father and uncle were very successful, so that made it even better. It was great family time. -
Influence of Surgeries - Birth Defect
Another part of my childhood that lasted all the way up to adulthood was that I was born with a birth defect. Because of this I have had over 25 surgeries, including my jaw wired shut three different times. The surgeries had to be done over time as my bones developed. My entire family would rally around me during these periods and be supportive and strong, especially my parents. This had a great influence on me as because of this I feel that I can always be strong and take on anything. -
Influence of High School Life
My high school life was great. It could have been bad because having birth defect could be a challenge I was involved in sports, student council, student aide and involved in other student organizations. With my father and uncle being involved in sports, that probably helped since I always brought friends to the games. i have always been personable, which high school life had a big influence on that. I still have many HS friends that I still have to this day (thank goodness for Facebook). -
Influence of Coming Out
I had dated girls in high school and while we connected, it didn't feel right. I pretty much always knew I was gay, So, exploring my feelings and where I felt comfortable, I decided to come out as gay to my parents and friends. My parents were a little troubled by this and it took some time but we worked through this. It is not always an easy road bring gay, you have to sometimes work a little harder and there is still discrimination. But I am very confident and comfortable with myself. -
Influence of Club/Rave Life
After high school, while I was in college, I got really involved in the club and rave life. To some people, that might be considered a waste of time and sometimes it may have been. Because of this lifestyle, it delayed my graduation from college. I was part of the world famous Starck in the early 90's and One in the late 90's (clubs). Many of the people I met that were also involved in this lifestyle are still some of my best friends today. This greatly influenced me to not be judgmental. -
Influence of Adulting
I finally graduated from college after a few bumps in the road. Because I was working full time while going to school the last couple of years, I was able to save up money and buy a house upon graduation. I was proud to accomplish both of these goals after a long road to get there. My house was mid-century modern house built by a famous architect, that has since then been featured in hone tours. Accomplishing both of these goals had an influence on me to always be responsible. -
Influence of Red River
Our entire lives our family has traveled to Red River, New Mexico. We have had a cabin there for as long as I remember. This has always been a peaceful place where we all of us can relax and re-group. We have done many things like hike, river rafting, off-road, shopping, fish, ski and drink lots of wine. It is place where we can connect and come closer as a family. I credit our time in Red River to be a great influence on my appreciation of our environment (physical and mental). -
Influence of Travel
After working several years in a corporate job I made a big decision to leave my job an sell my house in order to travel. I took a year off from work and traveled to over 25 countries in Europe, Africa and Scandinavia. This was the most amazing experience of my life. I was able to experience so many different cultures and meet so many various people, Since them I have also traveled to India and Turkey. This has been a influence on me by making me appreciate and respect the world around us. -
Influence of Sachin
In 2005 I met who has turned out to be my partner in life. I have not scared him off yet 12 years later. We have had 3 dogs together, 2 different houses, countless travel experiences and made many great friends in our time together. It has not always been easy, we have had problems along the way but we always find a way to work through our issues. We endure. I credit the influence of many relatives. Both my parents and uncle are still marred to the same person from high school. -
Influence of Teaching Life
After traveling, I decided to not work in the corporate environment again. I thought bringing my life and travel experiences to the education world would be natural. The first year or two was rough, but I finally got the hang of it and have thrived. Now, I am expanded my duties on campus where I am the head coach of a successful Academic Decathlon and UIL Academic programs. I credit the influence of my parents and sister leading me down this path. -
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References and Credits
All of the photographs in this presentation belong to me from my own personal photo albums. They were taken by me, family or friends and are in my personal collection.
