Ken, Gail, Brian and Robin Berry left Sun Valley in May 1982 and moved to Round Rock, Texas. Ken had been transferred to the Schlumberger location in Austin at that time. When we moved, Brian was 8 yrs old and Robin had just turned 4 yrs old. We have now been here for a little more than 26 years. I will try and give an update of all that has happened over the years.
Ken remained working for Schlumberger until 1999 when he retired after 30 years of service at the age of 52. As many of you know, he had two very strong passions, the outdoors and classic cars. In fact, the reason he will not be at the reunion is because he and a friend will be canoeing a 500 mile stretch of the Mississippi River. Over the years he and Brian experienced many unique and exciting adventures in the outdoors. As for his love of classic cars – well, after his retirement he actually opened a restoration business. I have lost track of the number of restorations over the years, but there have been many. Right now we own three classics: 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk, 1925 Dodge Brothers Touring Car and a 1930 Ford Model A. Needless to say, we spend a lot of time involved in car club activities. In January of this year, Ken was approached by Medallion Rubber Seal to be an outside rep for them and he said yes. He is quite a busy guy and still going strong.
Gail went to work for the Round Rock Church of Christ in 1983 and left in 1988 to pursue another job. For the next 11 years she worked in downtown Austin. However, in 1999 she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go back to work at the church and that is where she is today. She serves in the finance office for 3 ½ days each week. Her parents moved down the street several years ago so we could keep an eye on them. Two years ago, Gail’s mom passed away, but her dad is still living in the house down the street. He will be 89 in December.
Brian grew up doing a lot of activities outdoors with Ken. Along the way, he earned his Eagle Scout award. After graduating from high school in 1992 he spent the next 4 years at ACU getting a degree in Finance and playing lead guitar in a band (he got his musical talent from Gail’s parents). After graduation, he went to work for US Gypsum in Sweetwater. About a year after that, he was transferred to Chicago to work at the corporate headquarters. While in Chicago he met Samantha Johnson and they were married in March 2001 in her hometown of St Louis. Over the next several years they adopted two baby boys from Russia and Brian earned his Masters Degree from DePaul University in January 2004. By this time, they were longing to leave behind the harsh winters in Chicago. In June 2004 Brian received an offer from Louisiana Pacific in Nashville and they moved in September of that year and they now live in Franklin, Tennessee. Brian works in downtown Nashville and is one of the executive accounting managers for the company. He also became a CPA this summer. Their lives are very busy with the boys. Cameron is 6 years old and is in 1st grade and Carter is 5 years old and is in Kindergarten.
Robin grew up to be a really beautiful young lady. After graduating from high school in 1997, she too went to ACU. She stayed there long enough to get an Associates Degree in early childhood development and has loved working with children. In September 2004, she married Daniel Reed (she actually knew him in high school). They live in Cedar Park which is about a 20 minute drive from us. On June 19, 2008 they became the proud parent of a baby boy named Adam Dale Reed. We are just thrilled to have a grandbaby close by. Daniel’s family started a business 37 years ago and Daniel works for the family business now and will be taking over ownership in a few years. They stay real busy with family and friends. They attend church at RR Church of Christ so we see them often. It’s great seeing Adam as he grows up.
Overall, the years have flown by since we left Houston, but at times we reflect back on our days at Sun Valley with great joy. Those were some really good times. It will be nice to see some old friends and talk about old times.
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