The local high school's graduating class of 2009 will be receiving their diplomas at Griggs Field in West Columbia starting at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 30th. Among those Columbia High School seniors graduating with honors will be my niece, Natalie Renee Kuban, and her boyfriend, Taylor Lane. Natalie, the daughter of my sister Kelli and her husband Chris Kuban of West Columbia, is pictured above with Taylor, the son of Brian and Tracy Lane of Columbia Lakes. Both Natalie and Taylor will graduate Summa Cum Laude and embark on their college lives at Texas A&M University in the fall where Natalie plans on seeking a degree in accounting and Taylor will pursue a nuclear engineering degree.
Natalie and Taylor were voted "Mr. and Miss CHS" by their classmates this school year. Taylor was named the U.S. Marine Corp Distinguished Athlete and a Columbia High School Senior Student of the Month. He was also one of seven CHS seniors to receive the Tim Hightower Texas A&M Memorial Scholarship, given in memory of the late son of my good friends Gene and Linda Hightower of West Columbia.
Natalie will have the majority of her expenses paid for at Texas A&M after being named the recipient of the Terry Foundation Scholarship, the Texas A&M Top Ten Percent Scholarship, the Texas A&M Regents Scholarship, and the Russell Brown Scholarship. Natalie and Taylor were co-recipients of the Texas A&M Opportunity Award scholarships, the CHS Spanish Club scholarships, and the CHS Early Grad scholarships.
Taylor Lane was also recently honored with the Charlie Brand Athletic Booster Club Scholarship, the Prosperity Bank Scholarship , the West Columbia Rotary Club Scholarship and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Metropolitan Scholarship.
Graduating Magna Cum Laude will be my neighbor from down the street, Dexter O'Neal Lewis Jr. (pictured below, fourth from bottom). Dexter plans to attend Texas Tech University in the fall. Among the scholarships Dexter Lewis received for his academic and athletic prowess at Columbia High School were the Brazoria Men and Women of Action scholarship, the Charlie Brown Alumni Scholarship, CHS Spanish Club scholarship, and the Texas Dow Employees Credit Union scholarship. Dexter, the son of Dexter and Pat Lewis of West Columbia, will be competing at the state track meet in Austin. He qualified for state by finishing second in the pole vault competition at the recent regional track meet.
Graduating Cum Laude from CHS Saturday night will be Madison Minks (pictured at bottom), the daughter of my good friends William and Rhonda Minks of Gayle Estates. Madison won a volleyball scholarship to Wharton County Junior College, the St. John's Catholic Church Altar Guild Scholarship, and the U.S. Army National Scholar/Athlete Award.
Also graduating from Columbia High School Saturday night will be Kristen Nicole Lister (fifth from bottom, at right) of West Columbia and the two daughters of my good friend Diane George, Sabrina Stephanie Myles and Dominique Deshawun Green (pictured together in front of Columbia High School in the photo third from bottom, at left). My wife Peggy and I have known these three girls since they were all babies. Man, where did those 18 years go?
Ryan Lott, the son of our close friends Bill and Sabrina Lott of Brazoria, will be graduating from Brazoswood High School on Friday, June 5th, at 7:30 p.m. at Hopper Field in Freeport. Ryan, pictured below with his guitar, is another high school senior that Peggy and I have known since he was in diapers. Sabrina Lott was the matron of honor in our wedding and her husband Bill was an usher.
Recently graduating from college were Melissa Faye Murray of Houston and Jacob Hundl of Brazoria. Melissa, pictured second from bottom at right, knows how to properly select a college to continue her education after high school. She graduated from my alma mater, Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, on May 15th with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization in Early Childhood Education. Melissa is the daughter of my wife's brother's wife's sister and her husband, who live in the Houston area. You got that? She is my brother-in-law Ronnie Hall's niece, to simplify matters. Whatever, we are all very proud of her for getting her teaching degree, and more importantly receiving it from the best college in the state of Texas. Go Bearkats!
Jacob Hundl, the son of our good friends Jerry and Terry Hundl of Brazoria, graduated from Texas A&M University at Kingsville on May 16th. Jacob's degree is in Geology.
I would also like to send out my sincere congratulations to Elissa Dornbach Norris of Cypress, Texas, who recently completed optometry school at the University of Houston. Elissa, a Texas A&M graduate from West Columbia, graduated Summa Cum Laude on May 16th from the University of Houston's College of Optometry. Way to go, Dr. Norris! Elissa is the daughter of Patty and Charles Seiler, formerly of West Columbia, and the late John Dornbach.
Congratulations to all of those young men and women graduating from high schools and universities across the nation. As the old ChiLites song lyrics went, "Tomorrow is their future, but for me it is just another day." Go out into that great big world and conquer it. Make the best of your opportunities, get a good education, and make your mamas and daddies proud. No one can ask more of any of you but to give it your best shot.
I am extremely proud of my sister's baby girl for the many academic achievements Natalie has added to her resume. You are truly something special, Natalie Renee. Continue to take big strides with those "puppy feet," as your Uncle Boss calls them, for anything you dare to pursue in life, at college and beyond, is within the realm of possibility. You have made your entire family proud, and that is a family circle I take pride in being a part of. I love you and wish you and your boyfriend nothing but the best at Texas A&M in the fall. Good luck!
