TSPS: How/why did you get into surveying?

John: When I received my AAS Degree in drafting I was working in retail management. For the next 8 years I did not use that degree but worked my way up into upper management. One day the company I worked for shut down, I then found a job at an Engineering/Surveying company in their drafting department. I fell in love with surveying and worked my way up and eventually got my RPLS license.

TSPS: Why did you join TSPS?

John: I lived in Puerto Rico (PR) for 6 years where I returned to school and got my BS Degree in Surveying. During that time I was welcomed by the Surveyors on the Island and also by the College of Engineers and Surveyors (the local association). I became a member of the Institute of Surveying which was the policy Board within the College. After moving back to Texas to run my own business, I soon joined TSPS because I understood how important it is to be involved.

TSPS: What is your most memorable surveying moment?

John: In 1998 I was visiting my fiance in Puerto Rico where she lived. At the time the Soufriére Hills Volcano in Montserrat was erupting and the ash was falling on PR 300 miles away. I watched the news reports and commented to my 16 year old son how I would give anything to witness that in person. Two years later I got married and moved to PR. I was offered a job in the Geology Department at the University of Puerto Rico. The job was maintaining GPS sites around the Caribbean for use in tectonic studies and volcanic deformation studies. My first day of work I traveled to Montserrat. The second day I was dropped by helicopter, along with the rest of the team, on the side of the volcano to service the GPS sites. I stopped for a few seconds to look up at the active dome above me and remembered what I had told my son. I spent the next 2 years getting paid to travel around the Caribbean and worked on 7 active volcanoes.

John's Favorites:

Color: Blue
Food: Hatch green chilies (they go with anything)
Animal: Probably my dogs and the wildlife that passes through my rural yard.
Singer/Band/Group: The Moody Blues
Hobbies: Caving and rockhounding (but not together) and hiking

John is Chapter President of Chapter 17 - Paso Del Norte.