gary potter personal info

	Gary's Page
Homepage Family Academic	Where I ramble about myself.... more fun to write than to read. Before I get to the "me" stuff, I gotta show you my Grandchildren.... Now for the "me" stuff...... All my professional life, I have helped people to put forth their message. It has happened from teaching students how to put together a speech or produce a commercial, to producing corporate messages for companies like Eastman, Texas Instruments or IBM. And now that I have a forum to tell the world my very own message..... I don't have that much I want to say !!!! Career: Who are you? If you answered that by saying I'm a teacher, a salesman or a preacher, congratulations, you just defined yourself by your job. I do have a career. I have to pay for all those vices somehow. I like my job. But, it is not how I define myself. I earn a living as a teacher. I love the time I spend in a classroom. There are some things in the human experience that are done not for the benefit of an individual, but for the good of all humankind. Sometimes, that is teaching. Sometimes, it is not. Those few times you can see a light turn on, a doorway of understanding crack open, or a glimmer of insight on a pupils eyes, then for that instant you have been a part of that same chain which transformed you and all those who have gone before. Most of all, I am a communicator. I started as a broadcaster. I learned mass communications, particularly radio, because I liked the attention, and the music. Now, I communicate because when you do so, you share. And that's where growth comes from. My experiences are different from yours, and always will be. But, when we focus on the many things which we have in common, we learn that no one walks alone. Hobbies: On Computers: Sometimes, I wonder what I did for aggravation before I got a computer, I believe it was to have kids. The technology has changed our lives and once you have crossed that bridge, there is no going back. Ultimately technology os a tool for human use. I do not feel it is inherently good or bad. It's nature depends upon how we choose to use it. On Disc Golf. I love to play disc Golf. I get the thrill of traditional golf and don't have to pay green's fees or rent a cart. There are few preppies on a disc golf course and even fewer hidden agenda. Old hippies, techno-nerds and maybe even an occasional redneck will be found. Mostly, though, it's normal folk and a lot of them are friendly, courteous and are there just to play a game. I wish regular golf would be like that. On life at the Lake: I am not sure exactly what heaven looks like, but, if Watauga lake isn't close, I'm not sure I want to go. The time my family, friends and I spend on the barge at the lake has been very, very special. I am at a new stage of life where I find that going to the lake is not what it once was. The kids have grown. Time tends to be re-allocated and I sold the barge. It became an obligation rather than a pleasure. That's fine. I have very precious memories to hold and new interests to explore. As a East Tennessee lad, steeped in the Appalachian life, I always want to be in sight of a mountain that knows me or my family. These mountains have figured prominently in the 300 years my family has been here. The mountains of Appalachia are where I choose to spend my life. With all of the things in life that are important to me, family, friends, and nature, why should I look elsewhere? Thanks to teachers like Richard Blaustein and Jack Higgs, who helped me understand more about this wonderful area that is my home. As I have done my genealogy, I have learned that seven generations of my family lived within one hundred miles of where I live now. From Wilkes County, N.C. and Mountain City, Tn., down to Knoxville during the Civil War, and into modern day Washington, Greene and Cocke Counties, for over 250 years, my family has been and continues to be a fixed part of these southern Appalachian Mountains. It's not that other places do not call to me. With so much to learn and see, I need a friendly place to return and call home. Atlanta Atlanta has the charm and grace of a true Southern Lady. She is intelligent, cultural and elegant, yet, has a mass appeal that is only available in large cities. Atlanta is like a snake that hypnotizes you with its beauty, yet, you must always be aware of that potential to destroy. My main Gorilla: Willie B (ca.'57-1999)of Atlanta, Ga. He and I go back to the mid-sixties together. Over the years, he got smarter and better looking, and I got.....older. Myrtle Beach The grand old lady of my youth... Every Summer, I went there when I was a teenager. I went in search of excitement, sophistication and girls. Now, I remember those special places and special times that made shaggin' and Ocean Drive a part of my life, forever. St. Simons and the Georgia Coast: I have found a piece of heaven. Quiet, serene and beautiful. We have been going to St. Simons since 2000 and call it our home away from home. It has taken the place that Myrtle beach used to fill. MB became too large and I became less a party animal. From the elegance of the lighthouse and pier to the serenity of the marsh, the Golden Isles are one of the last vestiges of the Southern culture that calls me home. From majestic Cumberland Island in the south, to the fringe of Savannah in the north, this region has helped to define the person I am now and to provide a lifetime of family memories that will burn brightly as I age. St Simon's Lighthouse from the pier Sunset from the St. Simon's Pier New Sidney Lanier Bridge to Jekyll Island Immature Yellow Crowned Night Herron at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
Revised June, 2011