Daryl Beatty
Instructor of Anatomy & Physiology
Life Story (Short version): I am originally from Goddard, Kansas, a small town west of Wichita (which is a somewhat larger town.) The 1950's and 60's in Kansas were a great time and place to grow up, roaming the countryside on bicycles in the summer, with miles of creek and many acres of wheat fields to explore. In the spring and summer, we even had tornadoes for excitement. We had an underground bunker in the back yard when they got too close for comfort.
My years in college were great, I encourage you to stay as long as you can, and explore new and interesting areas, you might just discover your true calling. Even during the college years, the idea of teaching was appealing, but when the Dow Chemical recruiter came to campus at Abilene Christian University, my wife-to-be (Penny) was offered a position as a chemist here in Freeport, Texas. That sounded good to me too, so as soon as I finished my Master's Thesis, in 1979, we both came to work here at Dow.
We'll skip all that transpired in 28 years of industrial research, and Technical Service & Development at Dow. Ask me when you have some time if you want the long version. I will say it was a great place to work, with about 98% wonderful people, which is way above average. I wouldn't trade those opportunities and the travel (Europe, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Colorado, and about 40 other states) for anything. That was a big change for a small town Kansas boy. But after 28 years in Research and Technical Service and Development for The Dow Chemical Company, here in Freeport Texas, it was time for a change.
The book by Bob Buford, "Half Time", uses a football analogy to point out that we often spend the "first half" of our lives seeking success, then realize it is time to seek significance, or the true lasting importance of what we do. At age 54, the actuarial tables tell me I am certainly well into the "second half". Teaching at Brazosport College offers an opportunity to positively impact this generation.
In making this change, I was reminded of the scene in the movie "The Rookie" where the son, who wanted to leave his job to play professional baseball, asked his father what he should do. The paraphrased answer was: "It is OK to do what you want to do, but the time comes when you need do what you were meant to do." Brazosport College feels like home!
FAMILY: Penny and I have been married for 29 years. We are actively involved with our church, Hope Fellowship, where I currently teach a junior high class, and try to remember that they are not college students. Our daughter, Carol is entering her senior year at Texas A&M, and is an intern at the George Bush library in College Station. Our son, Scott is a senior at Brazoswood High School, and would be embarrassed if I told much more about him in a place his friends might actually see. We have three cats, two obese, one anorexic, which my wife refuses to donate to the lab.
HOBBIES: We love the mountains (not here, Colorado). Mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, and finding our way to the tops of some of the 54 mountains in Colorado over 14,000 feet tall, hence my license tag "14 ERS". While home in Texas, running, doing a few marathons and serving as the race director for the annual Surfside Beach Marathon & Half Marathon are some of my leisure activities. These tie in nicely with Physiology, since exercise physiology and fitness are important applications of our Anatomy & Physiology courses.
Finally, if you are a student, and have patiently waded through this, none of it will be on the test, but thanks for reading anyway.