Incredible Hospitality

Ken Osbourne visited recently and I was reminded of the hospitality Parkway showed to us when we came here. In 1982 I was working in a predominately Beef cattle practice in Mexia, Texas and looking for a better paying job. I heard of one in Corpus Christi so I set up an interview. Julie’s Dad knew a member of the Church in Corpus, John Osborne, and told us the Osborne’s wanted us to stay with them. We don’t usually stay with strangers but since we were dirt poor we agreed to. So we got in our 1974 Dodge Charger, that burned more oil than gas, and headed for Corpus. Julie was six months pregnant and Walker was about 3 years old. We reached Refugio, Texas about 11:00 at night and didn’t want to be a burden to the Osborne’s so we called and said we were getting in late and would just find a hotel. Brother Osborne told me all the Hotels were full and they would wait up for us… he wouldn’t take no for an answer. So we rolled in after midnight, met them and went right to bed.

The next morning I was at Riverside Veterinary Clinic interviewing all day, which meant watching Dr. Denman work his clinic until about noon. Then we grabbed a hamburger and I went with him on a farm call to see a sick cow. On the way back we came to an agreement and I drove to the Osborne’s house. Keep in mind this was before cell phones and I hadn’t talked to Julie all day long. When I got there I told Julie I had taken the job and she told me that the Osborne’s were throwing us a party that night that there were some people in the church that we had known from our A&M days. So that night they had a houseful; Brad & Beth Roach and Tim & Dorothy Torno were young couples we had known from A&M. And of course we made many life-long friends that night; Carl & Dot Miller, Elmer Moore, Hutchins, Barnes, Ray Tornos, Dansbys, Grafs, etc.

We went to church the next morning and afterwards Brother Osborne took me around looking at rent houses. We rented a place that Sunday where one of the malls stands now. The rental company would not take my out of town check so Carl Miller took our check and gave me cash and we were able to put a deposit on that rent house. Julie reminded me that Linda Torno came to the rent house with her kids after we left and saw the condition of the back yard and cleaned up a lot of broken glass and other trash. Of course, we moved in July 4th week-end and Lauren was born Aug 31. Four weeks later the church ladies had a baby shower. Julie said she held Lauren and let Walker open the gifts and he kept expecting a truck or a motorcycle but kept getting something pink until finally one of those thoughtful church ladies handed him a present that contained something for him. God bless them. Incredible hospitality which we will never forget and I was reminded of when Ken Osborne visited last Sunday.