The Road to the Past Starts at Work

We recently hired a new Information Technology Specialist at KKTV.  He helps run and maintain all of the station's different computer systems, and there are a lot of them. I wasn't around on his first day when he was introduced to the newsroom.  I heard there was a new guy named Patrick and I passed him in the hallway a couple of times and nodded a quick hello....I hadn't really had time for a full introduction.

Backtrack to about 1980...Doherty High School.  There was a guy named Pat Newman who was involved in some of the same things I was part of.  He was a couple of years ahead of me so we only overlapped for one year.  I wanted to be an actor in high school and so did he, so in that one year we were both in the same two productions. When you're in something like that, it's a lot of hours after school in rehearsal and finally in performance. For that reason the group of 30 or 40 students involved spent  a lot of time together. I knew Pat pretty well.

I remember him as very talented and very funny and cool to be around. I don't specifically remember, but I'm sure we were at a few of the same parties that year too. We certainly knew a lot of the same people. 

Back to 2009 at KKTV.  Patrick the new I.T. guy put out an e-mail about a week after he started working here. It included has last name, Newman, and I had one of those.."what!!!!" moments.  Then I thought about what the new guy looked like and realized, that really could be him.  I saw Patrick the next day and I said, "Did you go to Doherty?'

He said, "Yup." with a growing grin.

So I said, "You're Pat Newman!...why didn't you say anything?"

His reply, "You always seemed busy."

So I learned a lesson there. In my haste to get from place to place in our building I had given off an I'm-too-busy-to-stop-and-talk vibe.  I certainly didn't intend to do that...it's just that everyone in this building is often pretty busy much of the time.  In my defense, I had probably only seen him 4 or 5 times, very briefly, in that week.  I still feel bad that he didn't feel like he could just stop me and say, "Hey, we know each other!"

Patrick and I have now chatted quickly a couple of times about a couple of people and about some of the things we did back then. We've all certainly changed a lot in 30 years..and i think Patrick was afraid I didn't remember him.

I remember him very well indeed from all those years ago...I simply didn't recognize him.  Now I recognize the fact that he and I have some catching up to do.  We said we'd have a beer or two sometime when we're not too busy.  Turns out he's been in the TV industry for a long time too.  Like most of us in the business he had lived in a lot of different places, working mostly in the behind-the-scenes aspect of TV production.  If we compare notes we'll probably find co-workers in common from our respective nomadic TV careers. Like so many of us who grew up in Colorado Springs, Patrick was drawn back to the Pikes Peak region.  He says he's thrilled to be back here.

So Patrick has reminded me to slow down a little bit and take the time to introduce myself.  He's also reminded me of some good times and some good people from a long time ago. 

He's also fixed my computer.

Thanks Patrick, welcome to KKTV and welcome back to Southern Colorado!

We'll talk again soon.

Don