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Biography
When you invest, purchase or sell real estate you must trust and have confidence in the person you are dealing with. The following short biography will describe to you a little about my life and my life and priorities. My love for the Lord, my family, a group of young girls in an orphanage in Bogotá, Columbia and my country are my priorities in life and that is the order that my decisions are based on.
I was born in Houston Texas in March of 1952. My parents moved the family from Houston in 1959 to a small east Texas town called Willis. Population of Willis was less than 200 at that time and we owned and operated the local café / bakery called the Willis Coffee Shop. We also owned 40 acres outside of town that raised registered Angus cattle and a few horses and pigs. The farm was more of a hobby than a business. My parents were great and our family consisted of 3 brothers and a sister. We were raised in a Christian environment and were members of First Baptist Church in Willis. Willis is a typical small town with a small school. The High School I attended had only 125 students and when I graduated in 1970, we had only 21 Senior’s. I attended Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas for 2 semesters before joining the Army in 1971.
I joined the Army in 1971 because I always wanted to serve my country. My father served in WW II and landed on Omaha beach during the Normandy invasion. My Aunt at that time had been in the Army for over 20 years and was a Lieutenant Colonel. I love my country and volunteered to serve in Vietnam. I arrived in Vietnam in 1971 and served as a Forward Observer with the 196th Infantry Brigade. My job in Vietnam was to coordinate and direct fire support. I returned home in 1972 and enrolled in college. Working full time and attending school did not work out for me, so from 1973 until 1984 I worked as an electrician in the Petro / Chemical Industry in the Houston/Pasadena area. After the oil bust in 1984, I got started in the Automobile Business and continued to work in the automotive business until 2004.
Me and my wife AnneI met my wife Anne in late July of 1977 and, after only dating for 90 days, we were married. We have been together for over 29 years.
From left to right: Allison, April, AmandaAllison Appelwhite, my oldest daughter, is married to David Applewhite. Allison is a graduate of Southwest Texas or now Texas State with a degree in Consumer Sciences and manages a retail outlet for “Timberland” in the outlet mall in San Marcos Texas. David her husband is a graduate of TSTC in Waco and is a supervisor for Kaiser Machine in Sequin Texas. On November 3rd of 2006, they were blessed with their first child and our first grandchild, Payton T. Applewhite.
April Martin, my second daughter, is married to Roger Martin. April also graduated form Texas State with a degree in Business Finance. April is a broker-realtor employed with Capitol Area Realty in Austin Texas. Roger is vice presidents of operations for Telenetwork in Austin Texas. On April 7th of 2007, they were blessed with our second grandchild, Ethan R.
Martin.
Amanda Griffey, my youngest daughter, is a graduate of TSTC in Waco. Amanda has been working for the State of Texas since she graduated. Amanda’s positions with the state have ranged from the “Health Department, Department of Public Safety, Homeland Security and the Governors Office of Emergency Management.”
I hope this short biography convinces you that I can be trusted with your Real Estate needs. If you are looking for “Sellers’ Agent”, Buyers’ Agent” or Intermediary, I am licensed and qualify to assist you.
Please take time to read about my girls in Columbia. The trip I made this summer to serve with “Here I Am Orphan Ministries” has changed my life.
Bob’s summer of 2006
I have always been blessed by the Lord. In 54 years of life, I always “short changed” him compared to the blessing he has bestowed on me. He has given me great parents, brothers, sister and wife and three wonderful children. I told my wife that even though we had served the Lord in the churches we attended; I still had a spot in my heart that was empty. I love children. It breaks my heart to see the children across the world suffer. Occasionally we donate a few dollars but other than the money, we did not participate. I wanted to do something. I applied in January for a position with “Samaritan Purse Ministries” but was told all positions were filled but they were accepting donations. I was disappointed. Around the first of May I got a call from a friend of mine that attended First Baptist Church in Brenham. He told me of a ministry that worked with orphans across the world and were looking for volunteers for a mission trip. I contacted the ministry, “Her I Am Orphan Ministries” and became part of a mission team that traveled to Bogotá, Columbia. We had a simple task. Share our love for the Lord and show the girls ages 6-16 that they are special.
The orphanage was clean and their basic needs were addressed. I feel the Columbian Government should be commended for their care and support of the girls. The Catholic Nuns that ran the orphanage were also great. Even though we did not speak much Spanish, we conducted a vacation bible school. We brought with us Spanish Bibles for all he girls and also provided personal hygiene items. We purchased an additional washer / dryer for them due to the piles of laundry. They were trying to keep up with the laundry for 70 girls with only one washer and a dryer. Now don’t think they had plenty of clothes, they also shared clothes. Most of the girls were wearing the only clothes they owned. These girls still need a lot. Eye glasses, dental work, clothes and other basic necessities that we take for granted. I would get notes passed along to me saying how much they loved me and if I would adopt them. This would put a “lump” in my throat. The last day of the trip was filled with tears and heart break. As we prepared to leave, tears and cries tore at my heart. Team members, the girls and everyone involved were sobbing. It was the hardest thing I have ever done having to drive off and leave the girls. If you are interested in adoption, summer program sponsorship, donations or traveling to Columbia to serve, please contact me.