Three Sisters Ponds
Over the course of numerous visits to Three Sisters Ponds between 1969 and 1984, I logged countless hours on the bench (or what I called the “throne”) reflecting on the past, pondering the present, and wondering what I could do to create a better future. During that period I was very dissatisfied with my circumstances. I was fortunate to be a Baltimore City policeman with a beautiful oneyear-old daughter, but my marriage to her mother was failing. I had never done well in school, and facing and then overcoming academic challenges had never been my forte. Although I had improved my education enough to become a policeman, I knew I needed a college degree, because I didn’t want to be a street cop for the rest of my life. I wanted to see and experience the world outside of Baltimore. I wanted to travel around the country and the world. I wanted to see Paris, Rome, and the Nile. I wanted to explore East Africa, visit the Taj Mahal in India, and walk the Wall in China. I wanted to have a good job, a great family, a nice home, and nice cars—in short, I wanted the American Dream.
So on that fall day 30-plus years later, as I sat on the bench in Nice and reflected on my life, it came home to me that thanks to all the opportunities and experiences availed to me through my law enforcement service, I had reached the majority of my life goals. The police department and the FBI had offered me a variety of interesting career choices, and with them new experiences, new challenges, and new avenues for personal and professional growth. They allowed me to earn an associate’s degree from a community college, which led to a bachelor’s degree. They gave me the chance to travel and meet important and interesting people from all over the world, including a U.S. president, and they helped me develop as a leader, ultimately becoming a senior executive with the FBI, leading two FBI field offices as special agent-in-charge.
My dogged determination to succeed was matched by a strong desire to open doors for other blacks to follow in my footsteps. I hope I helped accomplish this in the BPD and the FBI. I’m living proof that no matter who you are, a law enforcement career can take you wherever you want to go.
Awards
Naples Pelican Bay Rotary Club
What an amazing program this morning for the Pelican Bay Rotary Club!
Former FBI agent Phil Reid gave a riveting presentation on his investigation of the Lockerbie Scotland Bombing! Incredible!
Videos
