2004 — Mike Sheehan

Family: Penny (wife), who teaches 2nd grade in Collinsville; two sons, Ryan and Lance; daughter-in-law, Katy

Work: Safety/Recycling Coordinator at TU since June 1994

Hometown: Collinsville, Oklahoma

FAVORITES
  • Hobby: construction on/of houses.
  • Book: Anything by Tom Clancy. I enjoy fiction or nonfiction intrigue.
  • Reading: I am revisiting Virginia Woolf and reading Mrs. Dalloway.
  • Vacation: I’ll go anywhere there’re mountains; I reach a point in the summer when I get tired of the heat, and then my very understanding wife books us somewhere COOL!
LIFE LESSONS
  • Funniest experience at TU:
    It wasn’t the funniest thing at the time, but it was the most memorable. The December we had the heaviest ice/snow storm I can remember, President Lawless happened through the campus as we were attempting to get the snow and ice off the roads. He asked how things were going, and I replied, “It’s not easy, but not to worry. This is Oklahoma, and it will be gone in three days.” Thirty days later he was reminding me that it was still around (including on the roads).
  • Best advice received:
    Probably the best and hardest to follow was given by my dad. He said when you’re doing a job, have patience, because preparation is 90 percent (or more) of the job. Sometimes I am a very impatient individual. Another was given by our church pastor at the time in a sermon. His name is Rick Brinkley, and many will recognize him as CEO of the Better Business Bureau. He said, “When you’re going through Hell, keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t look back. Don’t look around. Keep going.” I’ve always thought this to be very appropriate for anybody.
  • What advice do you give to your children:
    “Fly outside the cockpit.” Translation: Be acutely aware of what is going on around you when you drive, and stay ahead of the moment. “Work hard, play hard” in that order. I do not drink alcoholic beverages. I don’t condone, I don’t condemn, but we have always told our children that if they do consume alcohol, DO NOT get behind the wheel. We have always said use a designated driver, or if you are EVER in a position that you cannot get safely home, CALL US and we will come get you, anytime, anywhere, and be nonjudgmental about it.
  • Cure for the blues:
    I don’t think I have ever been “Blue”, but my most joyful moments are being surrounded by family.
  • What would your acquaintances be surprised to know about you?
    I can play English Handballs.
  • What are you most proud of?
    My family.
  • What four people would you invite to dinner? What would you ask them?
    Probably my dad, probably Penny’s dad, who are both deceased. Penny’s father died relatively young. My dad died rather suddenly. Neither one of them got to see their grandchildren mature, and what they have done with their lives. I think we would be telling them, rather than asking. Albert Einstein. I’d ask him what more he could have accomplished if he had lived longer. Leonardo Da Vinci. He was ahead of his time, and I’d ask him what would he have envisioned, had he lived longer?