I was born and raises in Texas. The way I see it, that's the way it should be for every boy. My apologies to anyone who did not have this amazing experience. I have lived in the same house since I was one years old, and now love going back to visit. As you can imagine, I have a lot of my childhood memories there. We are also blessed to have many of the same neighbors for all these years, so it truly has been a very stable place to grow up.
I grew to love the outdoors. I could always find something to do outside, from sports, to riding bikes, to working in the yard; I loved it. There is a creek behind our house, and it happened to connect with two of my best friends homes. It was a fun place to play. I was outside so much in fact that in my pre teen years my mom would tell me i smelled like the "great outdoors"! (rachel sometimes says the same thing to this day). I grew to love the heat, and still enjoy being outside as much as possible. During college, I enjoyed 110 degree heat during two a days, and always could rely on Barton Springs if it did get to warm for comfort. On a hot day, it will still be the same chilly 68 degrees. Or you could find me on Lake Austin, where I could be found wakeboarding, sun tanning in a cove, or, far too often, trying to get my boat running again while stranded in the middle of the lake.
Growing up, I did a couple of things every summer. These things included going to church camp at Mt. Lebanon with First Baptist Dallas Church, travel to Hattiesburg Mississippi to visit my grandparents, attend a soccer camp of some sort, and go to South Padre Island for the last week of summer. I have great memories doing all of these things, and spending time with family was always enjoyable.
I went to Garland High School, where I played golf, tennis, soccer, and football. I enjoyed all of the sports, but decided to pursue football in college. I walked on the University of Texas football team my first year, and was able to stick it out for five of the most rewarding years of my life.
I am so excited about entering this new phase of my life, taking Rachel as my bride and California as my new home. I am excited about what God has in store for Rachel and me in these next couple of very special years.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Reccomendation for Rachel
Dear Scholarship Selection Committee:
I am writing to recommend Rachel Shaheen for one of the Alumni/ae Merit Scholarships. Rachel is an outstanding young woman—personable, caring, bright and attractive. My wife and I met her through our son when they were both students at the University of Texas. We have known her for three years and watched her maintain a healthy balance while achieving success in academic, social, emotional, and spiritual areas of her life. In addition to being an A student and outgoing, she is in top physical shape—she is running a marathon in Los Angeles this weekend!
Rachel is attending Fuller Seminary because of her deep interest in helping others overcome some of life’s tough obstacles. This desire to help others comes at least in part from her personal experience of deep grief and family dysfunction. When Rachel was in elementary school, she watched her two-year-old brother go through a lengthy illness which resulted in his death. This experience greatly shook the whole family; eventually, when Rachel left for college, her parents divorced. By God’s grace, she was able to find personal solace and salvation in Christ who, in time, enabled her to respond to these severe circumstances victoriously. Her mother, father and younger sister all began to look to Rachel for counsel, comfort, support and stability—and she was able to give it to them.
This experience helped lay the groundwork in her heart to help others respond to grief, tragedy, and difficult personal circumstances. She experienced the devastation personally, yet also experienced healing. Her heart is tender with a desire to help others do the same.
In college, Rachel began finding ways to express her desire to come alongside others who were experiencing pain. She became a volunteer leader in Young Life, going back into high schools and assisting the full-time workers, then becoming a staff member herself after graduation. She continued to find herself drawn to those who needed a listening ear and heart, and much of her ministry centered on those with particular hurts and concerns.
My wife Bonnie and I have seen Rachel’s ministering heart on two occasions recently as she has partnered with us in our ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ. She was an adult sponsor with Bonnie in taking 50 African-American teens to Kids Across America camp (part of the Kanakkuk-Kanakomo family of Christian sports camps in Missouri). Rachel knows no ethnic boundaries and is warm and open with anyone. Some of the teens come from particularly troubled homes, and during the week many sought out conversations and prayer with Rachel for their difficult situations. Rachel has an unusual ability to quickly make people feel safe and loved in her presence. Then she tops that off by finding ways to offer specific help.
After ministering to these inner-city teens, she joined us as a worker at a national conference our ministry hosts in Washington, D.C. for Christian faculty from secular universities. For those professors and staff who choose to bring their children to the conference, we offer childcare and Rachel was one of our workers. She planned and directed our program for teenagers and once again, teens and their parents were quickly comfortable with her leadership and her care for the teens. It wasn’t long before these teens began to seek out Rachel’s counsel for various areas in which they were struggling. It’s as if she wears a sign that says “I understand, I care, Let’s talk!”
God has given Rachel personality strengths which will aid her professional contribution to assist others in their mental health. She is by nature optimistic and cheerful, and just enjoys people with all their differences. Rachel likes being with people, and they like being with her. Her own family and extended family has an interesting mixture of types of people and backgrounds, which has served to broaden her definitions of “what people should be like.” People don’t feel any condemnation around Rachel because they might be different from a perceived norm.
I believe that Rachel has aligned her God-given abilities with her own self-discipline and character to become a person that God can use as His instrument to help others. She digs hard into His word and looks to Him as her primary source of strength and wisdom. This is what will give Rachel the ability to serve God as a professional in the field of mental health. Her personal faith in Christ has been tried and found to be strong. She knows how to draw on Him herself, and she desires to increase her ability to draw others to Him in the midst of their pain.
A scholarship to help Rachel pursue this God-inspired passion to help others would be a wise investment, which I believe will give you a hundred-fold return. Bonnie and I would unreservedly recommend her and believe she certainly exhibits unusual potential for contributing to the field of Christian mental health after graduation. If you have any questions or need any further information, please don’t hesitate to call or ask.
Sincerely,
Richard L. McGee
National Director for Development,
Conferences and Events
I am writing to recommend Rachel Shaheen for one of the Alumni/ae Merit Scholarships. Rachel is an outstanding young woman—personable, caring, bright and attractive. My wife and I met her through our son when they were both students at the University of Texas. We have known her for three years and watched her maintain a healthy balance while achieving success in academic, social, emotional, and spiritual areas of her life. In addition to being an A student and outgoing, she is in top physical shape—she is running a marathon in Los Angeles this weekend!
Rachel is attending Fuller Seminary because of her deep interest in helping others overcome some of life’s tough obstacles. This desire to help others comes at least in part from her personal experience of deep grief and family dysfunction. When Rachel was in elementary school, she watched her two-year-old brother go through a lengthy illness which resulted in his death. This experience greatly shook the whole family; eventually, when Rachel left for college, her parents divorced. By God’s grace, she was able to find personal solace and salvation in Christ who, in time, enabled her to respond to these severe circumstances victoriously. Her mother, father and younger sister all began to look to Rachel for counsel, comfort, support and stability—and she was able to give it to them.
This experience helped lay the groundwork in her heart to help others respond to grief, tragedy, and difficult personal circumstances. She experienced the devastation personally, yet also experienced healing. Her heart is tender with a desire to help others do the same.
In college, Rachel began finding ways to express her desire to come alongside others who were experiencing pain. She became a volunteer leader in Young Life, going back into high schools and assisting the full-time workers, then becoming a staff member herself after graduation. She continued to find herself drawn to those who needed a listening ear and heart, and much of her ministry centered on those with particular hurts and concerns.
My wife Bonnie and I have seen Rachel’s ministering heart on two occasions recently as she has partnered with us in our ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ. She was an adult sponsor with Bonnie in taking 50 African-American teens to Kids Across America camp (part of the Kanakkuk-Kanakomo family of Christian sports camps in Missouri). Rachel knows no ethnic boundaries and is warm and open with anyone. Some of the teens come from particularly troubled homes, and during the week many sought out conversations and prayer with Rachel for their difficult situations. Rachel has an unusual ability to quickly make people feel safe and loved in her presence. Then she tops that off by finding ways to offer specific help.
After ministering to these inner-city teens, she joined us as a worker at a national conference our ministry hosts in Washington, D.C. for Christian faculty from secular universities. For those professors and staff who choose to bring their children to the conference, we offer childcare and Rachel was one of our workers. She planned and directed our program for teenagers and once again, teens and their parents were quickly comfortable with her leadership and her care for the teens. It wasn’t long before these teens began to seek out Rachel’s counsel for various areas in which they were struggling. It’s as if she wears a sign that says “I understand, I care, Let’s talk!”
God has given Rachel personality strengths which will aid her professional contribution to assist others in their mental health. She is by nature optimistic and cheerful, and just enjoys people with all their differences. Rachel likes being with people, and they like being with her. Her own family and extended family has an interesting mixture of types of people and backgrounds, which has served to broaden her definitions of “what people should be like.” People don’t feel any condemnation around Rachel because they might be different from a perceived norm.
I believe that Rachel has aligned her God-given abilities with her own self-discipline and character to become a person that God can use as His instrument to help others. She digs hard into His word and looks to Him as her primary source of strength and wisdom. This is what will give Rachel the ability to serve God as a professional in the field of mental health. Her personal faith in Christ has been tried and found to be strong. She knows how to draw on Him herself, and she desires to increase her ability to draw others to Him in the midst of their pain.
A scholarship to help Rachel pursue this God-inspired passion to help others would be a wise investment, which I believe will give you a hundred-fold return. Bonnie and I would unreservedly recommend her and believe she certainly exhibits unusual potential for contributing to the field of Christian mental health after graduation. If you have any questions or need any further information, please don’t hesitate to call or ask.
Sincerely,
Richard L. McGee
National Director for Development,
Conferences and Events
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Story of the first time we hung out....
So here is how it all started....
I called you up, asked you how you were doing, and asked you to go to the hot tub with Stevie, Kathy, and I. You said you had some plans with a friend, but you would check with your friend and see. You said you would be able to make it, and your friend was going to come as well. Although a little disappointed that it would not be a couple’s only thing and there would be a fifth member, what the heck maybe your friend would be cute as well. So decide to meet at the Omni, and I gave you directions. I guess they were not very clear because I remember coming down to get you, and low and behold your friend was not cute, and also resembled a man. It was Josh Tomasic. Then I went the whole night thinking that this friend was actually your boyfriend that you had spoken about on the ski trip when we met. I remember having no interest in talking to you the rest of the night, and left you to talk to Stevie and Kathy while I played in the pool. I do remember thinking that I never wanted to be your boyfriend because I did not like the way you were treating Josh. I though Josh wa a really nice guy, and could not figure out why yall barely spoke, looked at each other, or sat next to each other in the tub. I definitely did not want a girlfriend like that, and plus, you were already taken.
It only took me about a week to learn from Stevie that you and your boyfriend had broken up some time ago, and that Josh was just a good friend of yours. This opened up a window of opportunity for me to get to know you a little bit better, and I figured I better call you before Josh came to his senses and asked you out first. I mean, you were brand new on the market and a girl like you goes fast. So, to my recollection, I called you and asked you to lunch the next day at Zen on Guadalupe. We had a great meal; I did a lot of listening and was very intrigued by your excitement and your love for God. You really made an impression on me that day, and I wanted more!
I love you Rachel,
Richie
I called you up, asked you how you were doing, and asked you to go to the hot tub with Stevie, Kathy, and I. You said you had some plans with a friend, but you would check with your friend and see. You said you would be able to make it, and your friend was going to come as well. Although a little disappointed that it would not be a couple’s only thing and there would be a fifth member, what the heck maybe your friend would be cute as well. So decide to meet at the Omni, and I gave you directions. I guess they were not very clear because I remember coming down to get you, and low and behold your friend was not cute, and also resembled a man. It was Josh Tomasic. Then I went the whole night thinking that this friend was actually your boyfriend that you had spoken about on the ski trip when we met. I remember having no interest in talking to you the rest of the night, and left you to talk to Stevie and Kathy while I played in the pool. I do remember thinking that I never wanted to be your boyfriend because I did not like the way you were treating Josh. I though Josh wa a really nice guy, and could not figure out why yall barely spoke, looked at each other, or sat next to each other in the tub. I definitely did not want a girlfriend like that, and plus, you were already taken.
It only took me about a week to learn from Stevie that you and your boyfriend had broken up some time ago, and that Josh was just a good friend of yours. This opened up a window of opportunity for me to get to know you a little bit better, and I figured I better call you before Josh came to his senses and asked you out first. I mean, you were brand new on the market and a girl like you goes fast. So, to my recollection, I called you and asked you to lunch the next day at Zen on Guadalupe. We had a great meal; I did a lot of listening and was very intrigued by your excitement and your love for God. You really made an impression on me that day, and I wanted more!
I love you Rachel,
Richie
Sunday, October 8, 2006
NMFN
Family and Friends,
There has been a lot of big changes in my life the past couple of months! In January, my football career ended after five great years playing for Mack Brown. I loved every minute of it, and am so grateful that I was a part of that program. It was an awesome time in my life, and loved that football games were a family affair for the McGees. Throughout my career, only a handful of games did not have all four of my family members sitting in the stands routing me and our team on. It would not have been anywhere near as enjoyable without their support and excitement.
In May, I graduated from the University of Texas with a great degree in Sports Management. This means that I am allowed to sweep floors at a basketball arena, maybe even mop. Basically, it means that I need to go back to school, and get a graduate degree, and get the “real” Sports Management degree that would allow me to find a good job! Although schooling and education has been my passion and held utmost importance to me since I was a tike, I have decided to take a different route and be done with school forever.
So this takes me to the next phase in my life, finding a real job. No more kicking lessons, or working at the auto shop, I needed a job that actually came with a paycheck. I have liked being on scholarship at UT and getting a little monthly allowance from the school, and have REALLY enjoyed my parents giving me money when I need it, so I was a little shocked when my Dad said that I need to get off the family payroll. It was heartbreaking to know that he did not enjoy it as much as I for so many years. So that lead me to go job hunting, and I have taken a job with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. I really love it so far. I never new about this “professional” work world until now, its pretty impressive how many people go to work everyday! I am going to write all of my friends that are still in college and tell them about it.
After the shocking news my Dad gave me about not giving me any more money, I realized that there is one huge incentive for me to start funding my own expenses. There is not as much drive for me to be able to support myself, as there is for to support someone I love. I have found that someone, and I will be getting married to Ms. Rachel Shaheen on April 28th. I am very excited about this, and want to be a great provider for her. This will get me up every morning to go work hard.
So I stopped playing football, graduated college, found a job, and am getting married! If this wasn’t already enough, my sweet fiancé decided to move to California to go to graduate school! Though there are many fine institutions in the great state of Texas, the state I love, the state where everyone I know is, she wanted to go to Fuller Seminary, in Pasadena California. It really is a great school, and I am so happy she decided to go, and I am excited that I decided to move out to California as well! She will be getting a Masters Degree in Family and Marriage counseling from their school of Psychology. If she wasn’t so darn beautiful it might have been a deal breaker, but I decided to follow her out here and start my career in the Los Angeles office for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.
Northwestern is a full service financial institution that has been in business since 1857 and is based in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Our mission is to provide financial security for a lifetime of changing needs. They are teaching me to employ a comprehensive approach to planning and to solve with high quality products. I will be utilizing a network of specialists to insure that my clients receive the proper guidance. Northwestern is ranked best in class and is the “Most Admired” company in it’s’ industry according to Fortune magazine. (20 of 20 years!) I am proud of my association with this institution and am looking forward to the future.
This is where I need your help. Working for Northwestern Mutual requires me to meet a lot of people, and to build relationships off of the natural relationships that I already have. Since I do not know anyone in the State of California, much less LA, this is going to be a lot harder for me getting started. This is where you come in, if you know anyone in California, Los Angeles in particular, could you please help me out by sending me their contact information. I am looking for good people to meet to help me get my career started off on the best note possible. Based on what you know about me, and my family, our walks with the Lord and our character, please know that I will not use these names inappropriately or make you regret giving them to me. I know it is a huge favor that I am asking from you, and I really appreciate any help you could give me with contacts. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing back from you with a list of people that I can call on!
Sincerely,
Richmond McGee
There has been a lot of big changes in my life the past couple of months! In January, my football career ended after five great years playing for Mack Brown. I loved every minute of it, and am so grateful that I was a part of that program. It was an awesome time in my life, and loved that football games were a family affair for the McGees. Throughout my career, only a handful of games did not have all four of my family members sitting in the stands routing me and our team on. It would not have been anywhere near as enjoyable without their support and excitement.
In May, I graduated from the University of Texas with a great degree in Sports Management. This means that I am allowed to sweep floors at a basketball arena, maybe even mop. Basically, it means that I need to go back to school, and get a graduate degree, and get the “real” Sports Management degree that would allow me to find a good job! Although schooling and education has been my passion and held utmost importance to me since I was a tike, I have decided to take a different route and be done with school forever.
So this takes me to the next phase in my life, finding a real job. No more kicking lessons, or working at the auto shop, I needed a job that actually came with a paycheck. I have liked being on scholarship at UT and getting a little monthly allowance from the school, and have REALLY enjoyed my parents giving me money when I need it, so I was a little shocked when my Dad said that I need to get off the family payroll. It was heartbreaking to know that he did not enjoy it as much as I for so many years. So that lead me to go job hunting, and I have taken a job with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. I really love it so far. I never new about this “professional” work world until now, its pretty impressive how many people go to work everyday! I am going to write all of my friends that are still in college and tell them about it.
After the shocking news my Dad gave me about not giving me any more money, I realized that there is one huge incentive for me to start funding my own expenses. There is not as much drive for me to be able to support myself, as there is for to support someone I love. I have found that someone, and I will be getting married to Ms. Rachel Shaheen on April 28th. I am very excited about this, and want to be a great provider for her. This will get me up every morning to go work hard.
So I stopped playing football, graduated college, found a job, and am getting married! If this wasn’t already enough, my sweet fiancé decided to move to California to go to graduate school! Though there are many fine institutions in the great state of Texas, the state I love, the state where everyone I know is, she wanted to go to Fuller Seminary, in Pasadena California. It really is a great school, and I am so happy she decided to go, and I am excited that I decided to move out to California as well! She will be getting a Masters Degree in Family and Marriage counseling from their school of Psychology. If she wasn’t so darn beautiful it might have been a deal breaker, but I decided to follow her out here and start my career in the Los Angeles office for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.
Northwestern is a full service financial institution that has been in business since 1857 and is based in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Our mission is to provide financial security for a lifetime of changing needs. They are teaching me to employ a comprehensive approach to planning and to solve with high quality products. I will be utilizing a network of specialists to insure that my clients receive the proper guidance. Northwestern is ranked best in class and is the “Most Admired” company in it’s’ industry according to Fortune magazine. (20 of 20 years!) I am proud of my association with this institution and am looking forward to the future.
This is where I need your help. Working for Northwestern Mutual requires me to meet a lot of people, and to build relationships off of the natural relationships that I already have. Since I do not know anyone in the State of California, much less LA, this is going to be a lot harder for me getting started. This is where you come in, if you know anyone in California, Los Angeles in particular, could you please help me out by sending me their contact information. I am looking for good people to meet to help me get my career started off on the best note possible. Based on what you know about me, and my family, our walks with the Lord and our character, please know that I will not use these names inappropriately or make you regret giving them to me. I know it is a huge favor that I am asking from you, and I really appreciate any help you could give me with contacts. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing back from you with a list of people that I can call on!
Sincerely,
Richmond McGee
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Letter to Coach Brown
Richard L. McGee
2821
214-727-6084
Coach Mack Brown
UT Football Office
Dear Coach,
I am writing to express our thanks—from his sisters Megan and Mollie and from Bonnie and me—for all you have done for Richmond, for your excellent leadership of the UT football program, and for just being the quality of person that you are. Last month
Thank you for giving
Thank you for sticking with
Thank you for the quality program you have built and led at UT. Your mission statement, “Win championships with good kids who graduate,” is one of the most succinct, crisp and focused mission statements I have ever seen. I have shared it with many people I know, both in ministry organizations and in businesses. With this year’s team, you did something few people ever actually do—you in fact reached and fulfilled your mission statement! You won the Big 12 and National Championships with good kids, the vast majority of whom have or will graduate from one of our country’s elite universities. We are thrilled that
Thank you for having the character—the values and the personality—that you do. I first noticed your integrity when one of the compliance officers called me in 2001 asking about a $1000 scholarship
Thank you for showing
Your and my paths first crossed in 1975 when you joined the coaching staff at the
Mack, I trust that our paths will continue to cross, and that you will feel free to call on me if I can ever assist you in any way. We are so very happy for this National Championship for you—you richly deserve it. I hope you are still savoring it, as we are and always will.
Thank you again for letting
Very sincerely,
Richard L. McGee
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
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