Wakeland Dr Mort 1

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Morton (“Mort�) E. Wakeland, Jr., Ph.D.;

Proud member of the super ORHS class of 1966.

Currently:

Regional Enforcement Coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)

Dallas, Texas

(Region 6 EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act) Program, Section 313, aka Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Reporting)



B.S. East Tennessee State University (1970); Johnson City, TN; Geology & Mathematics

M.S. University of Wisconsin (1972); Madison, WI; Oceanography & Limnology

Ph.D. University of Connecticut (1979); Storrs/Groton-New London, CT; Marine Geology

M.S. Southern Methodist University (SMU) (1995); Dallas, TX; Environmental Science and Engineering.



After Vietnam my wife and I  packed with all of our belongings in, mind you, the smallest UHaul. Off to Madison, Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin where I was accepted into graduate school.


This was mid January. Remember, I’m use to the steamy climate of South Vietnam, and Wisconsin met us with a snow storm. Had to spend the night about ¾ way there in an already crowded motel. I froze my rear off the the remainder of time in Wisconsin, summer and winter. Earned the first M.S. degree granted under Wisconsin’s status as a Sea Grant school. What about a Ph.D.? The University of Connecticut accepts me for their Doctoral program and give me a grant to come study. We are off to Groton/New London, Connecticut, UCONN’s main campus however if far inland in Storrs, Connecitcut. Groton/New London houses the Marince Sciences Institute where I was to do most of my studies.

Finding a topic to reseach and convincing the “prof’s� of its worthiness was a major hurdle. All course work completed, now full time research – origins of fine-grained sediment in Long Island Sound. Research now completed, dissertation draft completed, now for the defense. Never have been more nervous in my life. Studied for months to prepare. That day I was numb but was given the “thumbs up� sign after hours of presentation and grilling by the profs and grad students alike, I had passed. Thank God! The drive back to Groton/New London sticks in my mind as sureal and in slow motion. Megan, my first child, comes along as we are ready to embark on life.

Amoco in New Orleans wants a marine geologist and I get hired, my first real, honest to God job. Two years spent on writing the last chapter of the dissertation, in my estimate due to a prof I will simply refer to as a New England bigot. Fly back to Groton/New London, final chapter get’s the OK. Why couldn’t we have done this by phone? Done, I am an “official� Ph.D. in 1979, although I left Connecticut in 1977.

Tha Early Working Years, “Oil Patch�

At the time, geologists were highly sought after, “head hunters� were calling daily to get you to go to work for this or that oil company. Salaries were doubled, and tripled in the blink of an eye. I fold, say bye-bye to Amoco, and accept a job in Jackson, Mississippi not before #2 kiddo, son, arrives in Slidell, Louisiana. After a few years with Grace Oil & Gas, I move on to another even smaller company who opened an office in Jackson. Fun years, company car, big expense account, and life was good.

Then, the down turn. Office closed, no jobs, house payment, car payment, family to fed and cloth, am at wits end. Accept a job with Corps of Engineers in Vicksburg, but still live in Jackson. An hour commute in moring and in afternoon, but I’ll be flip if I move to Vicksburg where the Civil War is still fought with fervor.

Another oil and gas job (Texas Oil & Gas) comes my way, however, in Dallas, Texas. I thought to myself I would much rather be out of work in a more cosmopolitian city like Dallas than a small lil, hole-in-th-wall place, like Jackson, Mississippi. I accept, and we are off to Dallas, Texas in 1983 +/-.

Probably the most fun I had working in the oil and gas industry at a corporate headquartres. However, no company car, and no expense account, but intellectually it was stimpulating and very fun. The company gets bought out by U.S. Steel and changes begin to occur. First, my partner I had worked with for the past 4-5 years was let go. I should have realized and seen the writing on the wall but I keep thinkging there is a silver lining in the dark cloud. Then that horrible day finally arrives.

You get called into your boss’s office, thinking a routine talk and the bombshell hits, your position has been eliminated, you have two weeks pay, good luck. I cannot adequately describe that feeling of being let go, a numbness comes over your entire body coupled with a nausea of “Oh God, what do we do now to make ends meet?� I was luckier than most who went though this mess for the company hired me as a consultant for several months while I looked for other work, which unfortunately never came.

Worked in department stores, sold legal newspapers over the phone, pulled together background documents for attorneys, whatever to make ends meet. The savings account is nearing rock bottom. Something has to give.

Finally, the lightbulb comes on – what about the environmental field and the government?


the State of Texas steps up to the plate for “displaced geologist� and allows me to return to school to learn the jargon and fundamentals of transferring my skills over to the environmental field. Oklahoma State University has summer long program to accomplish the task and Texas pays. So in the summer of 1992 I bought my first computer and headed off to Oklahoma State with other displaced geologists, and other “oil patch� workers, to learn about the environmental field.  All toll there were about 50 of us, men, women and youngsters who had found the “oil patch� was not greener on the other side of the hill. Three months of classes 6 days a week with homework till the wee hours of the morning – LOVED IT!!  Sundays were for laundry mostly and some beer drinking down at the local college hang out. Co-ed dorms, that took some getting use to. Time flew by and in no time it seems I was back in Dallas. Now what?

Held down some “odds and ends� jobs but full-time employment still eluded me’

Longing for that security. End of January 1993 landed an interview with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) here in Dallas. Because of military service I’m given preference over non-vets. Walk in to the inteview, introduce myself, asked about my service, recall Vietnam, the Army, the Bronze Star, needed all the help I could get. Amazingly he too was a Vietnam Vet, after only a few minutes, he looks up and says, “come in Monday, you are hired.� That was it – oh heavenly relief – a full time job. However, making only a fraction of what I made before, but it was constant and enough to pay all the bills.

The prior stress and what life had to thow at me had taken its toll on me and family life. Simply put, in October 1994 I filed for divorce. To “our� credit we did it ourselves without “blood-sucking� attorneys. Give her the house, a car, and assume all the debt and begin my second phase in life.


Find a modest lil 2 bedroom brick home in an area of Dallas known as Lakewood,

by what I would call a large pond, but to Dallasites, they called it White Rock Lake.

After some bliss at singlehood, both boys moved in with me from their Mom’s and I, hopefully, raised them to be responsible adults and citizens of the U.S. Middle son, Air Force Special Forces, 7 year Air Force Vet – numerous tours in the Middle East. He proudly joins the family of Vets: Uncle Scott – WWI; My Dad, WWII; Me – Vietnam, and Eric – Middle East Special Forces.

I fogot to mention #3, Eric, came along when we first moved to Dallas. So, we have a “Connecticut Yankee, Megan� a “CoonAss, Brandon – as Louisiana folks are fondly referred to as, and a “Dallas Cowboy, Eric.�


Decided to enter Southern Methodist University’s (SMU) graduate program in environmental science and engineering. Figured if this was going down this trail of the environmental field, I might as well be better educated in it than the “average joe.� As you may have already guessed, this boy has come to thoroughly love to go to school. I’d go back for a law degree in a heartbeat if I had the bucks.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Present

Took some time to find my nich in the Agency and get use to the governmental “bull-shit� compared to private industry, but I got there.


Still in the same home I moved into after the divorce. The boys have come home periodcially and gone, as life throws them curve balls, but ole Dad is always here by the homestead. They call this home. I’m glad, but at the same time, want them to fly the nest so I can “get on with my life� and quit nursing the lil birdies. Smile.

Number 1 daughter married an Air Force JAG (military – All In The Family), I have two additional grandchildren now, beside my one grandon from Brandon’s marriage which ened in divorce several years ago. That killed me more than him because of my “lil grandson.� Happy to report the wee ones are resiliant and he seems happy to see us every week on our visitation days.

Thanks for taking time to share in one of your classmates life, mine. All in all, life has been good to me, as I hope it has been good to you. I wish all the best to my fellow classmates from back in that time in 1966 when we had not care one.

I guess if I could sum all this up in a very simply way, and with much heart felt affection, and emotion for that matter, for all of my classmates, it’s from Barbara Streisand’s song in “The Way We Were,� and realizing those iconic words, have now come to ring so very true, so very true:

Mem'ries,
Light the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were

Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? Could we?
Mem'ries, may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it's the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember...
The way we were...
The way we were...

If you may be in a sentimental mood, Google, and listen to Barbara sing this mostly beautiful song of remembrance, and yesteryear, and see if not you are back in 1966 and a wee tear may come into that eye of yours!



Hopefully, forever in your Mem’ries,

Simply, and as always Mort
Posted By: NS Administrator - 05-13-2016
Views: 1707