TAMIU Annual Report 2018

2018 Annual Report / IMPACT Dr. John Kilburn: He asked for a ‘Spiritual Reassignment.’ He got a new Lesson in Life. A man who will rise early in the morning to don an adult “Elf” costume to help encourage runners in a benefit scholarship event is up for anything. Meet Dr. John Kilburn, TAMIU faculty member and associate vice president for Research and Sponsored Projects. The costume hints at the lengths the New Orleans native and Laredo fan will go to give back to a community he says has impacted him and nurtures his efforts to return the favor. He said his engagement in community has childhood roots. “I’m the product of a working class family that taught me ‘if you don’t like something, address it or fix it,’ ” he revealed. Couple that with a Jesuit school childhood and a doctorate degree in Sociology and you have a force to be reckoned with. Along the way, there have been some detours and some tough lessons, but they’ve all combined to create a force for change, a force for good. “After I completed my graduate degrees with sizable student debt, I got into investing in the tech industry, making a fair amount of money. Soon I was teaching and consulting, but I lost my focus. At age 37, I had a stroke. It forced me to re-evaluate my life. I co-founded a homeless shelter and I prayed to God…‘put me where I’m needed and where I can make an impact.’ I wanted a ‘spiritual reassignment,’ preferably somewhere warm, ” he recalled. “I had never heard of Laredo; my wife had. Here at TAMIU, there was a chance to build something new. I fell in love with Laredo on my first visit. I wandered around downtown and everywhere people were so open and receptive,” he said. “My full recovery happened here. People helped me. Now I help others. My students do the same. Students can create change. One person can make a difference,” he assured. Asked how he would measure his impact and the success of his spiritual reassignment, he quickly and simply said, “When I’m gone, if people should talk about me, I want them to smile. That’s all.” “I fell in love with Laredo on my first visit. I wandered around downtown and everywhere people were so open and receptive.” - Dr. John Kilburn 5