MEMORIES
by Tim Kennedy
L-R, Karen Hurst, Tracy Davenport, Imre Szekelyhidi, Christine Lamar and Shogun (Tracy's dog).
Summer 1977 - Rattlesnake Island (Starnes Island, Lake Travis).
I eventually served as Vice-President, President, Equipment Officer and Club Instructor. After finishing my education as an undergraduate and graduate student, I continued to enjoy the club as a UT employee, and eventually became USC faculty/staff advisor.
Dana Mardaga, left front; Kirk Gray, right front.
Maggie Bray, middle row, 3rd from left. Tim Kennedy with "horns" back row.
Club Dive - July 1978; Port Aransas, Texas.
The club has provided me endless memories over the years. I remember the 1978 club trip to a very primitive Roatan and the young diver who brandished his Christmas spear gun as we walked through the New Orleans airport. He wanted to take that gun on his first ocean dive, which was also his first night dive. I managed to talk him out of it.
I remember many trips to Lake Amistad, beginning in 1977 when the lake was only 7 years old. I often caught a ride with the late Jerry Johnson and would enjoy listening to him talk to his radio friends as we returned on the back roads of the hill country.
I recall our regular campouts at Canyon Lake and the time a sheriff's deputy shined a spotlight on me as I enjoyed a midnight skinny-dip with a fellow club member. "Our judge in these parts don't take kindly to nekkid swimmers," he said as I wondered how long I could hold my breath if I attempted an underwater escape.
I can remember paying $15 to dive oil rigs out in the Gulf of Mexico. The Coastal Bend Dive Club would run us out to the 10 mile rigs in their Boston Whalers. We would save money by Camping for free on the beach. One night a fierce windstorm came up and blew down the tents. I soon had about 10 people in my truck camper. I crawled to the front seat to crash.
Left, white shirt, R.P. Watson; blue shirt, Andrew Donoho;
Red shirt, Tim Kennedy; Maggie Bray, far right.
Spring Break 1980 - Las Palmeras, Cozumel
I remember monthly dives to Jacob's Well in the late 1970's. I'd wait for my classes to end because we could only dive the Well on weekdays. How sad that divers aren't allowed to enjoy that place any more.
I remember our weekly Friday night dives at Windy Point in the mid-1980s. I would dive on Friday night, camp out, and then spend Saturday windsurfing. One night as we enjoyed some post-dive BBQ, we saw a boat erupt into flames in the main part of the lake. As I untethered my sailboard to attempt a rescue, another boat come to their aid. The news the next day told of an unfortunate accident that cost the life of one of the boaters. Two weeks later, the story changed when the dead man floated to the surface wearing a necklace of chains and concrete and sporting a bullet hole in his head.
I've enjoyed many Caribbean trips with the club. Besides Roatan in 1978, there was Belize in 1979; Cozumel in 1980,'81 and '92; Cayman Brac in 1986 and a Blackbeard's Cruise to the Bahamas in 1985. The '92 Cozumel trip included a UT physics professor (I'm sure he was familiar with Boyle's Law.) who had been certified in 1965. He suffered a serious lung overexpansion accident on out first dive. The dive guide was nice enough to ask us if we wanted to take him to the hospital right away or wait until after our second dive. Luckily, he make it to the recompression chamber in time.
Dave Senecal, left; Nancy Ledbetter, U.U.S. President, right.
May 1982 - Lake Amistad, Texas
In my 23-year relationship with the club, I've seen RLM 4.102 so packed that people were sitting in the aisles. I've also seen the club when it was literally down to one student. I've seen periods where the club has sponsored consecutive weekly dives for several months, and I've seen the club spend several months without a single dive. Because of all my fond memories, I hope the club continues to be a strong presence on the UT campus for another 35 years.
University Scuba Club - The Early Years
Copyright © Tim Kennedy - April 16, 1999