Our Volunteer of the Month for this month is Joe Speier.  You might not have encountered him unless you have gone to the Resource Center on  Thursday morning.  He helps run the Information Desk then. He says quite a few people come by with questions for him and his co-worker on a typical Thursday morning. SeniorComp also has its Open Lab that morning, so several people from there pass through the Center.

Joe has had a couple of unique experiences I want to tell you about, but first let’s talk about his careers – in this case in the plural.  Joe has been at  various times a Civil Service Employee, real estate agent, H&R Block tax counselor, and an Air Force Civil Service Personnel officer. During his military service in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he served in the 5^th AF in Australia, New Guinea, and the Phillipines. His time in Air Force Civil Service was spent in San Antonio, Del Rio, Alaska, and Nevada. Joe is a native San Antonian, and earned a college degree at St. Mary’s University here in San Antonio. He also earned a private pilot’s license  in 1947.

Joe’s volunteer service has been just as varied.  He has volunteered in
VITA & TCE (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs) doing tax returns, as a docent for the Institute of Texan Cultures (18 years), and as a volunteer host (4 years) in a Hospitality suite at the Alamo Dome.  He also belonged at one time to the Helotes Lions Club, and he is now volunteering at the Alamo PC  Information Desk in the Resource Center on Thursday mornings.  In addition to all the above, he also is quite active in his church.

And how have computers fit into this?  Joe bought his first home computer back in the early 80’s - so many years ago that it didn’t come with a monitor so you had to hook it up to the black and white TV set.  It could only be used for simple games.  Then he bought a laptop which lasted until the battery died.  Since the battery cost $100 the laptop got tossed away. Next came a second-hand Windows 3.1 machine in the mid 90’s, and the beginning of classes with AlamoPC.  He soon decided to update, and bought a machine with Windows 98SE – his current computer.
He uses his computer for typical activities: e-mail, internet, and some local programs he likes.

Now what about those unusual experiences? Let’s see if you can come anywhere near matching them: He went fishing in Mazatlán, México and caught a huge 175 pound Marlin. Joe also witnessed the detonation of 2 Atomic Bombs in Nevada in the fall of 1957. Certainly unique, no?

You notice what we have here: a man who is widely experienced in life, who likes and uses computers, and who willingly volunteers his time to help several organizations, including AlamoPC. We are lucky to have his presence.  Anybody else want to volunteer a little time?