And now, for the rest of the story...
I moved to Oaxaca in September 2022 after my partner, Susan Connor, and I
decided we needed to be together at any cost.
We paid the full price to be unbelievably happy and have never looked back.
Susan and I were high school buddies. We ran in different circles as 16 year olds - I to sports, she to the library - but we've always been good friends.
Susan became a civil rights lawyer, taught at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago for 37 years, and had stints as a State's Attorney and the Police Commissioner of Evanston Illinois. She ended her career in 2007 to become the heart and soul of The Oaxaca Learning Center (TOLC) in Oaxaca, Mexico.
TOLC was founded by an extraordinary man, Gary Titus, to serve the needs of indigent Mexican students who desperately needed tutorial help in a formal educational setting so they could compete equally with other kids from Oaxaca for spots at technical schools and universities.
It has been an astounding success since he started it 25 years ago. Gary died in 2007 and Susan promised him she would carry on his legacy. He would be very proud of her and the Oaxacan men and women who actually run and teach at TOLC.
From now on, the photographs and blog on these pages will reflect the wonderful life we have here in Oaxaca by showing life here in this beautiful city with its remarkably strong culture of artistry, love of the environment, and hard working families.
I have never felt so warmly loved, welcomed, or accepted in my life.
My hope is that the documentary photos of will shine through as clearly as the Oaxacan sun.
decided we needed to be together at any cost.
We paid the full price to be unbelievably happy and have never looked back.
Susan and I were high school buddies. We ran in different circles as 16 year olds - I to sports, she to the library - but we've always been good friends.
Susan became a civil rights lawyer, taught at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago for 37 years, and had stints as a State's Attorney and the Police Commissioner of Evanston Illinois. She ended her career in 2007 to become the heart and soul of The Oaxaca Learning Center (TOLC) in Oaxaca, Mexico.
TOLC was founded by an extraordinary man, Gary Titus, to serve the needs of indigent Mexican students who desperately needed tutorial help in a formal educational setting so they could compete equally with other kids from Oaxaca for spots at technical schools and universities.
It has been an astounding success since he started it 25 years ago. Gary died in 2007 and Susan promised him she would carry on his legacy. He would be very proud of her and the Oaxacan men and women who actually run and teach at TOLC.
From now on, the photographs and blog on these pages will reflect the wonderful life we have here in Oaxaca by showing life here in this beautiful city with its remarkably strong culture of artistry, love of the environment, and hard working families.
I have never felt so warmly loved, welcomed, or accepted in my life.
My hope is that the documentary photos of will shine through as clearly as the Oaxacan sun.