Autobiography - The Galindo Group

Ram Galindo THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN Page 172
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While a senior in college I met the young Kirsten Madsen from Denmark, who was
visiting relatives in College Station. In 1960 the presence of an attractive, eligible girl
was not common around Texas A&M, which was a men-only military school set in the
isolated forests of the Brazos River Valley. As our friendship grew her host family, afraid
that it might get too serious for them to control, decided to send her back to Denmark. I
decided to accept her invitation to visit Europe with her, and after graduation I flew to
Copenhagen. Through a newspaper ad, we found someone who wanted a car delivered
in Paris and I was commissioned to drive it there. In Paris I picked up a small French
automobile that my father bought for me as a graduation gift and, with Kirsten, met both
my parents and sister Vivian in Switzerland.
The five of us toured Western Europe for nearly two months. We drove where we
wanted, when we wanted and stayed at any point of our choice. We had superb control
of our schedule and mobility. We visited every free country in the continent except for
Italy and Portugal. Europe’s hinterland is historical and beautiful and we got to see most
of it, albeit at a fairly rapid pace. We had many unforgettable adventures and met old
and new acquaintances who expanded my horizons at an accelerated rate. In addition
to all the learning that emerges from such an experience, Kirsten and I concluded that
we wanted to continue building our relationship. She decided to move to Texas to
pursue higher education and get to know me better.
Upon my return to Houston, where I had a job with the Texas Highway Department, the
Potters, my adopted Houston family, gladly accepted my request that Kirsten come live
with them while attending college. I contacted Father William Young, a Catholic priest
from the Basilian Order, at the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Houston who, at the
time, was director of admissions. I submitted Kirsten’s transcripts and although he had
never heard of me before, when I explained my request to accept Kirsten as a student,
he not only did so gladly but also offered to give her a part-time job in his own office to
help us out with expenses. This is how my lasting relationship with Father Bill Young
and the University of St. Thomas started.
Despite her father’s strenuous objections, soon Kirsten was installed as a live-in nanny
at the Potters and a student at UST, where she eventually received her teaching degree
in May 1963. From September 1960 to August 1961, I worked in Houston and was able
to help with her transportation needs. The next year, until we married June 1, 1962, with
the help of classmates who owned cars, the Potters were able to shuttle her back and
forth between home and school. This is clearly an example of how in America anyone
who wants to improve herself (or himself) can find somebody willing to help.
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