Ill bet you didn’t know that I love Modesto. I love living here, raising my kids here and being a part of a community that loves to create things, get things done and most of all looks out for each other. Thank you all so much for the support last month as we Walked the Stage for United Way and Walked a Mile in Her Shoes for Haven. You were all so generous and we did some great work for great organizations.
I love bikes. If you didn’t know, I grew up bicycle racing here in Modesto and during college as well. I loved that sport so much, that instead of getting a job as a systems analyst or programmer back in 1984 ( I know what you are thinking) I went to work in the cycling world, working at Raleigh, SR Sakae and then finally as Global Marketing Director for Specialized. So it is great pride that we bring the Amgen Tour of California back to Modesto as the start of Stage 2 – Modesto to San Jose. Please join our community on the morning of May 15 as elite cyclists from around the world depart our city. They eyes of the cycling world will be on us and we should be proud and Modesto is on the way to becoming a good cycling city.
I love Star Wars. I was there at the Briggsmore Theatre in 1977 for the premiere and since then, the film and science fiction world has never been the same since. George Lucas had already made American Graffiti about Modesto and then, he delivers Star Wars and becomes a global household word. Yes friends, Modesto is the home of George Lucas and Star Wars and we will be celebrating on our own special day, May the 4th. (You get this right?) It has been 40 years since the first Star Wars and it may be just one of the most famous things in the world and it came from a guy from Modesto.
I love Festivals; Chocolate, Fruit and Nut, Apricot, music and art. These are the things that bring our community together so that we can all celebrate. Festivals, concerts in the parks and fairs all connect us and make us feel like family. We are getting ready for a big summer of fun as MoBand and Graffiti Summer are right around the corner.
I love my family. This is really what everything is all about. Period. My life would not be what it is without my wife Rebecca and my amazing Murphy girls, Madison and Abigail. And now with Ryan, our family is even more complete. As May is Mother’s day, I celebrate what an amazing mom Rebecca is and what an excellent role model she is for our daughters as they become moms in the future. My mom, Char Murphy Tunison deserves an award for surviving raising me and teaching me curiosity and the value of learning. I owe my current life to my mother in law Vivian McNulty as she saw the potential in me that Rebecca hadn’t seen yet back in 1982 when I was a bike racing college student.
The person that I am today comes from all of these things. The ability to learn, understand and create makes life more interesting and hopefully I share that excitement and curiosity with all of you. We are all participants and we are here to share the good times and the bad and be there to support each other. I am grateful for the businesses that advertise in this magazine so that we can spread the good word about all of these things to you and your friends. We must tell our good stories and we need you all to share them. That is what creates community.
So celebrate all of this that makes our community special and I thank you so very much for reading ModestoView and sharing your stories. We are all richer for it.
