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Personals and Passions
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Personals and Passions…. |
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Family is very important to me, and the older I get, the more I get it. It is not by chance that the Haggard family has done well over the last five generations (maybe a little). Each generation has a responsibility to support, mentor and spend time together with extended family members so that values and heritage are passed down as well as hard lessons in life and money that have been learned by elders. It doesn’t sound that hard in theory, but when your talking about at a cousins level, it’s going to takes some effort and some outside help at times. We have a living structure in place that prepares us for that and I’m glad to help any family that might be going through similar growing pains. Not many families have achieved what we have achieved and found what we have found along the way. I’m a big believer in learning the Latin culture and language that is playing a larger role in economics today, especially in Texas. I grew up working on a farm and ranch with a Latin-American work force, many of which did not speak English but were a large part of our family and everyday lives– and still are. I studied with a private tutor for years to learn Spanish and spent part of my summers living with families in Cuernavaca, Mexico and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala while studying in language schools. A wise mentor once told me, “anybody can learn the language, but it does no good if you don’t understand the culture behind it”. Farming has been a large part of my life. An American Farmer Degree hangs on my wall, which I’m proud of. Even though I don’t earn a living farming, I still have a passion for getting my hands dirty. I still help out around what’s left of the family farm when I have time, mainly to unwind. I also have an organic vegetable garden every year with plenty of tomatoes, okra and squash! On the ranching side, I still have a passion for working cows and riding a young horse. We don’t have many cows any more, so it’s usually helping a friend on their ranch. I rode bucking horses and roped calves for the rodeo programs at West Texas State University then at Tarleton State University. I don’t look forward to riding a bucking horse any more, but still like to swing a rope when I get the chance. I’m an old house guy and don’t really care much for the new conventional homes being built across the country since the 1970’s. I live in a 1868 farm house that I moved from the path of progress in 1997 (as well as the barn). I have also restored three other historic homes and contribute time and money to help preserve important homes of Collin County. I hold my Private Pilot License and have flown a Cessna 150 & 152, Cessna 172, Cardinal 177, Piper Comanche 250 and a Cessna T210. I have my IFR (I Follow Rivers) and have completed my mountain flying instruction from an old bush pilot (“old” being the important part of that). I fly to Taos, NM and Steamboat, Colorado occasionally during the summers. I also have a passion for good music, whether it is jazz, rock, bluegrass, classical or country. I am not a big fan of the top 40 song lists on the radio. I played banjo and guitar in a bluegrass band while in college and wish I played more today. Out of all my experiences, I have realized that whatever I am involved with, I try to have fun, be treated as I would want to be treated, and keep things as simple as possible. I also see myself as a pioneer just like my Great-Great-Great Grandfathers, looking beyond the normal trends to make changes for the better. -Clint Haggard |
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Plano, Texas Aldridge House Renovation 2007– History |
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The Clark Home is 125 years old and moved from the path of progress and restored. Mi Casita! |
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This is the Clark barn, built in 1916 that was moved with the Clark home and restored. |
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Here I am teaching my son how to rope a dummy. |
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At the beach in Port Aransas, TX. Our family summer vacation tradition dating back when my dad was a child. |
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Mi huerto. Behind it is the old jail for the Collin County Farm (now my tool shed)
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I grew up farming and like to work hard and watch things grow. My family has been farming since 1856 in Plano, Texas, and still going…
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