About his quite adventurous life, Ronald (Ron) Edwards says, “None of it would have been possible without pivotal people that entered my life while growing up in Devine.” A few of those are the following: “Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Hellums. Coach Satcher and Mrs. Satcher, Coach Hooks, Coach Steward, Coach Flores, Mrs. Foss, Mrs. Langley, Mr. Lorraine, and Mr. Bendele.” He adds, “These folks believed in me and helped embed the never quit attitude.”
After graduating from DHS in 1990, Ron joined the US Navy as an AW SAR crewman (Search and Rescue Swimmer) aboard H-60 helicopters. During his time in the Navy, he also became a Combat Search and Rescue crewman and deployed to the Middle East in support of Operations Desert Storm and to Mogadishu, Somalia, in support of Operations Restore Hope. During his time in the Navy, Ron traveled to such exotic places as Hong Kong, Singapore, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Somalia, Australia, Italy, and Portugal.
Ron separated from his service duties in 1995 and then attended college at Texas A&M, earning his BS degree in Construction Science. Next, he attended Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, earning his Master of Science degree in Subsea Engineering. This study provides technical knowledge of development and operation of subsea technologies and systems, providing sound engineering principles and analysis methods for the installation of subsea systems.
Ron’s subsequent work in the oil and gas business has taken him to places all over the world: Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Gabon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, France, UK, Mexico, Brazil, UAE, Norway, The Netherlands, and Brunei. Presently, Ron lives in Brunei. For those less traveled, Brunei is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. He is being joined by his family at the end of this school year.
Ron and his wife, Rachel, have two children. Owen is twelve and loves football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. Lily, age ten, is a swimmer and loves horseback riding. Ron shares that he met Rachel, who he proudly claims as “a fellow Fighting Texas Aggie, Class of 1999,” in San Antonio shortly after his college graduation. She is an elementary school teacher who is currently working on her master’s degree. Rachel has taught school in Corpus Christi, Boerne, and Lagos, Nigeria. Currently, the family lives in Boerne where they are members of St. John Lutheran Church and where the children are attending school, eagerly awaiting the move to Brunei.
Perhaps Ron’s love of traveling began during his service in the Navy. Perhaps travel is why he joined the Navy. Either way, he has traveled extensively not only in his work but as a tourist. Some countries he mentions are the following: Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, South Africa, Poland, England, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and The Czech Republic.
Despite the myriad places he has visited, Ron says he loves “getting to visit Texas” every chance he gets. He adds, “My job is very challenging and fulfilling at the same time, but I really have to say that the most exciting part is being able to see my children grow up in an international environment, which brings a lot of exposure to cultures and people from diverse backgrounds.”