Mark Taylor is familiar to many of you. Mark, his wife Jo, and son Ben are long-time members of SMGA, and Jo was a founding board member. As a child Marked lived for three years on the edge of the Sahara in Libya followed by two years near Phoenix, and as he says, “Five years without trees greatly enhances your appreciation of trees.” Mark’s connection with nature was instilled through hiking and camping trips with his father, mother and brother. This connection has been reinforced with Jo’s active interest in nature, and shared with their son Ben, who, by the way also helps with trail crew. Mark and Ben continue to get away for outdoor trips as often as they can. Mark is a former city employee who assisted with a number of parkland acquisitions. Now he finds himself helping build trails in them on Thursday mornings. Some of you will recall Inga VanNynatten, the National Park Service staff member who helped get the Greenbelt Alliance organized. Mark makes a point of looking each day at a photograph Inga took, on which is said, “Through simplicity and close rapport with nature, one encounters the sacred”.
Steve Goodson has also had a lifelong interest in the outdoors and the environment, having grown up hiking, hunting, and fishing and today Steve is an avid hiker (you may well have seen him on our trails), birder, and surfer. He is a graduate of UT with English honors and taught high school English and Latin before receiving his law degree. His practice focused primarily on litigation related to maritime, transportation and energy claims. He continues his practice part time with a Houston law firm. Steve and his wife Gloria have lived in San Marcos permanently since June. He first discovered San Marcos through a connection with the Murray Harper family in the early 70s, and Steve has been coming to San Marcos on a regular basis in his time at UT. He even had the opportunity to assist Dr Joel Shiner of SMU, who some of you may remember kicked off the first serious archaeological project at Spring Lake. Steve is a member of Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Ducks Unlimited (though not a hunter), and other earth-conscious organizations. And he is a life member of SMGA! Steve would like to help us protect our natural areas for others, present and future, and hopes to bring his appreciation of the environment, his understanding of law, and his negotiation skills to the board.
