Shelley Pulliam
John E. Horan Garden Apartments
My experience living in housing when I was a young kid and a teenager was a very memorable one. I grew up in the once-called Franklin Terrace Apartments now the John Horan Garden Apartments. I grew up on Tacoma Rd (765 A to be exact). One of my best and fondest memories/experiences living in housing was the establishment of the Boys and Girls Club out in the Franklin Terrace (John Horan Garden Apartments) as opposed to being bused to the downtown Boys and Girls Club.
Being bused to the downtown Boys and Girls Club was a very good experience for me social-wise because I got to meet and become friends with a lot of kids outside of the Franklin Terrace (John Horan Garden Apartments). When the Boys and Girls Club did open up in the Franklin Terrace, it was also a very good experience because it gave us our own youth center to go to and have fun but it also brought other kids from different areas outside the Franklin Terrace which either maintained or enhanced my social experiences. From field trips to basketball and running club teams, it was something as a little kid that brings back the best of memories that I will never forget.
As a teenager, a very great opportunity I had through housing was having summer jobs and working for the Boys and Girls Club through the Housing Authority. Whether it was from being a lifeguard to just being one of the staff members, it was an opportunity to give younger kids wisdom and guidance while I was learning the same from the staffs of the multiple Boys and Girls Clubs. Having those opportunities to work helped me save money for college expenses. Overall, the experiences and opportunities I had yesterday, helped me become the person I am today.
I am currently a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) in the US Navy with 20 years of service, married for 17 years and am the father to four children.
