Mr. Darrell Shine is the main reason I am now a surveyor.
I am merely one of hundreds who have been directly
positively influenced by this man.
DD as many call him, was one of kind, and will live on
in our memories as one of the greatest men ever to
be a land surveyor in Texas.
His love of the youth, and actions taken when it came to making
sure that everyone that wanted to learn, had a way to is only
one way that Mr. Shine walked his talk.
His silent acts of benevolence will never be known as
like so many of his generation, he did what was right, always.
Never a thought to do wrong to others. His gentleness
was only equal to his toughness as he was surveying in
the field, walking and looking for evidence up to the past
few months. I for sure do not have the only stories or
feel the loss any more than countless surveyors all over
our Great State. I did appoint myself as president of the Darrell
Shine fan club, and to this day he has not vetoed it, nor have I
been openly contested. Just some humor, as humor is one
of the main fuels like Love of family that fueled Darrell.
God Rest Mr. Shine, as he has been the most positive influence
on me in land surveying, generousity, and giving back to the
great profession of land surveying. I am so proud that I had
the experiences with him and others who make up the few who
were there when Texas began licensing surveyors in 1955.
As I feel a loss, I also feel a happiness, as Darrell has been long
waiting to see his awesome wife Barbara and the day has come.
If you are reading this, whether you knew Darrell or not, what a
great time to take action and to what he always did. When asked
a survey question, he always took the time to help and ask questions
of me to help me help myself.
Please do your best to be a mentor to others as that is what Shine
was really all about. He always saw the youth as the future, and
his actions spoke much louder than his pretty unique and easy to
hear, one of kind, voice. Can’t you hear him now, “A miracle Greater
than the Virgin Birth”… Darrell knows we are sad and I think
he wants us to remember the pranks, tricks, and fun he had and
brought into so many of our lives.
Thank you Darrell for your time, energy, passion, and patience.
We all will miss you and be grateful for what experiences we had.
Sincerely,
Robert Young
Texas RPLS 5400
I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Shine while working at Shine & Johnston, Inc. He never failed to walk in the building to ask if I was ‘keep ‘em in line?’.
When asked by anyone where one of his maps or field notes were at, he NEVER hesitated to walk directly to the filing cabinet that held the exact document you needed. Then in Darrell Shine fashion you recieved the history lesson with your inquiry. ‘Sharp as a tack’ is the exact thought that comes to mind upon our last visit in February 2012.
It was a great honor to know him and a great honor to view his years of work on a daily basis.
Rest In Peace, Darrell Shine
Sincerely,
Bliss Sims
Thank you for your nail on head memory
of Shine man.
May he rest in PEACE!
Robert, thank you so very much for this moving tribute to my Daddy. I am hearing this over and over, and you can’t know how this lessons the enormous sense of loss my sisters and I feel. I am sure that you can imagine that he was a phenomenal father. He always told me that “he would kill a bear for me” when I was a little girl, yet he was tough as nails as a disciplinarian. The first thing he asked me every day when he got home from work was “did you get your lessons yet?” And heaven help the boys that courted his three daughters! My husband of 35 years had just about gotten his approval that he was good enough for me by the time Daddy died! Yet this is the same man who bought me a horse and took me out to the woods he loved for the two of us to ride together alone where he would teach me about the trees, the animals and the history.
He gave us all a tremendous work ethic, and we were good students and are all as driven as he was. I banked on his name for my entire life, wherever I went, his reputation smoothed my road and established immediate trust from others.
All three of us adored Daddy, as did the 4 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He was truly one-of-a-kind, my Daddy.
Again thank you for this tribute.
We all miss your daddy and I assure you I am very blessed to have known him, worked with him, and had fun with him.
Most of all to capture just a little of DD Shine on video is going to be a blessing to many for a long time, I pray.
Sincerely,
Robert Young