After looking at the Temple Magnet School Web Site which I created, people asked me how I learned to create web sites and that I must have been using computers for a long time. I have also been asked how I became involved with creating web pages. So... here's the story. Actually I had one of the First Dental Computer systems on the market in the early 1980's. We were the first dental office in Temple. We upgraded our office system in 1986. 

It looks like I should know a lot about computers. The answer is actually... no. Neither of my systems were "IBM" type or Apple. We purchased software and had software support. Although I could look up information I needed and use the word processor, I knew very little about computers, and other computer programs. But I was comfortable using computers and having them around.
.

I purchased my first home computer in October 1995. I had never used a mouse, surfed the internet or used any of the wide variety of programs available today. I did have a great desire to become computer literate so that I could teach computer skills to my children. I quickly became a surfaholic. I purchased an internet account that had unlimited Internet use and I was off to the races. I really had no desire to publish or create web pages of my own. But...

I was asked to help with the Betune MEGA Elementary Home Page.  Bethune was the first school in the Centroplex with a web page.  I created the Bethune web site with a lot of trial and error, learned to write HTML in Note Pad and eventually utilized the first Netscape Web Composer. Today there are many Web Page Creation Programs. I still find I like the Netscape Composer the best because of it's simplicity. The Bethune site won numerous awards before it was upgraded and integrated into the Temple Magnet School Site.
.

At the end of the 1996 School year, the principal at Reagan, Vanny Bolsins, asked about creating a web page. About a month before that Sandy Sanders had an idea, and mentioned to the principals of the other two Temple Magnet Schools that they should join together on a Magnet School Web Page. The idea for Temple Magnet Schools was born. With an invitation to Meridith Magnet School, which was quickly accepted, we were off and running...again.

I studied school sites all over the net as well as top rated Magellan and point top 5% sites to see what was good and what other elementary schools were doing.  I quickly decided that most school sites are "boring". The state of the art was graphics, java, and conveying as much information in as few words as possible. The Internet was moving fast and I decided to keep the sites on the cutting edge as best I could. 

I created a web site for the Temple High School Girls Soccer Team. The team was formed Leanne's Freshman year and she has been a varsity starter all four years. She has been selected for the All District team all 4 years, and was selected as the district MVP Defense her senior year as well as the All Region Team. She received the first NCAA Division 1 Soccer Scholarship given to a Temple High School Girl.
.

I really never planned to create a web site for my office. Everyone around me thought that I should.

I decided that what I wanted to do was create an information web site about Dentistry, myself, my family and my office for my patients or anyone else who might want to know about modern dentistry. I want my patients to learn the real story about procedures that they read in magazines and saw on TV at least from my perspective. I decided that the internet really is a  "World Wide Web" and that a Web Site would not be effective for me as an effective marketing tool because my patients come mainly from the towns of Temple and Belton Texas. 

I must admit that it has been difficult keeping this web site current along with my parental responsibilities. I am by no means an expert on any particular aspect of Dentistry and encourage you to surf the net and look for other information and opinions about dentistry and procedures.

Thank you for reading "my story".
.
.