I turned 16 in 1982 in Houston got my drivers license.

Remember it well.

I was born at the end of 1983, so I clearly don't remember 1982. May God bless you for calling me a youngster.

And crash it did! Been married all of 6 months. Got laid off from a South Tx ranch (natural gas was paying the bills). Took 6 months to find a job. But young and dumb. It was good times!

A Net Full of Jello said:

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I was born at the end of 1983, so I clearly don't remember 1982. May God bless you for calling me a youngster.

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Considering I was in my 20s when you were born, yes, you are a youngster. Doesn't mean the same as you don't know history but you didn't live it first hand.

A Net Full of Jello said:

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I was born at the end of 1983, so I clearly don't remember 1982. May God bless you for calling me a youngster.

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Well, that's no excuse. Just because you weren't born.

15 that year. I look back on that year fondly.

I was 12 and I believe my dad worked for HNG, and we had just moved back to Corpus.

Jackie Sherrill (highest paid coach in cfb), Gary Kubiak…my sophomore year in Aston Hall.

Going into year 2 of Reagan's first term, many people were still hurting financially with recession economics caused by Carter and Reagan was trying to use The Fed to fix it. A lot of pain.

But not in Texas.

Was in my junior year at A&M. But the 80s bust was already underway in summer 1982. I couldn't get a good summer internship so I got a summer job at the new McDonald's on SW parkway and business 6.

When I graduated in Chemical Engineering in May 1983, less than 10% of us had a professional job to go to. I was in the 90% majority.

what year were the oil crashes?

TyHolden said:

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what year were the oil crashes?

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Where? Makes a difference.

TyHolden said:

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what year were the oil crashes?

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The bottom fell out in 1986-87, although in retrospect there had been clear signs of decline for a few years prior.

Wife was geophysics grad 1981. All 13 in her class got multiple fantastic job offers

Class of 1982 got 2 or 3 for entire (larger) class

'82 was a damn good year to be a senior in high school. Many things flowed freely.

Most things not so easy, coming out of A&M in '86.

No 20-minute expose on early 80's Texas culture and fashion is complete without mentioning parachute pants. I give it a B-.

The amount of money being made was unbelievable. Just friggin easy unbelievable. Nobody asked for a quote on anything, just get it here ASAP.

And then it happened.

Reagan was president. We were in the early stages of rebuilding the military after the Vietnam drawdown. Tightened up enlistment standards to require a high school diploma (or equivalent) and drug-free. On the way toward a 600 ship navy and more cool stuff for the other services.

The US youngsters beating the Soviet Union pros in ice hockey in 80 was a turning point in national mood. Reagan was elected in the fall of 80, and the Iranians released our hostages in January of 81 immediately after he was inaugurated because they knew he wasn't gonna take their **** like Carter did.

I graduated high school in 82 and enlisted in the service.

Good times, even with the oil bust in Texas.

Houses were selling dirt cheap. I remember one went for $20,000. True, it needed some work. But even in those days that was a bargain.

Come boom or bust, we are still very lucky to have been in Texas for a lot of our lives. Were times in the past better? With smaller towns and local merchants? Yeah. Small town in Texas living was low key and easier.

They could go 5000 feet deep in the Austin Chalk!

Think a Rolls Royce dealership opened between Midland and Odessa in that era.

Pretty impressive what AI bots are cranking out on YouTube now.

Worked at my Dads company after school in Pasadena during that time, good times.

Couple of years later he had to lay off his son. Later told me that was the hardest thing he ever had to do .

annie88 said:

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A Net Full of Jello said:

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I was born at the end of 1983, so I clearly don't remember 1982. May God bless you for calling me a youngster.

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Well, that's no excuse. Just because you weren't born.

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Right!?

Slackers!

I was 11 in 1982.

aggiehawg said:

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Since I was in law school back then but essentially living on my own, what a time! Then it all just crashed.

For those who were not around then, enjoy.

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My fish year. Soon afterward many of the upperclassmen in the Corps were frantically changing majors out of Petroleum Engineering. Saw a lot of them walking around campus with nonreg hair after they finished their senior year and they tried to make up ground after switching to something else.

I graduated from the MSLD program in the wake of the oil crash AND a massive wave of RTC foreclosures wanting to be a real estate developer. Had to tread water about ten years to start my intended career.

outofstateaggie said:

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Back in 82!

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He could throw a football over a mountain!

I turned 16 years old in 1982.

When I graduated from college in May of 1989, A&M graduated only 3 Petroleum Engineering majors. I wonder how many, if any, of them had jobs.

Yes located on Hwy 80 near the Midland Airport between M&O. I believe at one point in time it was selling more RR's per capita in the world. Also, fancy department store Sakowitz out of Houston opened in Midland Park Mall. Then a few years later the largest independent bank collapse at that time happened when the First National Bank of Midland failed. The two 40 story skyscrapers proposed for downtown Midland never came to fruition after the bust.

The video kept referencing the "urban cowboy" look and lifestyle. That died out no later than 1980. There may have been some hangers-on in Houston and with those in the oil industry, but it certainly wasn't "mainstream" as the video suggests. People were still watching the TV series Dallas (fewer than a couple of years prior), but they weren't dressing like that anymore. For younger folks, the Magnum PI look -- polo shirts, etc. -- had taken over. Older (over 40) dressed conservatively.

The school "uniform" in those days was some shirt -- anything from a t-shirt (often a rock concert one) to a polo to a OCBD -- and...jeans. We would have killed to be able to wear shorts, even if it meant the longer variety that came out a decade later.