I looked back at the pictures I took at the Waskom rest stop last year, I stopped when I saw the picture of Tom. Actually, I don’t remember his name – it might have been Tom.

What I do remember is every word of his story.

I first noticed Tom as I was shooting pictures of New Orleans evacuees searching through the stacks of clothes and shoes that had been staged at the Waskom rest stop.

While I found many people thankful for what was being offered, I found Tom unusually thankful and well spoken.

I continued to shoot but some 20 minutes later our paths crossed again. I decided to engage him in conversation. Being an engineer that is short on vocabulary and verbal skills, I think I said “Were you at the Superdome”?