A Son Draws Strength From His Dad’s Fight To Build A Better Life
The sounds of Texas.

Courtesy Diaz family
With the coronavirus ravaging the economy, Joshua Diaz, far right, was looking for wisdom. That got him thinking about his dad, Derek. After years of success as a builder in Michigan, Derek faced major setbacks when the economy cratered in 2008. He and his family moved to Texas for a new start. As it turned out, though, he needed a couple of new starts – and he got them. Joshua says it was his dad's tenacity that helped his family through hard times.
“He packed up my mom, my sister and me, and we all moved to Texas.”
“I was offered to come to Beaumont, Texas to build a restaurant. … It quickly became as bad, or worse than what I left in Michigan. I went on unemployment twice.”
“But life still wasn’t done throwing hurdles in the way of my dad’s big plans.”
“I had a minor setback here with COVID-19, but I think I have the arrows in my quiver to understand it. Stay calm, keep moving.”
If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.
Most viewed right now

Final version of bill to end vehicle inspections heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk

The Texas legislative session wraps up today. Here’s where major bills stand.

Taylor Swift tour brings end of an era for ticket resellers in Texas

Republican-led Texas House impeaches state Attorney General Ken Paxton

State budget writers strike deal on $321.3 billion two-year spending proposal

Texas gets sued a lot. A new, Abbott-appointed court may soon handle those lawsuits.

Final version of bill to end vehicle inspections heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk

The Texas legislative session wraps up today. Here’s where major bills stand.

Taylor Swift tour brings end of an era for ticket resellers in Texas

Republican-led Texas House impeaches state Attorney General Ken Paxton

State budget writers strike deal on $321.3 billion two-year spending proposal
