Where Are They Now?

Tomas Daniel grew up on a dairy outside of Dublin, and spent his childhood roaming around the countryside. “My friend and I would just be gone all day, from dusk until dawn, and nobody asked us anything,” he said. “We’d come home covered in scrapes and bruises, but nothing serious. We just knew how to take care of each other.”

Daniel’s adventurous childhood led him to a career of military service, dangerous climbs and cross-country travel. Now, he’s taking it easy as he heals from a car accident, but has plans to find work in West Texas in the future.

Before he graduated high school, Daniel married and started a family. When he earned his diploma in 1994, he decided to join the Army. “I figured I’d do something for my wife and my child to get us benefits,” he said.

Daniel entered basic training in March of 1995, and was sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, then Fort Gordon, Georgia, for advanced individual training, and was then deployed to South Korea for a year.

Although his advanced training was in telecommunications, Daniel did a little bit of everything in the Army. “In the military they train you to do some of everything,” he said. “I was cleaning toilets, helping in the kitchen, and doing yard work too. I went out with the grunts or stayed to help with the bunkers. It was fun; it was adventurous.”

Daniel also appreciated the practical value of the training he received. “I liked the fact that I got my combat lifesaver training,” he said. “I learned basic first aid, CPR, tourniquets; it was really interesting.”

Daniel’s first marriage ended while he was in the Army, and in 1999, while stationed in Fort Leavenworth, he met his second wife, who was in the Marines. Daniel’s military service ended in 2001, just a few months before 9/11.

“After 911, everything kind of went downhill, and it was hard to find good work,” he said. “I just happened to find an article in the San Antonio classifieds looking for people that were willing to climb [telecommunication towers].”

Daniel had never climbed a tower before, but he’d never been scared of heights, so he decided to apply. They hired him, and he started out in Lafayette, LA. He found he enjoyed the thrill of climbing high above the ground for different jobs, but he missed home.

After six months, he returned to Texas to work for Nielsen TV Ratings. “I was one of the installers that put the equipment in people’s homes so [the company] could tell how many viewers watched whatever channel or TV show,” Daniel said.

He left that job in 2002, spent a year working in telecommunications for CellularOne, then found a job at an Austin-based company called Trillion Partners Inc., which provides internet communication services to schools across the country.

“We would bid for a job at a school, and if we got it we would come in and install our own monopoles, or towers,” he said. “The state would give money to whoever had the best bid. And we’d come in and put a whole network in for all these schools so they were all linked together.”

Many of the schools Daniel worked at were in low-income districts, and he and his team had to build the systems from the bottom up. “We built networks in California, Colorado, Florida, and all throughout Texas,” he said. “We stayed real busy and I traveled a lot.”

Daniel’s favorite part of the job was meeting the people. “I did a lot with the actual admin of the school principals all the way down to the IT guys,” he said. “I met a lot of people and [I appreciated] the confidence and trust they had in me.”

After the 2008 financial crash, Daniel — and around half the company — was laid off, and he had to find other work. He decided to go back to his earlier skill as a climber, and began contracting for different businesses around Texas.

“When I was contracting as a climber, my highest climb was 700 feet — and that’s without any assistance, just my equipment,” he said.

Daniel worked as a contractor for a few years, until a car accident left him unable to work for a while. He’s getting better slowly, and has worked a few parttime jobs.

“Once I heal from this accident, I might try to find work in West Texas,” he said. “I’ve got basic hand tool skills, I can take some stuff apart and put it back together, and I know how to do networking and electrical work. I have different licenses in different fields.”

For now though, he’s living near Dublin, taking odd jobs and helping out his parents when they need it. “I help them if they need stuff moved around, and they volunteer at the Dublin food pantry twice a month so I go help them with that,” he said.

When he has free time, Daniel enjoys reading and spending time with his family and friends. His parents and sister, Cecilia Daniel, live in the area, as well as some of his friends from school.

In 2019, Daniel was featured on the History Channel episode about the Erath County UFO sightings. “I’ve been seeing these things since I was in Kindergarten out in Alexander and nobody believed me,” he said. “I’m pretty proud of being on [that episode].”

Although his life has not been without setbacks, Daniel appreciates the small things in life. “I’m grateful for just being able to live to see the next day and just happy to be able to wake up,” he said.

Daniel’s advice to Dublin graduates is to always prioritize strong relationships in life. “Regardless of what little spats you may have, always keep in mind that your family comes first, along with true friends,” he said.

Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.