Before anything else, how do you pronounce your last name?
Hooh-la but Hoock-la is how most of my friends pronounce it.

How long have you worshiped at Saint Philip’s?
My wife, Betsy, and I first came to Tucson in 1981 and worshiped here until we moved away in 1985. We returned to Tucson to retire last year and came right back to this parish.

Where have you been since 1985?
All over the world—Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia (where most of my current consulting is).

How did that come about?
I’m a geoscientist so my work took me to all those places. But travel is also part of Betsy’s and my nature. We’ve lived in seven different places in the western United States with multiple assignments in Houston, and have vacationed in many parts of the world.

Would you expound on that?
Both my parents were Polish refugees who survived some of the worst brutality of World War II. My mother was in a Soviet concentration camp in Siberia with her parents and siblings as a child. Her father and one brother died in the camp, and another brother was conscripted into the Red Army.

When the Soviets joined the Allies, the family survivors left the Soviet Union in a trek with others. My grandmother, mother, and her brother were the last survivors of their family. My grandmother died in Kazakhstan during this arduous journey.

My mother and her brother ended up in an orphanage in Palestine. At that time, it was a British protectorate. She attended high school there and then, when Israel became a state in 1948, she was moved by the orphanage to England.

My father escaped Poland when the Germans invaded. He joined the Free Polish Army and ended up fighting with the 2nd Polish Corps attached to the British 8^th Army. He fought in the Middle East, North Africa, and Italy. Because he fought with the British, at the end of the war he was allowed to immigrate to England. That’s where my parents met.

Because of the war, they became people without a country for the next 40 years.

How did that happen?
They lost all of their documents during World War II and their country of birth (Poland) became a satellite of the Soviet Union.

My father was a mining engineer and whenever work took him to different countries, he and my mother used travel documents provided by whatever country they lived in at the time.

They settled in Chile—which is where I was born and raised—and came to the United States on a work visa. They became proud American citizens in 1980.

When did you learn English?
I spoke only Polish until I was 5. I learned English and Spanish in kindergarten.

What about Saint Philip’s appeals to you?
It’s just the right size—not too small and not too big. It’s also very welcoming and we feel at home. It’s also beautiful. When considering where to retire one of the things that helped us decide on Tucson was Saint Philip’s in the Hills. It was definitely a consideration that tipped the scales.

Can you say more about why?
We had deep roots in Texas so rebuilding community and friends at our age can be challenging. But we believed it could happen at Saint Philip’s—and a year later we think we made the right choice.

Were you raised in a faith tradition?
I was raised a Roman Catholic. Betsy was raised an Episcopalian so when we decided to marry, we compromised and I became Episcopalian!

The transition was easy as I attended Phillips Exeter Academy which has an Episcopal tradition.

Why is it important for you to be part of a church community?
One reason is simple: the quiet, thoughtful, contemplative time. The other reason is to give back and contribute in a meaningful way. An ethic which Exeter instills in its students is “non sibi” (Latin for “not for self”). Betsy and I have always looked for opportunities where we might add value, and have contributed to numerous causes for the last 15-20 years.

And as parishioners, it’s important for us to contribute to the community beyond the parish as much as it is to support parishioners.

Wanting to support others stems from your own experience, correct?
I’ve seen firsthand what communities can do to support people. My parents made friends and were supported by communities everywhere they went. A central event in our family’s life demonstrated that.

My dad was in a terrible mine accident in Chile when I was four years old and we lived in a little company mining town. He was sent to Santiago where he was in a coma for about three months and in the hospital for over a year.

My mother joined him right away and my two siblings and I stayed in town—parceled out to different families for six months before we joined our parents. Everyone helped our family in that time of need.

What’s something you know now that your younger self didn’t?
In spite of my parents’ history, they raised us to be independent and to believe that anything is possible. I recognize now how fragile our lives are and how much we depend on others.

You had a recent health challenge, correct?
I got Bell’s palsy—an unexplained, sudden episode that weakens or paralyzes facial muscles. 75% of people recover but 25% don’t—and I didn’t know what would happen in my case. Half my face collapsed and there was nothing I could do.

Right after I was diagnosed I sat in the doctor’s office feeling sorry for myself. And then I thought of my dad.

Due to his accident, the resulting severe brain injury led to paralysis of one side of his face, and caused him to lose one eye and all hearing in one ear. His cognitive abilities remained intact but he lived with that injury until he died at 93.

I was lucky to suffer with Bell’s for only two months!

What gets better as you get older?
Betsy will tell you that what hasn’t gotten better is my impatience!

One might think that with age I would become more patient; that I’d kick back and relax. But I don’t feel that way. My time on earth is limited so I don’t have the patience to sit around and wait.

What has gotten better is that the stresses of life have lessened. We have a nice home in a nice city and belong to a great church. And we have three children and 6 grandchildren (and one more on the way) to direct our energy.

And there’s a flexibility in my schedule I never had before. I now have freedom of time and that’s incredibly valuable.

What’s a lesson you still have to master?
To listen carefully. Part of the problem is that Betsy and I challenge each other intellectually. When we have a disagreement, I’m already thinking about my response before I actually hear what she says. I try to catch myself and not do that but it’s challenging.

What’s something you’re proud of?
My family…my wife, three amazing children and our amazing grandkids. That’s our main legacy.

My personal success in life? I’ve been fortunate to have been a successful explorer, but I’m most proud of my ethics and reputation as a scientist. But none of my success would have been possible without Betsy’s support and encouragement.

I led big teams of people for much of my career and I believe that part of our success as a team was that I was a fair leader and prized innovative thinking by listening and respecting individual ideas.

And, I’d say I’m proud of having reached a point that—because of our success—we’re able to give back.

What’s one of your core values?
That everyone has intrinsic value—regardless of who they are or where they come from. Part of that comes from being an immigrant myself.

The political rhetoric among some is that immigrants are bad people invading this country. There are few factors more important that immigration in building the greatness of our country.

What’s something unexpected in your life for which you’re grateful?
This parish. What’s unexpected is that we didn’t appreciate how many different ways we might contribute and benefit.

How are you involved at Saint Philip’s?
I started volunteering my skills as a handyman because I really love fixing stuff. That’s at the root of who I am. I like to fix things.

But then I got distracted with the grounds—fixing fountains and trimming or removing trees. I’m interested in contributing to the physical infrastructure of the church so its beauty can be enhanced and, consequently, bring people pleasure.

What’s one of your super powers?
Leading by example.

Betsy and I talk about this a lot. It’s important to contribute financially because it helps sustain the church. But if we do that and lead by example then it provides another dimension of what giving means. I think that then enhances the credibility of any leader, and might inspire others to step in and help, as well.

What’s something about you that friends say they really appreciate?
I think they appreciate my honesty and candor.

My leadership style didn’t include molly coddling. I would speak up respectfully—to both my direct reports as well as upline.

I had to say things that I honestly felt and believed. The result was that people trusted me when I said something. They knew I wasn’t speaking to gain their acceptance or ingratiate myself.

What might people be surprised to learn about you?
That I used to be very shy. I was quiet. Now Betsy claims she can’t get a word in edgewise.

What prompted that change?
Having a family which forces one to connect with others. And my work. As a leader I had to engage with my team members and company leadership, something I found I really liked.

What’s a fun fact about you?
My son Robert and I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, which has an elevation of 19, 340′ and 7″. We were both in excellent shape but, nevertheless, ended up crawling to the top because of altitude sickness. I don’t think we’d have made it but for the support of our guides and encouraging each other. Lots of life lessons in that climb including resilience, perseverance, and dependence on others.