1/ Merit badges, baseball games and a BIG earthquake!

This is my Father's Day Story.

The year: 1989
The place: San Francisco Bay Area
My age: 17 years and 360 days old

This is a story of how I learned what being a father is all about.

2/ I grew up in the Bay Area, oldest of 4 siblings. I graduated high school 1989 (Go Dons!) and headed off to BYU in the Fall. I had everything pretty well put together but I had ONE crucial thing I hadn't finished - the paperwork to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

3/ My dad didn't have the chance to chance to finish his Eagle Scout and so he was motivated to pull me across thh finish line. After all, we had done the Eagle Project all the other requirements... but as is the case with typical seniors... I was interested in other things!

4/ Rules are rules though - you have to get your Eagle Scout before you turn 18. So dad asked me to come back from school (just weeks in!) on the weekend of October 15th, 1989 to have my Eagle Court and submit my paperwork.

5/ I come back on a Friday, get my stuff together, breeze through my Eagle Court on Saturday (the Boy Scout equivalent of defending your thesis) and I'm set to go back to Utah. BUT...

6/ THIS WAS 1989 and it was the BATTLE OF THE BAY. The San Francisco Giants vs. the Oakland Athletics in the World Series! I grew up an A's fan and my dad is a native Bay Area guy... so everyone was SUPER excited.

7/ Me: "Dad! Do you have tickets to the game on Tuesday?!"
Dad: "Yes, but you're going back to school."
"Bummer", I said...

So I headed back to BYU and dad put my Eagle papers in an envelope to take with him to the office and mail in.

My 18th birthday would be on Friday.

8/ Fast forward to Tuesday, Game 3 of the World Series at Candlestick Park. Dad is headed to the game, he's casually late (he likes to avoid traffic and crowds).

He's on his way across the pedestrian bridge when a 6.9 earthquake hits 70 miles south near Santa Cruz.

9/ The shaking lasted for at least 15 seconds. When it ended the pedestrian bridge was still place but my dad braced himself up against the side of the wall fearing a stampede. But everyone was mostly confused.

10/ He made his way to his seats and someone next to him had a portable TV showing that a portion of the Bay Bridge had collapsed. He thought: "this game is over."

11/ My Dad isn't one to indulge drama so he made his way back to his car and headed out... the power was out in the stadium but most fans were gonna stick around to see what happened. He drove off with little traffic in his way.

12/ The Hart home is in the East Bay and so he'd have to find another way around. South to the Dunbar bridge or around to San Jose was the best bet then up to 680. He figured he could probably beat the rush if the other roads weren't damaged.

13/ And then it hit him.

"Justin's Eagle papers are on my desk at work. The city will be closed for days!"

He didn't hesitate, he turned around and went straight back to the city.

Boy Scouts are sticklers for this. Earthquake or not those papers have to be mailed by Thursday!

14/ Glass was everywhere on the streets, people out, traffic everywhere but he made it back there...

Here's the thing, if you live in San Francisco and if you're in the commercial real estate you know my dad.

In 1989 his office was at the top of this building. The top floor.

15/ The power was off. He'd have to take the stairs. He did so. No mind you he doesn't have a cell phone so my mom has no idea what's going on.

He has to climb 50+ stories in the dark, get the papers, climb back down & then drive back through to chaos of post-earthquake Bay Area

16/ That's the Bank of America building and until the Salesforce Tower went up it was the tallest building in teh city. But he did it.

It takes him 7 hours to drive home.

And... I'm an Eagle Scout. :)

17/ This is a picture of my dad with my son a few years ago.

He taught me persistence and patience and I hope I can pass those onto my kids.

Thanks dad.