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"BEHIND THE BARS" SERIES: INTERVIEW WITH DON CASTLEBERRY
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As I was making the appropriate preparations for my interview with our guest, I used one of the Lubbock phone books I have in my possession to try to find the street address so that I could find where exactly they live. My suspicions as to the whereabouts of that place on the city map were soon confirmed by the e-mail I sent them to reconfirm the interview time and check on the directions to their house. The nearest landmark of significance? It turned out to be a golf course. Upon arriving at their home, you would find an attractive version of your typical upper-middle-class home in what seems to be a nice, upstanding West Lubbock neighborhood. You might find the environment and occupants inside equally charming and hospitable. On the surface, it really doesn't seem to be associated at all with a person who was once forced to live a part of life behind the bars of a prison. But for one of today's guests, this at one time of his life unfortunately was the order of the day. One time, a church friend of mine once wrote a remark on a postcard he sent me that fits so perfectly with today's overall theme: "We all live in prisons of our own making--and we don't know that we even have the Key." It seems that when someone commits a crime, he/she has in essence made the choice to create their own prison, problems, and consequences that will follow them the rest of their lives. The problem is that while you're in that prison, you don't get a choice at all to turn back time and change the past or to even gain some control over the circumstances of the present. You can only control one thing--how it will affect your future. It seems that Don Castleberry, in a very unlikely way, fits into this category. Mr. Castleberry was involved in the banking profession for over a decade until he confessed to the FBI to the crime of bank embezzlement and fraud. He was subsequently sentenced to six years in prison, but was graciously allowed to serve only four months in the Lubbock County Jail and then afterwards a three-year federal parole. His story as an inmate and later as an ex-convict and the long road he had to take to get to the place he is now is one of deep inspiration and courage despite the obstacles thrown in his way. Castleberry's journey is an illustration of both the potholes in the road and the possibilities for those who have been previously incarcerated.
The copyright of the article Tales from the West Texas Dust in Texas Culture is owned by Coy Holley. Permission to republish Tales from the West Texas Dust in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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