Brownsboro native Alan McCune inspired by Hillary Clinton
by Darren Bettencourt

Brownsboro high school graduate Alan McCune with presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

When Alan McCune graduated from Brownsboro High in 1996 he wouldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams that he would one day join Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for a private reception in Beverly Hills, CA. McCune and I sat down recently to discuss how his life has changed since he left Brownsboro and how a recent visit home inspired this former Republican to reach out to Hillary Clinton for change.

The story begins with McCune's childhood in Brownsboro, Texas, a small town about 100 miles south of Dallas with a population of 896. "Brownsboro was a beautiful place to grow up, but like other small towns in the area, we certainly had our fair share of struggles," says McCune. At a young age, Alan's parents, Mike and Wanda McCune made a choice to place Alan in special education. "I suffered a great tragedy when my brother died from drowning and became severely depressed and withdrawn. My schoolmates didn't understand the change in me, so they began to pick on me."

The harassment became so severe that McCune found it impossible to focus in class and was soon placed in special education. "I certainly benefited from specialized education and will always be grateful to Ms. Edwards who taught me the power of positive thinking. I will never forget, however, that we didn't have any computers and our resources were very limited."

McCune's childhood experience in specialized education motivated him to find a Presidential candidate who has made real improvements in the quality of education and who will work to improve education in small towns like Brownsboro. McCune was inspired to find that Senator Hillary Clinton has been a children's and teachers' advocate for most of her life.

"I discovered that Senator Clinton worked for the Children's Defense Fund as an advocate for children with special needs and is the only Presidential candidate who has doubled teachers' salaries, enacted legislation to recruit and retain teachers and principals to high-need areas and dramatically improved children's education when she was First Lady of Arkansas."

McCune grew up in a conservative Republican household and was surprised to find that Hillary Clinton was focused on issues that would greatly help his home town. "My family are die-hard Republicans and I still hold some of those values, but after meeting Hillary Clinton it is clear to me that she will help us in the Brownsboro area." McCune says Hillary assured him that she will not forget Brownsboro and will work hard to strengthen the middle class.

"Growing up in Brownsboro, I never thought in a million years that I would be socializing with Senator Hillary Clinton at a posh Beverly Hills reception. If I can do it, so can you and I want to make sure that more Brownsboro natives have that chance, the chance to succeed and make their dreams come true."

It is all about taking chances, says McCune. "After graduating High School, I took a chance and moved to Dallas where I was able to save enough money to move to Los Angeles. Not many people make it to Los Angeles from Brownsboro because there just aren't enough resources. When I told people back home that I was attending college in Los Angeles, the first question they asked was, how could I afford it." They didn't understand how scholarships and financial aid afforded anyone the opportunity to attend college. I want a President who will provide us with more financial resources for education and make our options loud and clear. I am taking a chance on Hillary and hope people will take a chance with me because together I know we will succeed."

McCune's passion for this election is fueled by a recent visit back home where he found the economy in a much worse position than when he left. "Most people still have to work long hours, drive a long way to work and aren't adequately compensated to account for the rise in gas prices. Mix in the scarce job market with the raising costs of living and the future looks really bleak unless we make some drastic changes."

McCune says good people are losing their jobs and something must be done. "Small towns in America like Brownsboro are filled with hardworking Americans and good people who deserve a chance to succeed. I was saddened to learn that the Goodyear Tire Factory had closed in Tyler, leaving hundreds unemployed and many local business are hurting."

McCune says the Goodyear closing was just the tip of the iceberg and that if things didn't change soon more factories may close leaving thousands unemployed. "I told the Senator that people are scared and something needs to be done soon to stabilize the economy. Hillary said she will work hard to prevent more factories from closing and will create 5,000,000 new jobs by building factories that produce clean energy products. These factories will be located in underserved towns like Brownsboro, Chandler, Athens and Tyler." McCune says he believes that Hillary Clinton is the only Presidential candidate who won't forget the needs of Texans. "I knew I made the right choice to support her when she looked me in the eye and said she will fight for people in towns like Brownsboro. She isn't interested in cutting taxes for the rich; she is focused on improving the lives of the poor and middle class."

Alan McCune is a living example that anything is possible. "I have succeeded far beyond my wildest dreams and I am reaching out to Texans to believe. I worked hard to make it from Brownsboro to Beverly Hills and I want more people to have that chance. I want to see people from Brownsboro High change the world. I want to see families smile because they just landed a new job at that new factory. I want to see people with bigger paychecks and a better quality of life. I want to see the Brownsboro I remember, full of hope and happiness. Finally, I want to see President Hillary Clinton in the White House so I can bring townsfolk with me to Washington D.C. to personally thank her for keeping her word and helping make our dreams come true."