This happened for Halsey between high school and college, after he had seen Duke Ellington's and Woody Herman's bands perform. First Lady Keating said that the Keatings' lives took a major turn for the better after Frank Keating lost a close 1982 race for an Oklahoma congressional seat. The pair went to Washington, D.C., despite the loss. There, Frank Keating held several progressively more important positions in the Reagan Administration. Cathy Keating said that the Keatings' Washington experience set the stage for their move back to Oklahoma and Frank Keating's successful gubernatorial campaign in 1994 and re-election in 1998.
Most progress is three steps forward and two steps back, ending up being one step forward.
Barrett said that he believes perseverance, more than anything else, is what creates success. You just have to keep trying. Keep a steady pressure. That's what leads to success. Barrett's advice to the students is to realize that encouraging people to do their best is a major component of leadership.