Wiley and Gerald: Reeling in the Years
Wiley and Gerald: Reeling in the Years
Most fishermen will tell you, “A bad day fishing is better than a good day doing anything else.” One Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas Big and Little put this maxim to the test throughout their match. For though Big Brother Wiley and his Little Brother Gerald never landed the record catch, they created fishing memories to last a lifetime.
Wiley moved to Austin after growing up in the Alpine area of west Texas. “My dad was a park ranger. We lived in the Guadalupe Mountains and in the Big Bend area,” said Wiley. “I came to Austin for college. When I was a junior, I came to the point where I realized, ‘I’m wasting plenty of time. What can I do constructively?”
BBBS was the answer. It fit his lifestyle and his desire to contribute. “Big Brothers Big Sisters was great. I didn’t have to have a lot of money and the time commitment was perfect,” said Wiley.
He was also impressed with the whole matching process. “The background check – all of it. I felt safe and ready to work with a child,” said Wiley. “They gave a big questionnaire on what you were capable of dealing with and what you were willing to deal with as a Big. I would feel differently now, after having been a teacher, but at the time I thought I could handle anything.”
“The job of matching us was so superbly done,” said Wiley. “I was matched with a child I could do things for. I was being set up for success.”
In 1991 he was matched with 11-year-old Gerald. A great kid… who loved to fish.
“I’m terrible at fishing!” laughed Wiley. “And Gerald always wanted to go more than anything. I may have caught a few fish when I was a kid and my dad would bait the hook, but that was it.”
Being a great Big Brother though, Wiley was determined to give it a try. “We went to Academy and bought a couple of poles, and just the bare bones of fishing tackle,” said Wiley and added with a laugh. “We must have gone fishing 20 times or more, and Gerald never caught a fish on an outing with me alone.”
As a college student, Wiley did have a lot of friends – including a good friend with a boat. “One of my dormmates was an incredible outdoorsman. He took us out on a lake somewhere past Elgin. He knew of a specific type of fish that you can catch after dark. So, I got permission from Gerald’s mom, and we went out at around 8:00 or 9:00 pm,” said Wiley. “We were out until 2:00 or 3:00 am just reeling in these huge fish with my friend’s help. It was incredible.”
Before that experience, out of desperation, Gerald had taken it upon himself to seek out some fishing locations in the phone book. He found a catfish farm outside of Austin with three large ponds where you could catch your fish, pay for them, and take them home. “I’d never been to one before or since,” said Wiley. “Almost as soon as you put your hook in the water a fish would bite. The thought occurred to me, ‘How much do these fish cost?’” laughed Wiley. “You weren’t allowed to just release what you caught. Gerald caught a couple, but the third ‘accidentally’ got away.”
Though fishing formed some of their favorite memories, the pair also enjoyed much of what Austin has to offer. “We would go to area parks, to movies, bowling,” said Wiley. “Never anything extravagant. I always wanted to do something bigger and better and cooler, but I didn’t have a lot of money at the time.”
“But it’s all about perspective,” said Wiley. “Gerald told me, ‘You’re a great Big Brother.’”
The reason he felt that way? “We always did fun things,” said Gerald. “You exposed me to things I would have never gotten to experience.”
Wiley’s Little Brother lived in a single parent household, and in a neighborhood where there was a lot of gang activity at the time. “I mean, that’s the sweet spot,” said Wiley. “Here’s a kid who could have fallen through the cracks and gone down a different path but didn’t.”
“Bigs are not meant to save the world,” said Wiley. “Or to get in the midst of families and solve their problems. We just need to be a ray of sunshine and to be there for kids.”
Though the match ended after about 3 years, when Wiley was out of college and Gerald was busy with football, they reconnected again later in life around 2014. “My dad, who was in his 70’s then, was working out at a gym when this imposing man came up to him and said, ‘Mr. Koepp? I’m Gerald. I was Wiley’s Little Brother.’ It was a magical moment,” said Wiley. “We got together for lunch and reconnected.”
Gerald is married with two kids, one of whom is close in age to Wiley’s youngest child. He and his wife work at a nursing care facility.
And Gerald still loves fishing.
In fact, things have come full circle. “Gerald taught his kids to fish, and they catch fish all the time,” laughs Wiley, “and he extended an invitation for me to bring my kids and go with him so he can teach me and my kids how to fish.”
A seize the fish moment – Carp a diem.
