St. Patrick’s Day celebrations don’t always involve green, gold and an abundance of adult beverages in James Halatin’s household.
Instead, Halatin approaches March 17 with a high amount of reverence.
It was on that day in 1980 when 8-year-old James Burkette, of Kerrville, was adopted into the home of Ted and Carolyn Halatin.
Years later, James Halatin, who currently serves as an English teacher and head girls basketball coach at Lehman High, views his upbringing as a way to identify with troubled students and athletes in order to help them succeed in the long term.
“Some kids think, ‘He’s got a silver spoon and dresses nice and has a large vocabulary.’ But it was not always like that,” James Halatin said. “I tell them it’s okay to go through situations like that, and it will make you a better person as you get older.”
A tumultuous upbringing
Halatin’s earliest memories center on his birth mother, who he said had long, black hair and had a very light complexion.
James Halatin also recalled at least one younger brother and a younger sister.
While he doesn’t remember much of his childhood, James Halatin remembered the day when he was taken by the state. James Halatin said he remembered being on a big wheel and eating a TV dinner when “all of these people in suits came in.”
From there, James Halatin was placed into an orphanage until he was placed into Texas’ foster system when he was 5 years old.
Over the course of the next three years, Halatin “bounced around” to seven different foster homes in the San Antonio area. Each time, Halatin said he felt close to his foster family, but also realized the fluidity of the situation as well.
Eight months to one year is the average stay for children in a foster home, Halatin said.
Halatin later realized how challenging the process was for his foster parents, many of whom were retirees and had biological children of their own.
“The people that take in kids like myself at that age, I have a special place in my heart for them,” Halatin said. “You don’t know what mental baggage that kid is coming with.”
And so the cycle continued until March 17, 1980, when James Halatin was taken to MacArthur Park in San Antonio for what he thought was a routine meeting with another foster family.
Ted and Carolyn Halatin, however, had something else in mind.
A forever home
Experience with children wasn’t new for Ted and Carolyn Halatin, who worked for years in Texas’ education system.
Both lived a normal life as a husband and wife, but also had ideas of possibly adopting and raising a child.
When the time was right, Ted and Carolyn Halatin put their names into the system to become adoptive parents. They went through and passed a background check.
Ted and Carolyn Halatin received a little background information from case workers on James Burkette, but didn’t officially meet him until it was time to take him home.
The two were incredibly excited when they first saw their future son at MacArthur Park.
“He had a broken leg, so he had a cast on, which showed he was all boy,” Carolyn Halatin said. “He was very bright, intelligent and polite.”
What caught their attention, however, was James’ use of the word “diagonal,” which was unusual for a person his age.
Ted and Carolyn Halatin raised James as if he was their own. Ted Halatin said his son always had a good disposition and attitude in his youth, and enjoyed sports.
The Halatins also went through a learning curve as a new family. Each day, the bond grew stronger and stronger between the three of them, even with a “few blips” along the road, Carolyn Halatin said.
They approached raising James while avoiding placing a barrier on sharing his thoughts and feelings.
“My husband and I lived a normal life as husband and wife and God made us a family and it was just meant to be,” Carolyn Halatin said. “It just seemed right.”
Opening up to the past
James Halatin gives much credit to his parents for helping him succeed in life. That success led him to graduate from Southwest Texas State and then have a 20-year coaching career.
Each year, the Halatins hold a “Family Day” to celebrate James’ adoption day. The day features exchanging of cards and is seen as James Halatin’s “second birthday.”
Over the years, James Halatin began to open up about his childhood. He finds people who ask about his adoption are more uncomfortable talking about it than he is.
As such, Halatin, who does have a daughter of his own, keeps the door open to becoming a foster parent.
James Halatin has also, over the years, tried to keep track of his biological family.
While he knows about two brothers who live on the Texas coast, both with different last names, he lost track of his sister. He also has no knowledge of his biological mother and where her path ultimately led.
“There are things I can do, but this is my life’s path and where I’ve gone,” James Halatin said.
That path includes working with students who might find themselves in difficult situations. While some students have more challenging upbringings, James Halatin reaches out to them on a personal basis once he discloses his own story.
“I’ve had kids over the years who have come back and said, ‘Coach, I’m glad you told me that,’” Halatin said. “The most rewarding part of coaching is when your students come back to see how they’ve matured. That’s neat to see.”
