Counties Served By Chapter 2:

A Father's Legacy

And the Children Dads Inspire

Published Sunday, June 15, 2008 excerpt from the Wise County Messenger

By Mandy Bourgeois

Tommy and Davey Edwards
Edwards Surveying

When Davey Edwards graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in biomedical science in 1994, he had dreams of being a doctor.

"I grew up in this, but I definitely didn't go to school for this," Davey said of surveying. "I wanted to be a doctor."

Tommy founded Edwards Surveying in Hurst in 1975 and moved the business to Decatur the next year. The family moved in 1978. Davey began working with his father on the weekends after he graduated high school, but had his sights set on a career in the medical field. When he wasn't accepted into medical school, he decided to come home.

"I needed a job and started working here," he said.

"It was always my desire for me to have Davey do this," Tommy said. "It was good that it kind of worked out that way."

When Davey began his career at Edwards Surveying, he didn't have any surveying certifications. But over the years, he has worked to expand his knowledge and is licensed in Texas and Oklahoma and has qualified to survey federal lands. He is one of 66 surveyors in Texas that can conduct retracements and survey unpatented lands. Tommy and Davey are licensed to survey state land in Texas.

"It's a great profession to be in," Davey said. "These last two certifications I received put me in a level of surveying that's kind of elite - that just makes it all the more worthwhile. I'm able to do stuff that others can't do."

What once was his second career option has turned into a passion for Davey, and Tommy couldn't be happier.

"Once it grows on you, it's a passion. It's always a thrill to find original corners. It's a thrill to solve problems. You appreciate when you help an owner, and they appreciate you - that's hard to beat. I've been doing it for 42 years - you have to like it."

"I have grown to enjoy it. Really recently it's become a passion. I started gaining a great respect for it," Davey said. "I'm working on my graduate degree in surveying and I plan on pursuing my doctorate and becoming a consultant."

The two work as a team day in and day out and Davey views his father's many years of experience as a great benefit.

"It's nice to have his knowledge," Davey said. "We use each other as checks. It has ended up being really good for keeping a quality of work in our profession and business."

"A lot of times families have a hard time working together," Tommy said, "but we have a good relationship."

The two enjoy the history lessons that come with surveying. Surveying takes a lot of research on the original surveyor's work and with each job, the men get to know a lot about that first surveyor.

"You're following history all through surveying - you're tracing the steps of the original surveyor," Tommy said. "You get to know the original surveyors. Some had different ways of doing things and you have to know what to look for."

"Nowadays, I can't drive down the road and not study the boundary lines," Davey said.

Tommy and his wife, Suzanna, live in Alvord, as do Davey and his wife, Sonja, and son, Ryan.