Just Wait Til Your Dad Gets Home

Author Kenneth Haw was born to a family of wanderers, migrant workers, and moonshiners. His parents, both born in Oklahoma, traveled west to Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington, following the crops, before settling in the small town of Casa Grande, Arizona. Ken and his family lived in at least thirty-three different places before settling in Mesa, Arizona, in the early sixties.

In 1962, Ken was faced with the choice of going to prison for vandalism at an early age or entering the US Air Force and trying to turn his life around. Just Wait ’til Your Dad Gets Home is the story of Ken’s decision, which, right or wrong, made him the man, husband, and father he is today. This coming-of-age memoir follows the life of a decorated law enforcement officer who overcame humble beginnings and a dysfunctional family life in a migrant farm worker family. His story is filled with rich detail about his life in Arizona and in the Southwest, sharing a variety of experiences in the Dallas Police Department and of some headline-grabbing fraud cases. He also chronicles the death of his mother.

In this memoir—one that leaves more questions than answers about his life—Ken recalls the varied experiences of his life and how they shaped him throughout the years.