A LITTLE MORE
• Uri Gonik has been married to his wife, Lynda, for 33 years. He has four children: Johnathon, Daniel, Roly and Tanya.
From serving as an Israeli Air Force pilot, to receiving degrees in physics, math, engineering and psychology, 81-year-old Uri Gonik said he has lived a meaningful life.
The clinical psychologist just celebrated his 50th year serving the Crossroads - he came to the States at age 20 after serving in the military.
"My father came from Russia, and my mom was seventh generation from the country," he said, revealing his thick Israeli accent. "Though it's now Israel, when I was born it was under a British mandate."
Gonik said growing up in a traditional Israeli family environment in World War II made for difficult times.
"Israel kids are referred to as 'Sabras,'" he said. "It means prickly pear; sweet on the inside, prickly on the outside."
When Gonik graduated high school, he served in the Israeli Air Force. He said his interest for aircraft sparked early, and he often built model airplanes for fun as a teenager.
"Everyone goes into the service in Israel after high school," he said. "You do it proudly, and I really liked playing soldier."
As Gonik completed his three and a half year term, he chose to further his education. At age 20, he decided to leave his home and parents to venture across the world.
He immigrated to Houston, stayed with uncles and began studying petroleum engineering at The University of Houston. Gonik said school in America was difficult because of the language barrier.
"I didn't speak English but I was determined," he said. "I came to the States in the month of January - the next month, I started school. I couldn't take notes in English so I did it in Hebrew."
Gonik said he spent countless nights translating complex notes, staying up to the early hours of the morning.
After a year, he changed his degree to mechanical engineering and then again to physics and math, in which he received his bachelor's degree.
His interest in psychology sparked during the last semesters of his undergraduate.
"I met an interesting man that became my professor," he said. "He was talking about wild things that sounded like science-fiction. He talked so much about the mind and the body. He had a surgical suite and did all sorts of experiments."
Gonik said the professor inspired him to follow psychology, and he has being doing it ever since.
In 1964, Gonik came to Victoria to work for the Devereux Foundation. He had an interest in working with children and teenagers, and said it was the perfect fit.
"At the time, the Devereux Foundation had the biggest campus of disturbed teenagers in the nation, maybe even the world," he said. "Victoria had two big Air Force bases and when military left, there were lots of empty houses."
Gonik said the foundation convinced the city to use the base as dormitories for the kids.
The nonprofit behavioral health care system, which still exists today, was where Gonik trained to work with people as a clinical psychologist.
"A state is obligated to provide treatment to children with all sorts of problems," he said. "But some did not have a system so they'd send the child to us."
Now years later, Gonik has opened his private practice and still treats patients. He said a lot of his work is done at hospitals and schools, as well as his own office.
Licensed clinical social worker Sharon Whitley said Gonik is an asset to the community.
"He is so incredible," she said. "Everyone thinks so highly of him in the community. He knows so much, and ethically you couldn't find anyone better. He also has such a great sense of humor."
Whitley said she works closely with Gonik during many of her difficult cases, looking for his expertise.
"If I want to make sure I am handling the case correctly, he is always there," she said. We compare notes and he helps think out the situation."
Gonik said his office is one of the few that offer services to many in the community that cannot afford them, including Medicaid patients.
"I think it's very meaningful what were doing," he said. "We help people with very serious medical conditions. We clear their mind of anxiety and depression so they can focus on getting better."
Gonik, whose hobby is metal sculpture, jokes about all the certificates he has on his wall. He has certificates in many fields including specialist in school psychology from the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.
"I purposely have a whole bunch of papers on the wall," he said jokingly. "There's just a whole bunch of history there."
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