Making a Difference

The story of how a young man struggled to help people recover their lives after a disaster, and how the lessons he learned helps him impact the loves of others today.

T.J. McCormack believes in making a difference in people’s lives.

In 1964 an earthquake blasted Alaska 12,000 times as hard as the atomic explosion at Hiroshima. To this day, it remains the biggest earthquake to hit North America.

As a young man, T.J. McCormack was there to witness the destruction and help people dig through their wrecked homes. The event taught him many valuable lessons about the importance of homes and family. He has been making a difference ever since.

In everyone’s life there comes defining moments. A time or event that forever changes the way an individual thinks. For T.J. McCormack, that moment occurred March 27, 1964.

The son of an Army officer, T.J. had settled in Anchorage, Alaska for his senior year in high school. In the early evening of Good Friday, T.J. and his family were in church when the biggest earthquake ever to hit the United States struck outside the city. The 9.2 magnitude quake rocked the city, destroying more that 4,500 homes altogether.

Together with his schoolmates, he helped lead relief efforts throughout the city. “There were homes that were literally going to slide off cliffs and embankments, “he remembers. “We formed a party and started going through rubble.” They found countless keepsakes: family albums and heirlooms, old jewelry and keepsakes buried in the wreckage.

“I remember finding an old embroidered pillow. It was all dirty and scraped up and I thought they might not want it, but when I showed it to the owner of the home, she broke into tears,” he recalls. “She had lost almost everything she owned, but that pillow really meant something to her. It was the only thing she had left from her Mother.”

Many valuable lessons were learned during that time. He learned how important a sense of place is for people and how it is the little things that make a big difference for a family. Following his graduation from high school, he earned a bachelors degree in business management from Eastern Kentucky University. T.J. followed a family tradition and joined the Army. Throughout college and his service in the military, the memories and thoughts of the people who suffered from the devastating loss of their remained.

It seemed natural to him to somehow continue to help people make the adjustment when they move. In the early 70’s, nearly a decade after the quake, T.J. started his career in real estate. “I know how important it is for people to make the most of their moves,” he says. “It is one of the most impacting things that a family goes through and I stop at noting to make sure they get everything they want out of the experience.” To T.J., nothing is more important than the needs of the family he is helping to move. Thought it has been more than 25 years since he helped families recover their belongings after the Good Friday Earthquake, the memories of helping people adjust to new lives still motivates him today.

“People need to have smooth transitions when they are making a move,” he says. “They deserve to have someone look into their individual needs and pay attention to them. When you take the time to give people the best you can give, you get to make a big difference in their lives. When the time comes for your family to move in the Dallas area, call on T.J. McCormack. He is an understanding professional who will work tirelessly for your family. He is truly Making a Difference in Dallas.