The things a man will do for a woman...especially a daughter. About nine years ago after he and his family had moved back to Southern California, Paul Folino found himself unpacking a tent in the woods. His wife, Daranne, had recently purchased one for the occasion. This was an Indian Princesses camping tripóa chance to battle the environment, cook over a fire, sleep on the ground, but, most of all, an opportunity do what he loved mostóbond with his nine-year-old daughter, Courtney.Ý

ÝÝReady to labor away, Paul finished unpacking the tent, stood up with a smile, and then noticed something that caused his smile to fade. The tent was only big enough for a child. But how bad could it be? After all, many campers sleep directly under the stars.

ÝÝLater that night, Courtney lay, curled up, nice and warm. Seeing his only daughter camping made the sacrifice worthwhile. Only half his body fit into the tent. The restóhis legs and feetówere sprawled out on the outside ground...in the rain.

ÝÝNot only did Paul visit K-mart the next day to buy what he describes as the ìTaj Mahalî of camping tents, but he courageously kept on going to Indian Princesses outings. Even with his very busy schedule, he knew how important it was to love and expose his daughter to numerous things. In fact, it was at an Indian Princesses event held at a dude ranch where Courtney discovered one of her lifeís passionsóhorseback riding.

ÝÝThink of the little girl stereotype, ìDaddy, can I have a pony,î and cross it out with a big X. What began with the Folinos leasing a horse for Courtney to practice on became much more. ìWe decided to take the next step and get her first horse when she was about 10 years old since we were investing so much in trainer fees and horse shows and it was pretty clear that this was going to be a long-term hobby.î Beyond those investments, the Folinos also built a home in Coto de Caza for the intended purpose of keeping horses. But by the time the home was completed, the Folinos incredibly outgrew its capacity. ìI never envisioned having 12 horses,î says Paul. ìA horse has never once been to the house.î

ÝÝTwelve horses may seem excessive, but for Courtney, itís more than warranted. Paul and Daranneís hunch that riding horses would be more than a small phase was right on the mark. Courtney has won five world championships at the American Paint Horse World Championship Show held in Fort Worth, Texas. Regarding these achievements, Paul says,ìMy daughter makes me proud each and every day of her life.î Of course, Courtneyís accomplishments arenít that surprising when considering who her father is.

ÝÝThe first of his family to achieve a college degree, Paul grew up in Seattle, where his family still resides. In the late í70s he moved to Orange County to work for the Xerox corporation. Still in the tech field, Paul is now the chairman and CEO of the Orange County-based company Emulex, a world leader in storage networking. Named one of Forbes Magazineís 200 Best Small Companies and ranked number 16 in Deloitte & Toucheís 2004 Technology Fast 50, Emulexís products have been selected by the worldís leading server and storage providers, including Dell, Fujitsu Ltd., Groupe Bull, HP, Hitachi Data Systems, IBM, and NEC.

ÝÝOf course, a man canít learn everything from running a major corporation. Some things naturally come just from having a daughter. ìHa-ha-ha,î laughs Courtney. ìHeís learned patience over the years, as Iím sure most fathers do.î Similarly, when separately asked the same thing, Paul says, ìRaising a daughter and watching her become a young lady has made me more patient and sensitive with females in general. Sheís taught me to be a better listenerî [Yes, ladies, men can admit this].

ÝÝWith that said, Courtney is truly thankful for having such a great dad. ì[Heís] loving and supportive in all that Iíve done and always encourages me to follow my dreams. Iíve learned from my father how to be independent and to always stand up for what is right, even if itís not easy. I admire his honesty; heís extremely respectful of others; and heís the most intelligent person Iíve ever met.î

ÝÝTo Paul, and all the other great dads of Orange Countyó

Happy Fatherís Day.

óDavid Krissman