|
|
My Life and TimesRemember to click on the colored links below It all started many, many years ago in the small rural town of
Cooperstown,
ND, USA. The date was September 21st, 1940 and I was born.
Within 15 months, the United States was engaged in the Second World War.
The two events were not necessarily related but still, a most ominous beginning
to life. I was the second oldest of four
children and my upbringing was comfortably middle
class. I don't
remember wanting for anything, so I guess I can't blame my early years in Upon my discharge from the Army, sheepishly I re-enrolled in college. This time I was not going to make the same mistakes. I chose a school renown for it's easy criteria and standards so as to wipe out my earlier blunder. Without buying a text, I maintained an A average for the two years I attended. (Please note that I do not identify the institution in respect to those that may have attended there). I then transferred to the University of North Dakota, and actually started applying myself. During this time, I married Sharon in 1964, my first marriage. We had our first son, Kent, in 1966. I graduated in 1967. Our second son, Eric, was born in 1968. After working for two years each at two large automotive corporations, it was obvious that while I would gain advancement, it was not the road to riches. Thus, I returned to the University of North Dakota and entered Law School. Alas, I found out that I didn't have the personality nor the required dedication to study, which meant that after one year, I switched to getting a Masters in Business. It was while I was enrolled in that program, that I was recruited by a division of a rather large company to go to work for them. Which, of course, I did. It meant money, not only because the salary they offered was very good, but with a growing family, we really needed some infusion of cash. It was an enjoyable company to work for, and the people were great. After five years, rising from supervisor to manager, I accepted a job as Director of Manufacturing of a company in Nevada. But while there, looking for a house to buy, I received notice that my father had had a heart attack. He had several construction/development projects underway at the time, and somebody had to run the company. My wife and I grew apart during this time (which was much more my fault than any of hers) and we divorced in 1983. I needed and wanted to start life over again so I moved to Arizona because it meant a fresh start in life. (Of course, the fact that my father would let me stay in his unused winter home had nothing to do with my decision). I had to start over in my chosen career, Industrial Management, and over a period of five years and a move to Southern California , worked my way back up through the various levels of management.
I golfed, traveled, and sailed for several years, but life seemed to be increasingly without much purpose. In an effort to put some direction to my life, and additionally, try something new, I joined the Peace Corps and ended up in Russia! It was an interesting experience: I had never before been exposed to people (my fellow Volunteers) who viewed life and its sometimes harsh realities through a rather myopic emotion-based, feel-good, politically correct philosophic blather. I found it highly entertaining to listen to them talk about the failures of their various idealistic schemes to save the Russians from themselves. In their minds, some of my fellow Volunteers actually felt they were successful. They equated talking about doing something with actually doing and accomplishing something. For several of them, it was a truly frustrating experience, particularly after those mean old Republicans in Congress started to close the spigot on all that free Russia-targeted AID monies and programs. That really messed up some of the Volunteers' lives: how were they going to be heroes to their Russian sycophants without being able to bestow that good old American taxpayer cash? Not all of the Volunteers were of that ilk. There were some serving in the Peace Corps in Russia because they thought they could carve out an business empire there. I have always wondered if any of them ever did it. Based on what I have heard of business conditions in Russia, I am afraid they were totally out-classed, or perhaps I should say that they weren't ruthless enough... A very few were like me: there to see the sights, sample the culture, travel, and revel in the paranoia of the Russian peoples. I found out very early on the only reason why the Peace Corps was tolerated by the Russian government was because it was a conduit and siphon on the seeming endless basket of cash emanating from the USA. Russian governmental administrators gleaned onto this cash stream like a leech onto an exposed artery. I actually accomplished something, though, while in the Peace Corps. I went out of my way to stall or derail as many of those cash grabs as possible. I spent as much time as possible traveling all over Russia, just so I wouldn't be pestered by those grasping admin types. I had a very unique experience traveling through Siberia by private railroad coach, but alas, the Peace Corps people became rather upset with me when they saw me in a news story on Moscow television, buying a sailboat in Irkursk, 4000 miles away from where I was supposed to be. Some good things did come out of my little sojourn in Russia. I met a woman there with whom I fell in love and subsequently married in December, 1994, and unfortunately, divorced in February, 1997. I had a hard time reconciling our age differences, and was a poor husband for her. On the other hand, she was a very independent woman with very specific goals in life, and certainly knew exactly what she wanted and expected in life. True to her Russian character, paranoid to the end, she has requested that I not include her name or photos of her. I am respecting her wishes. I now spend my time traveling, engaging myself in hobbies and pursuing my interests.
|
Cooperstown
