Middle of the Road Reader for Young and Old Alike

By John Garot

The book is a series of short stories and poems that tie in with the War in Iraq, dangerous situations confronted by single parents, drug trafficking, PTSD, and the horrors of directing missiles against enemy planes from San Francisco, among other topics. Second half of the book is comprised of short stories and quips for kids covering word usage, interesting poems on word building, and a series of short stories called “The Adventures of Reddy, Teddy, and Freddy, the World’s Happiest 3 Little Bears!”. . .These stories I created myself and told them to my daughter and her friends as they were waiting for pre-school to open. It includes a brief bio of my background, Associate Professor Garot, which includes professional experience in advertising, marketing, and sales promotion with solid, blue chip companies, ad agencies in Chicago and Milwaukee (WI), teaching, and College Instruction for 6 different colleges and universities nationwide, on ground and online.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Garot
• Release date: Aug 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311878182

John Garot

JOHN H. GAROT 2592 Van Beek Road Green Bay, WI 54301 920-469-9103 (h) [e-mail] (h) _____________________________________________________________ Occupation: Formerly, my focus was on Sales and Marketing, now it’s 100% on teaching. For the past 14 years, I’ve been teaching at the College Adjunct Level in both IL and WI. Among the courses I’ve taught are Composition, Literature, Humanities, Speech, Shakespeare, Literature in the Workplace, Business Composition, and Critical Thinking, among others. ________________________________________________________________________ Specialties: Most recently, I specialized in the sales and marketing of Becton-Dickinson Products (BD) throughout the U.S., focusing on hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, outpatient facilities, emergency daycare facilities, and surgery centers. Other companies I’ve worked with while in inside sales for West Corporation are 3M, 3M Commercial, and Amgen, among others. In the past, I’ve also assisted in the development and launch of marketing and sales programs in support of cellular phones and related technology products worldwide for Motorola. _______________________________________________________________________ Sales and Marketing Experience: I have over 20 years sales, marketing, promotion, and training experience with such companies as Motorola, Motorola Cellular, the Outboard Marine Corporation, and the Miller Brewing Company, among others. In addition, I’ve also worked for business-to-business advertising agencies in Chicago and Milwaukee, developing marketing and advertising campaigns, creating sales promotion programs, conducting research, and designing training programs. Academic Background: I have a B.A. in English from St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN, and an M.A. in Education with specialization in English from Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. Following two years in the Army, I returned briefly to graduate school for an additional nine (9) credits. ________________________________________________________________________ Military Experience: I served two years in the Army as an officer in the Medical Service Corps. Stationed in Germany, I missed going to Vietnam by two weeks. Many of my fellow soldiers and friends were not so fortunate. ________________________________________________________________________ Hobbies and Interests: Having spent 20 years in Chicago, I’ve developed a love of baseball (yes, I’m a diehard Cubs fan). I also love football. On a personal note, I enjoy tennis, biking, swimming, reading, and trips to the zoo, park, and museums with my daughter Michelle and granddaughter Allura. Michelle recently completed her M.A. degree and is not teaching. Allura is enrolled in Fifth Grade. My lovely wife of 43 years, Sheila, takes care of us all, including our lovely dog, Heidi. She’s a cross between a Chow and Border Collie whom we adopted from the local Green Bay Humane Society five years ago.

Book preview

Introduction

This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife Sheila, my loving daughter Michelle, and my wonderful granddaughter Allura Engel for their combined help, assistance, editing, and total support. Secondly, it is dedicated to every American Middle Class Citizen who has made a difference in his or her life and the thousands of lives touched through education, human kindness and loving support in making this the greatest trip of all time!!!

My path is one of understanding, acceptance, assistance, respect, and spirituality to the very end of my time . . .I hope you enjoy the readings!!!!

Section I – The Story of My Life

Chapter 1

The Early Years

My story unfolds in the early years of WWII, the Big War. I was the baby of the family. My brother Charles was a year and a half older and my Sister Marianne six years older. . .as a youngster, I didn’t fully understand the reasons behind the War, specifically why we were fighting. All I understood is that steel toys were no longer available in the early-1940’s, and gasoline, sugar, and other staples were rationed. We lived on hand-me-downs and home canning. Our grocery bills were paid monthly whenever money was available. The mom and pop grocery stores kept the country alive and moving forward. I often entertained myself on a time worn teddy bear on wheels (with a hole in it) because there was nothing else.

Because my folks both smoked, they were given cigarette coupons by friends and neighbors during the war years. Gas was in short demand and trips were kept to a bare minimum. Our 1938ish Pontiac was kept in running order because my Dad had to travel to Sturgeon Bay, WI, everyday to work on the warships. He had a critical occupational trade -- a pipe fitter/plumber which he earned while working for his father Edward Garot. My Dad was Edwin C. Garot, later the founder of a plumbing business that proudly bore his name and still does to this day, 32 years after his death.

My wife Sheila often tells the story of her Dad, Robert Golden, the blackout Captain of Bear Creek (a town of under 200 people at the time just West of Green Bay. He’d go up and down the country roads making sure all the farm lights were out so the Japanese couldn’t bomb . . .you may not have known Bear Creek was on the map, but it was a critical site for manufacturing sauerkraut!

The War ended in September of 1945 and the Troops came home. My uncle John returned from Europe. In the mid-1960’s he took his own life because of a case of lingering depression.

After the War, it really rang home, Who’s the Boss! I loved to play cowboys and Indians and dress up like a cowboy. Anyhow, my cowboy boots were getting a little worn, but I thought I’d have at least six months to a year’s wear left. WRONG. One evening, I went down the basement and found out my Dad had thrown my treasured cowboy boots into the incinerator and burned them up! I wailed and protested, but to no avail.

Growing up in a Middle Class community of under 35,000 in the 50’s was a pure delight. . .we played all day and into the night, not ever a worrisome heart. We’d play in the park, in the streets, backyards, and construction sites -- King of the Hill, Kick the Can, Tether Ball, Baseball, Football, Army, Cowboys and Indians. Come twilight, we’d often go around to the street repair sites and put out the kerosene lamps just for fun, not knowing they were designed to keep people from driving into the manholes. . .but kids were kids and we had fun. The only big trouble I got into was going to the park during polio season in 1957 or ’58. Because my Mom was working at my Dad’s shop, we pretty well had the run of the house. We had to call in periodically to our party line operator so she could relay the message to our Mom, but that was a pushover. . .At any rate, I had gone to the park, although there was a curfew in effect to stay on your own property . . .and low and behold, I fell on my bike and cut my leg open . . .Scared? You don’t know what the word means until you have to go home and tell your Mother what you did. . .After dinner that night, I fessed up, showed her the cut and all was forgiven. I still have the scar to this day to serve as a reminder. It’s like my white badge of courage. Polio was everywhere and people would be put in iron lungs to be kept alive. . .we’ve come a long way in medicine since the 50’s, thank god!

It was also in the 50’s that I learned to serve Mass every morning at 7 a.m. with a buddy of mine, Bruce Moder. (I was being groomed for the priesthood.) We would fight over who got to ring the bells in the belfry by swinging on the rope!!! Well, one evening, at Tuesday night devotions, our assistant