The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Mitchell Ryan Murtoff 2000-Present

By Mitchell Ryan Murtoff and Lawrence Murtoff

This autobiography accentuates the positive experiences in my life as well as delving into the lowest points in my life during the time period of 2000 present. This includes a struggle with severe depression and insomnia which led to further issues in my life but have since been mostly resolved. The high

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mitchell Ryan Murtoff
• Release date: Dec 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986635033

Mitchell Ryan Murtoff

Mitchell Murtoff was born in Gettysburg, PA and raised in Gardners, PA. He attnded Biglerville High School and went on to attend Messiah College. He studied abroad in England and Scotland for one semester. In June of 2000, he relocated to Columbus, Ohio for eight years. He then relocated back to Pennsylvania where he currently resides. His love of sports began at early age. He began playing competitive sports at the age of six and continued playing sports well into his adulthood. He also started a successful, internationally recognized woodworking business, Innovative Designs Unlimited in January 2001. His previous work includes The Longing, an illustrated series of poems about meeting the right person. His other current book, The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Mitchell Ryan Murtoff 2000-present will be available in the near future. He currently has plans to write at least two more books in the near future. In addition to these occupations, he is also learning to play guitar. He plans on playing live at locations in the surrounding areas in the future.

Book preview

Acknowledgment

There are several people I would like  to acknowledge in this book. Many of my closest friends saw me through my darkest days. I would not be here today without them. I would like to thank Chenéy Ramsdell-Gadrim, Jimmy Richards, Joe Turek, Jen Sookram, Cary Oancea, Maribeth and James Arzadon, Ryan Hammond, and Christian Panichella for always checking on me and remaining friends to this day. I would also like to thank Larry and Charlotte Murtoff, (my father and mother), for their continued support throughout my life. I would also like to thank Sky and Jade Strong for their continuing friendship and support since we met at the Home Depot in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I would also like to thank Adam Turner, Ava, and Sherry from the Home Depot who are also published authors and encouraged me to move forward with my writing.

I have included a poem in this book that is dedicated to the friendship of the people mentioned in the previous paragraph. I have met and became friends with many amazing people throughout my life but those mentioned above have always remained constant.  There is a second poem which is dedicated to where I really found myself as a person and where I hope to return to one day. 

Foreword

I have been blessed to live a full life. I have accomplished many things throughout my life. I limited this book to a specific time period that accentuates both the highs and lows of my life. I know some people will question why I included the darkest parts of my life in this book. Without these events, I would not be the person I am today. During the darkest time in my life, many people only the what that happened then. Due to recent recollections, I have been having, I have been able to recount most of the events during that time. I still suffer some memory loss from that time, which I believe is from the medication that I was taking. Others suggested my brain was protecting me from all the trauma from that time. People will know the why. I felt the need to set the record straight since there were many rumors and immense speculation. There was also false information being broadcasted by people in the local community. The old saying, The truth will set you free definitely applies to my life. I feel vindicated knowing that those that read this book will know the truth. My hope is that I can help at least one person that reads this book. Things will get better. It might take some time but you can overcome anything you set your mind to. I have changed certain people’s names and locations in this book to protect their privacy. With all this being said, I hope you enjoy reading my adventures as I continue to grow and evolve as a person.

Best Wishes,

Mitchell Ryan Murtoff

2022

Friends

From the time we first met,

There was a natural connection.

What started as small talk.

Grew into so much more.

From getting to know you

To spending time with you,

And learning about you.

All through the many escapades

And times at work,

We began to rely on each other

And bond.

You saw me at my best,

You saw me at my worst.

And yet you remained true.

The love is overwhelming

From all of you.

I know we will be friends

Until the end.

Thank you for all you have done

And will continue to do.

You will always be near and dear to me.

I will always love you

Through and through.

Home

Mostly defined as where you live,

The house and address.

Where you grew up.

Not for me.

It’s where I came into my own.

Made friends that became family.

These bonds are still strong.

How I get homesick for that place

And friends.

The roar of the cannon in the arena,

The shenanigans of the Northenders,

Gameday at the Shoe.

So much to do, learn, and experience.

People from all over the globe gather there.

I miss the sights, sounds, and smells of that place.

No other can take its place.

It’s in my heart and all I think about.

I still visit from time to time.

Once, maybe twice a year

But alas, I have to say goodbye each time.

It saddens me greatly.

Then, I remember it’s only until next time.

Oh, how I long for the day

When I go to stay.

Until then, I will go there to visit

And reminisce about the good old days.

So many traditions to revitalize and people to see.

The Rise

January 2000, I am entering the final semester of college. The semester was divided into the J-term and the spring term. I had one class during -term which met Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 430 p.m. It was an intense experience.  The class was amazing.  I learned so much. I was also preparing for the spring term which meant selecting classes and an internship. My class was Principles of Administration, my capstone course.  I also accepted an internship with the Harrisburg Horizon, a semi-pro basketball team. To complete my coursework, I opted to study abroad in England.  I completed a Policy and Procedure manual for my own business. At this time, I was planning on building and managing  a sports complex including a gym, American football field, baseball field, football field(soccer), beach volleyball courts, and an ice rink.  I set up employee compensation and benefits packages as well floorplans and layouts for each building in the complex. I also included company goals outlining my business plan for success in this manual. I received a grade of 97% for this manual. According to the professor, this was the second highest grade he gave in his fifteen years of teaching this class.

For the spring term, I had chemistry plus my internship with the Harrisburg Horizon. I met with the owners of the team at an internship convention sponsored by the college. After a lengthy conversation with them, I decided I wanted to do my internship with them. They reached out to me after a couple of days and offered me the internship.  I was working my way through school. I had accumulated several weeks of vacation time due to working with the company for several years. I opted to use my vacation time during the spring term to focus solely on class work. 

Some of my internship duties included working in the team’s front office. I would set up hotel arrangements for the players and make advertising flyers. Additionally, I also made a brochure for a basketball camp sponsored by the team. My game day duties included: set up and tear down, team statistician, and game clock operator. I would also have players autograph merchandise for raffles. I had a lot of fun getting to know the players, some of whom were from other states and also played on traveling teams like the Harlem Wizards.  One of the players, Speedy Williams even appeared in the movie, Above the Rim.  I did get an autographed jersey and basketball from him when he was on the Harlem Wizards.  All the guys on the team were really down-to-earth and cool to be around.

One of my close friends growing up in high school, Donald Knoblet, had graduated from York College the year before and had moved to Columbus, Ohio.  I went there to visit him along with James and Maribeth Arzadon, (friends of Don’s), that I had met in 1993 in Carlisle, PA. At that time, Columbus was a boom town.  Jobs were plentiful and paying really good money.  Don had accepted a position as an Account Manager with RentWay. He encouraged me to apply there as they paid their employees really well. The location on Cleveland Avenue had a great management team in place.

I had a tremendous time each time I visited Columbus. There was so much to do. New professional sports teams were moving into the city as were several minor league sports teams. The city was a remarkably diverse mix of people from all over the world. This really intrigued me as I like to meet people from other countries. I enjoy learning their culture and traditions as well as their language.

I decided Columbus was the place I wanted to be. I set up an interview with RentWay for another Account Manager position that was open at the Cleveland Ave location. I went to Columbus in April for my interview and was offered the position. I explained to the manager I would not be able to start work until mid or late June due to finishing my college requirements and moving from Pennsylvania to Ohio. He told me the job was mine. While I was there, Don and I signed a lease for a two-bedroom apartment at the complex where he currently had a studio apartment (the Club at Eagles Point, Reynoldsburg, Ohio).  I was super excited to begin the next chapter in my life.

By May of 2000, I had completed my coursework and internship. The next step in my journey was to study abroad. The Study Abroad program normally occurred in January; however, it was moved to May and June due to the concerns over Y2K. The college allowed us to walk in the graduation ceremony on a Saturday and we departed for England the next day.  (And no, my parents did not pay for this; I paid for it myself). There were about 20-25 students that were traveling to England along with two professors. I really did not know anyone in the group because I had commuted all through college. There were, however, a couple of familiar faces from different classes.

We departed from Dulles International Airport on May 14th at 6:15 p.m. This was the first time I had ever flown and I was really excited since I had never been to Europe before. I had traveled to Canada several times growing up and once did a road trip with Don Knoblet, from my house in Gardners, PA to Houston, TX; we even crossed into Mexico since we were that close.  I purchased a bottle of tequila with two worms in it for a coworker at O’Malley Wood Products.

I was a little unsure at first as the plane took off but adjusted rather quickly by talking with other people on the trip.  It took about 6 hours from what I remember. We landed at London Gatwick Airport and left immediately for our hotel. We were scheduled to stay at the Saxon House in York. On a double decker bus on our way to the hotel we struck another vehicle. Chaos ensued. After what seemed like an eternity, the police intervened; and we were on our way to the hotel. Upon arrival, almost everyone crashed and reflected on all that had happened. 

The next day, we had a hearty breakfast and embarked on our first adventure. We began our semester by touring Clifford’s Tower. It was awesome to see the architecture that had survived for all these years.  It was great getting to talk with some of my fellow students. We did some more traveling throughout the week including trips to the Jorvick Viking museum and York Minister. While we were staying in York, I managed to walk the entire wall surrounding the city.

On the 18th, we traveled to Durham on coach via the Dales. It was during this time we began our home stays with families that lived in Durham. Another student and I was going to stay with a family from Australia.  Their family included the husband, wife, and their two young boys. This was my first time being around anyone from Australia. I have always wanted to go there for some reason and I felt drawn there ever since I was little. We spent hours discussing the culture of Australia. They were a tremendous family. We ended doing Tai Bo with his wife a few nights after dinner. We definitely did not go hungry while staying with them.  The one night she cooked stir fry for us and made a large pot of it for everyone. She gave my classmate and me the largest plates that she had filled to the edge and piled almost two inches high. We ate until we were stuffed. We put down our forks and she asked if it was good and we reassured her that it was. We told her we could not eat anymore. She responded with a comment about how Americans were big eaters. We had a good laugh about that. After dinner, my classmate and I had dish duty.

The following day we went on an adventure to New Castle. This involved driving to the metro station and taking the metro to New Castle. We went with the father and his two sons. If you have never driven or ridden in a car in England, it is quite the experience. You drive on the opposite side of the road than the U.S. The next factor is the steering wheel is also on the opposite side of the vehicle as well. Things got really interesting when we saw the vehicle was a manual transmission car.  I can’t remember the exact make and model of the car, but it was like a Volkswagen Rabbit or Yugo.  I really enjoyed riding the metro in England. It was very clean and safe.  Everything was clearly labeled and it was almost impossible to get lost. Once we arrived in New Castle, we went to St. James Park, the stadium of New Castle United. We were able to tour the entire stadium and take pictures. We stopped by the gift store where I bought several souvenirs including post cards and an official New Castle United polo with the number nine on the back. I believe this number was worn by one of their star players named Shearer.  After touring the stadium, we walked around the city for a while. We stopped at a little restaurant for lunch. We all ordered fish and chips with mushy peas. I ended up giving the mushy peas to the kids.

The following morning, the group met at Durham Cathedral. This is one of the most beautiful places of worship I have ever seen. The architecture was amazing. I could not believe the amount of detail in the columns inside the cathedral. The pews were in excellent condition and the beams on the ceiling were incredible to see. The stain glass windows were breath-taking. It was definitely a very spiritual experience.  In the evening, we went to Durham Castle. (One thing I omitted earlier is my fascination with history; especially the Medieval time-period. I love all the architecture of the castles and churches as well the culture of the time-period. I purchased several books while in England including one about Stonehenge, another about the legend of King Arthur, and another on the history of Manchester United). I spent the next two days traveling around Durham with my host family. We went to several stores and shops as well a few other historical sites.

On the 22nd, the group took a road trip to Bamburgh Castle and Hadrian’s Wall.  The countryside and coastline of the North Sea was a welcome change from the hustle of Durham. The castle was immense.  It had an amazing view of the coast and surrounding areas. I was particularly interested in the King’s Hall. The wooden beams and other wooden structures in it were unbelievable. The fields were filled with flowers. It was like going back in time once you entered the castle. The old tapestries and suits of armor were incredible.  After touring the castle, we went to Hadrian’s Wall which, in itself is an engineering marvel.  The wall was designed and built as a line of defense against invaders. The wall stretches the width of England.

We were allowed several days of free travel time. The original rule was that everyone had to stay in the United Kingdom. After some discussion with the professors, a large portion of the group persuaded them to allow them to travel to France.  One person said they spoke French and that everything would be ok.  Another person was planning to go to Wales because they had a friend there that they were going to stay with. I originally was going to go to France but had second thoughts. There was a general lack of organization and I was concerned about how fluent my classmate was in French. I began talking with a couple and a few other students about going to Scotland and this really intrigued me. The guy heading up the group was very organized and detailed oriented.  We were discussing the upcoming trip at our hotel when we were approached by the hotel owner.  He helped us book our flights and hotel for the trip.

On the 23rd, everyone departed for their free travel days. The group going to France ended up taking the Chunnel which had just opened. I was very glad I did not go with them. They arrived in Paris about 2 A.M. or 3 A.M. Apparently, my classmates French was not that good. Once they got off the train, the police stopped them and extorted money from them. Not only that, but they had also not made any hotel reservations.  They figured they would be able to approach any hotel and get a room. Euro Cup 2000 was going on in Paris at the time. They were wandering the streets of Paris