“Where my belief in God began”

Have you ever wondered where your faith began? And I’m not talking about the beliefs that are based on what someone tells you or passes on to you, but on an experiential level. Well, my journey of faith, when it became a journey begins when I was an elementary school age boy. I must have [...]

Pigs Run Wild!

From 1957-1963 our family lived on a small farm in a place called Mount Pleasant and on Mount Joy road. It was a veritable children’s paradise. In addition to pasture, woods and streams, there were all sorts of wild and domesticated animals. My father moved my mother and we children away from the city. And [...]

“Mentoring Moments starting with Mr. Vargo”

In the fall of 1965 and as a 7th grader going to Jones Ave. middle school, the second eldest in a family of five children in a mill-town outside of Pittsburgh, I wasn’t sure about much. Just getting to school without incident in a tough neighborhood was a major accomplishment. We had recently moved into [...]

“Alzheimers, Sometimers, no, it’s TECKHEIMERS”

When I was younger, I thought of myself as a “tekkie.” This is a person that is comfortable with the advent of new technology, willing to learn, purchase and possibly repair if need be. For example, I installed a cassette-tape player in my 1966 powder blue 4-door Dodge Coronet in 1972. Now, remember, that was [...]

“Race is so nuanced” or “A Softie Fightin’ for the ol’ man”

I was a soft boy, a sensitive boy and it drove my father nuts. From my perspective, the softness was seen as something ugly or grotesque and something was terribly wrong. Well of course, it was my father’s responsibility to toughen this sensitive boy in the only way he seemed to know how, “brutality.” I [...]

Childhood and Race: “Call him by his name”

When we moved to North Braddock from the farm, it was an adjustment on multiple levels. We went from country to city, large farm-house to small rental house and most notably from all white to an integrated neighborhood. This was my first real interaction with African-Americans. As a child, I had no idea what was [...]

“Working-class poor and the school’s hunger drive”

When we lived on the farm, I didn’t realize that as a family we were lower working-class. It wasn’t unusual for our family to go without food, heat, wear worn and torn clothes to school or church. But for whatever reason, it didn’t register. I went to a small elementary school called Norvelt for my [...]

“My folks aren’t perfect” or “A tar-baby story”

Do you remember the time you figured out your folks don’t know everything? I do. Before this, I thought my folks knew each and every time I did something wrong. If I stole a cookie from the big apple cookie jar, I would look at my mom and think she knows. How could she not [...]

“Childish thoughts of greatness”

When we moved to the farm, I thought I died and went to heaven. All this space to play and run. It was every boy’s dream! One day, my mom was clearly frustrated with me and all my questions. Why is the sky blue? Where’s God? So, she takes my arm and tells me she [...]

“I ain’t afraid of no belts!”

We used to get spankings. At the time it was only my older sister and I. I could not have been any more than 3 years old. My dad had a strap he used to give us spankings. Well, one day I got the bright idea to hide his strap by putting it in the [...]