How did I get here? I started working when I was eleven years old. Odd jobs mostly, yard work, raking leaves etc. I don’t remember too many summers lounging around our pool. No summer camp for me. I soon graduated into working on farms, Mr. Morgan’s vegetable farm, Markowski tobacco farm etc. When I reached the age of sixteen, I worked at Geissler’s Super Market in Warehouse Point and still worked part time on farms in the fall, taking down tobacco and harvesting and processing potatoes. When I reached the age of eighteen, I washed every window in the Montgomery building in Windsor Locks and cleaned out the canal of fallen trees armed with chainsaws and a canoe that summer. Two summers later I had the pleasure of working a hundred- and ten-pound jack hammer on a construction site and bartended nights and weekends at the Wethersfield Country Club, home of the Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open.
I could write a book about my experience there, the celebrities, pro golfers, politicians and local big wigs I met. Brief summary: friendliest golfers – Lee Trevino and Fuzzy Zoeller, friendliest celebrity – Bob Hope, (whom I had a one-on-one conversation within the parking lot after he almost ran me over with his golf cart), friendliest Sports Caster – Pat Summerall, friendliest politician – Governor Ella Grasso. Many a night, I remember coming home after midnight, exhausted, parking my 1971 Mercury Montego in the yard, laying on the back trunk and gazing at the stars, being lucky enough to see a meteor or two. A few minutes of solitude before turning in for the night and starting all over the next day at 6:00 a.m.. There were other part-time jobs scattered about in my youth as well, assembling and delivering furniture, working at G. Fox, bartending at private events, etc.
After all of this youthful hard work, I had enough to pay cash for my two years at CCSU. I transferred to Bryant University in my junior and senior years and borrowed about $14K for those two years. I incurred the debt; I paid back the debt. What a concept! After not all my courses transferred, I still managed to graduate in four years taking two winter sessions. A BSBA in Accounting, an MBA in Finance, two kids and two homes and a long career later, (no, I will not bore you with that at this writing) here I am….retired. As my ninety-four-year-old aunt tells me, “You’ve paid your dues”. No dreaded Sunday night anxiety that I have to work the next day. An old boss of mine used to call it 60 Minutes syndrome, when he watched that show, he knew work was sneaking up fast the next morning.
I now have time to enjoy babysitting my beautiful granddaughter, caring for my mom and aunt, catching up with family and old friends, more golf, more volunteering, more socializing at town events, more time to be grateful for my family and friends. My fiancée, Jen, is retiring at the end of this year and we’ll have more time to plan our future projects and travels together. As a life-long Suffield resident, no moving south for me. I grew up here, went to school here, raised my kids here and I will retire here thank you very much. Life is Good! I’ve reached the finish line.