Little Jonny Everything 306e18

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

LITTLE JONNY EVERYTHING

First edition. July 20, 2021.

Copyright © 2021 John Hozvicka.

Written by John Hozvicka.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Little Jonny Everything

Table of Content

Post World War II Years

My Birth & Early Years

My life at Fenwick House | (1952-1959)

My life at the Memphis House | (1960 to 1965)

My Life at Ashland House | Junior High and High School | (1965-1971)

My Years after High School | 1971 to 1979

Natural Health Schools

Books you should read

Health Organization & Assoications

About the Author

Little Jonny Everything True Short Stories Of Little Jonny Everything And The Hozvicka Family

Copyrighted-(C) 2021 By John Hozvicka

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Financial Concepts & Solutions LLC Published in the United States 2021

John Paul Hozvicka Authors Biography

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Life Experiences: * Private investor in the Stock Market since 1979 * First president of the “PPG” (Partners for Profit and Growth) investment club 1997-1999 * Financial Planning Specialist Diploma March 30, 2001, from The School of Financial Planning, subsidiary of Professional Career Development Institute. * Paralegal Diploma from Black Stone Career Institute Jan. 25, 2009 * J and J Holding Company, senior portfolio manager 2009-2011 * Author of “Stock Investing 101” training manual (you can purchase a copy go to the digital product page) * CEO of Financial Concepts & Solutions LLC 2012-present *University of Metaphysics: Studio City, California, Bachelor of Metaphysical Science “B.MSc.” 1986 *Lafayette University, Doctorate Degree in "Science" “D.Sc.” 1989 *Calyton School of Natural Healing “Doctor of Naturopathy” “ND” 1986 *Christopher School of Natural Healing “Master Herbalist” “MH” 1985

Table of Content

Authobiography Chapter One: Post World War II Years Chapter Two: My life at Fenwick House (1952-1959) Chapter Three: My life at the Memphis House (1960 to 1965) Chapter Four: My Life at Ashland House Junior High and High School (1965-1971) Chapter Five: My Years after High School 1971 to 1979

Chapter One

Post World War II Years

In the 1930’s world war II broke out and all of Europe was overrun by German troupes including Yugoslavia. My father was in the Yugoslavia army fighting against the Germans. My father was captured by the Germans and forced into the German army. With God blessing, my father was captured by British soldiers and became a prisoner of war and shipped to England. After the war was over my father returned to Yugoslavia to find my mother and my older sister Erna, who was seven years old by now. To my father surprise my mother and his mother and his family could not be found. The Germans transported them to for slave labor camps. With the help of the US Red Cross my father was able to find them, but they were on the wrong side of the iron curtain, that part of occupied by the russians. When he found them in they would hide in the basement of this house, forced to eat bread and raw potatoes. It was my father, mother and sister Erna, along with them my grandmother Julianne, my father mother, My aunt Christina my father older sister, her husband my uncle John and their two children, my cousin Gertrude and Anthony. There was my aunt Pauline my father younger sister and her son Joseph. My father devised a plan to escape from the Russians to the other side of the iron curtain. One night they all cross over this farm field, my father cut the barbwire and smuggled them through, My sister Erna told me that our father held his hand over her mouth to keep her from coughing because she had a cold. the alarm went off, lights shining everywhere, dogs barking, and guns shooting, but they all got over safely. They all made their way to the city called Hamburg, in . My Aunt Johanna and Aunt Ann were my mother older sisters, both born in the United States and where United States citizen. My grandfather sent both of them to America when the war broke out; they were citizen and were allowed to enter. It was my Aunt Johanna (nick-name honey) who filed papers with the state department to have my father and mother and everyone else brought to America. In 1950 my parents touched their feet for the first time on American soil. My family finally settled in Cleveland Ohio. Housing was found for them

and my father went to school (classes) to become an American citizen. Neither my father or mother ever had a chance to go beyond the third grade. They where farmers and knew no other way of life, but my father at one time did have an interest in becoming an auto mechanic, but a dream that never came true. During the war years both my Aunt Johanna and Anne lived together as single women in a two story brick house on Center Ridge Rd, across what is known today as the West-park mall. My Aunt Johanna got a job in a bread facture called “Jacob Laub bakery and confectionary Co.” on Lorain Avenue. The LAUB BAKING CO., was started and own by a by German immigrant, Jacob Laub, the bakery grew to become the largest independent wholesale bakery in Ohio before closing it’s business on Jamuary 8,1974. It will remain part of the Cleveland Ohio westside area history. My Aunt Anne married a nice man named Paul Huppert a Canadian and they both moved to Canada and had many children who became my favorite cousins, Louise, Isabel, and Pauline. It was not until my adulthood that I became close to them because of them being so much older than me, and them having there own life to live. Aunt Johanna married a Polish immigrant, a nice man who took good care of her. *1951 Home: In 1951 my aunt Johanna purchased a two family house so my parents had a place to live, Of course my father paid rent to her. He got a job at manufacture Brush Company, making wire brushes. My father ed my mother Emma and Sister Erna, his mother Juliann and his sister Pauline and her son Joseph, on an income of $50 a week. Back then the U.S.dollar was backed by gold because after World War II the United States was on the Gold Standard and all European moiney way backed by the U.S.Dollar. This was set up and agreed by the various counries of Europan at the brettenwood agreement which still is being practice today (2020). *The Stopchecks: My aunt Johanna rented the upstairs part of the house on Fenwick to a very nice family called stopcheck. The man of the house and father of his own family was Steve along with his wife Alma, son Jim, and daughter Mary. My father and Steve became very good friends and fishing buddies. Jim stopcheck was three or four years younger than me, but we played together.

*Wine and Beer: My father and Steve were the kind of men who enjoyed doing things together for themselves. Since Steve was younger than my father, he learned from my father. So together they went to making wine and beer. The beer came out ok, but they had problem with the wine. To make wine, good wine you have to think of it as an art. Today I make my own wine myself from a kit that makes wine making much easier. *The mother Lode: One day my father and Steve went fishing at Edgewater Park, in Cleveland and came home with the mother lode. They brought home 72 jumbo perch. Jumbo perch was plenty back then, but very hard to fine today. You should of herd them singing and cleaning fish, and telling stories, we had fish to eat for months. My dad had purchased a freezer in which they kept the fish and share it with the stopcheck. Each family put their name on the package of fish. This was a 1959 freezer of which I still am using today.

My Birth & Early Years

It was April 29, 1952, I was born in Cleveland Ohio in the United States of America, in Luthern Hospital on w25th street and Franklin ave to Alois and Emma Hozvicka; immigrants who came to the United States after world war-II from Yugosalvia. On the eight day of my birth I was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church in St. Procop Church by Fr. Carl A. Uhler. In my early day as a child I loved the Church and went to Mass every day and was always faithful in my beliefs. I was prayerful daily to the love I had for my Lord and savior Jesus, called the Christ. I have long since had a desire of service to God and even to the point of one day of being ordained as a priest. I love the Mass, but with my difficulty in learning Latin I could not become an altar boy. You see I was raised speaking German as the common language within our family structure. When I started kindergarten I had to learn the English language. The idea of learning Latin while I was having trouble with English proved too hard of a challenge for me. In my 12th year since my brith I was Confirmed on May 5, 1964 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Chirch as “John Joseph Alois Hozvicka. I still have my documents from the Church. I was a young boy who likes adventure, one of strong faith, and a boy that was interested in the world around him. I was a dreamer, builder, and doer of things that interested me. I was not good at learning things in school, other than the basic reading writing and math; I learn things on my own by experimenting. Examining, and through the powers of observation. There were all kinds of colorful people I had known living on Fenwick Dr.. Our neighbor across the street purchased their home for $3,000 dollars with a mortgage of $10 a month back in 1950. This is a far cry different today when buying a home back then a one dollar bill buying power was one dollar; today it’s more like sixteen cents. I buying bags of potato chips and candy bars for five cents apiece. *Women of the Fifty’s: The women of the fifty’s were proud and strong women who had no problem with the idea of being a good and happy

housewife. To them it was an honor to stay home and care for their home and family. The housewife focuses all their energy and love on taking care of a husband, children, and home. She had a great responsibility as a homecare giver. It’s too bad is wasn’t recognized as a career until the twenty’s and can even earn college credit through the college life experience program. What did the housewife do? She took care of the grocery shopping, preparing the family meals, clean the house and washes the laundry. She was also the family doctor who took care of everyone when they got sick. She shared happy times with her husband and children and made sure her children knew the difference between good and evil, right from wrong, she taught them good moral values and the need for the practice of a spiritual life. This was the honorable life of the housewife, and God blessed her. There are some women today who are happy being a housewife because it gives them purpose, love and great joy. Most women can’t find meaning for their life today if they don’t have a career. They seek fulfillment, and the knowledge that they contributed something to our society and they do this in their career. In the 1960’s a large amount of women entered the work force in our country, with the sad event of replacing many of their male counterpart, doing the same job for less wages, just because they were women. This put a lot of men who were ing a family out of work. It wasn’t until the 70’s a movement started for equal rights for women took hold and got equal pay for the same work a man was doing. Then President Nixon took us off the Gold Standard that backed the American dollar, the very next day the buying power of the American dollar dropped by ten cents. Slowly after this every year the buying power of the American dollar went down, thus making it harder for the average husband to a family, so the housewife had to go to work to help bring in an extra income for the family. The treasury printing more money also caused the buying power of the dollar to drop. *Men of the Fifty’s: It was a time when businessmen were dashing, wearing great looking suites and most impotant the businessman hat. Hat were always wornen by men which was very stylishes and handsome. It was very customery for men to wear suites or sport kacket with nice shirt and tie

when going out on a date with a lovely young woman. For reason unknown to me businessmen stopped wearing hats in the late 60’s and I feel that was a big mistake. Chaverly was practiced back then like opening up car doors, standing up when a woman enters a room, escot your lady when crossing the street and pulling out her chair at the dinning table.

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Chapter Two

My life at Fenwick House

(1952-1959)

*It was a time of life I loved so much. On trash day a man with a big wagon pulled by two horses would come down the street picking up old stoves and other heavy metals items. My parents enrolled me into Catholic school (St. Procop) at the age of five in Kindengarden. Since my birth I was taught to speak German, so in kindergarten I had to learn English. I had hard time learning, especially my phonics. I loved the church services but hated school. *Little Johnny: When I was born my father wanted to name me after himself and I would have been Alois the 4th in a line of Alois. My grandmother, my father’s mother, said no and I was born John Alois Hozvicka. There was a song on TV during cartoon time on Saturday called “Little Johnny Everything.” The song went like this “I’m little Johnny everything, I can be most anything, all I have to do is sing, I’m little Johnny everything.” When you finish reading this autobiography, you may just believe that this is who I always was, little Johnny everything. *Bonding with my father: At the age of seven my father took me fishing, and it was here where we both had a common interest and bonded. We would go to Edgewater Park off of Lake Erie in Cleveland. Since my father never learn how or had an interest to learn how to drive, we would wake up at four o’clock in the morning to go fishing. Our gear and food was made ready the night before. My father would water down the grass in the back yard and then at sunset we would go out with a flash light and catch night crawler to use as bait. They were large worms that were excellent for bait. We would walk to the lake and get there one hour before sunrise and we would start fishing. To my father fishing was never a sport, but something men do to bring home food for the family. We always ate everything we would bring home. My father

was a real man, a comion man who loved his wife and children, a good provider. One Saturday we went fishing and brought home a bag of fish, I we had seven sheep heads and nine perches. The bag was heavy and my father would carry it on his back. It was a long way home a good five miles or more. This was my father whom I loved. *My sister is gone: My sister Christine was the wonderer in the family, you had to watch her all the time. My older sister Erna took her to the playground and she had a great time. One day, as I was looking for worms because my father and I were going fishing the next day. My mother was doing laundy, and I was told to watch over my little sister, but my interest in worms over come me. When my mother came out side and asked where was your sister, I looked and saw here on the other side of the street walking by her-self, after my mother went and got her she said she was going to the playground. Well, we both got punched for not obey our mother. *Grossmen Store: Mr Grossmen own a second hand store on lorain avenue where he sold used cloths and other items. He gave my sister who was 16 years old a job as his retail clerk and taught her the business of running a retail store which later in her life proved very benefitical. Mr. Grossmen would take my sister to downtown Cleveland to buy wholesale goods for the store and purchased clothes for me and my baby siste and gave it to my mother at cost. He was a good man, and my sister being 10 years older than me, is the reason she went out and got a job to help out the family. My parents were very proud of her, she would hand over to my father her weekly money she made working. Even today, I pray for mr.Grossmen Soul. *St. Valentine Day: I a time when the nun in the second grade was going to hold a St. Valentine party for the class and we can exchange cards to all our fellow students. We were instructed to put the name of my fellow student on the front of the envelope. My parents instructed me to put my name on the envelopes so the students will know from whom the card came from. On that day of the party the nun collected everyone card and put in a big box and started calling off everyone name that was on the envelop, of course my cards had my name on them thanks to my parents advise, all my cards came back to me. I was embarrass and started walking around the room giving out my cards I got back, explaining to my friends what happen.

*Life in the Catholic school: It was fun and interesting. The way the school was built, each class room had its own cloak room where you would hang up your hat and cloak and boots. We all stayed in the same room all day, and at lunch time a person would come into the room selling meal tickets to those who want to buy. I chicken soup or milk 5 cents. A complete meal for only 25 cents, but back then it was a lot of money. The dollar had the buying power of a dollar. *The Laub Bread Factory: On Lorain was a big building that employed many people making bread and donuts. My aunt Johann, my mother older sister worked at the factory. My father would buy his bread and donuts at the Laub factory retail store. The company was at its peak in the 50’s and helped the community by hiring lots of people. *My friend at the Fire Station: After school I would walk home on foot and always walk by this store and in the front window was a painting of Custer last stand which was quit graphic at the time for a young boy, showing soldiers being scalped. On the way home I would stop by the old fire station on Clark avenue and the captain liked me and showed me around, he let me sit inside the fire truck, hang around with the other men, a very nice man. *My adventure with the Dentist: I was about 7 years old and like any other boy and loved to eat candy, and my teeth went bad and I had the have three of them pulled. There was a dentist on Clark Avenue he was the first dentist I saw, I was very afraid and he wanted to look into my mouth and I wasn’t going to let him and he received a kick in the groin area and told my mother not to bring me back. The second dentist was sneaky and told me that he needed an airplane pilot and I had to go into training. He put this mask on my nose and mouth and had me count back from 100 and by the time I got to 96 I was out like a light. When I woke up I was laying on my mother’s lap with my mouth in a small sink spitting out blood. I went home missing three teeth. *My friend the milkman. I had made friends with this milkman, who came around once or twice a week. Now milk trucks back then did not have refrigeration units to keep the milk cold. Back then milk was stored in metal cracks with big blocks of ice on top to keep it cold. He would deliver milk, eggs, & butter to all the people on the street who ordered them. You see these items where a daily staple of food for life and it made things so much

easier to have them delivered. The milkman name was George, and he was my friend, every three days he would deliver milk on our street every Friday, and I would sit with him at lunch time and talk. He was so kind he would always have a half of a sandwich and chocolate milk for me, free. Then he got transferred and I never saw that wonderful man again, and I now pray that he is in heaven and I will meet him again one day. *The phony express picture: Every year this photographer would come around to all the home on our street with a phony and little cowboy outfits for girls and boys and have their picture (black & white) taken. My parents knew how much I loved cowboys and paid to have my picture taken sitting on the phony, dressed like a real cowboy with my gun, a six shooter on my hip. When the picture arrived everyone noticed this mark on my nose. The day before the picture was taken I was interested in knowing why the toaster got so red inside and all this heat coming out. Well, I got to close and burn the tip of my nose. Everyone thought that was funning and laughed. *Christmas Shopping: At this time in history there were no such thing as “Malls” in the suburbs and everyone went Christmas shopping at the big department stores in down town Cleveland. Cleveland had its own Christmas parade, Christmas lights, and it was a wonderful time, all the display in the windows. Other people would shop at the mom & pops shops on Lorain & Clark Ave. *Life in the 1950’s: Life on my street was alive and very interesting. I some of the older boys mounting a lawn mower engine on a regular bicycle and taking turns riding it up and down on the street. At weddings, people didn’t have disk-jockey playing records or CD, but we had real live bands playing at weddings and school dances. At the end of the street was a manufacturer that made things and needed old newspapers to pack things with and got the word out to all the boys that they would pay five cents for every five pounds of rolled up paper. Five cents was some big serious money for boys of eight years of age. *My introduction to Santa Claus: In this time of history there were no shopping malls. There were small mom & pop stores here and there, but at Christmas time everyone went downtown Cleveland to do some of their Christmas shopping. Big stores like Halle’s and Higbes always had great store front Christmas displays that were an art setting them up. It was now

time that my sister Christine and I meet Santa Claus for the very first time. Now you have to understand this that I loved my little sister very much and always looked after here as her protector. I did not know who this old man with a white bread and red suite was. When our picture was taken, Christine was sitting on his lap and I was standing next to her. My hands were made into a fist and what was going through my mind was “If he hurts my sister I’m going to push him one” of course like always my family took it the wrong way and thought my fist was saying I was afraid of Santa Claus. But the truth was I was ready to protect my sister if he tried anything, this is the truth, in God’s name. *First Communion: I was in the second grade and we learned all about our Catholic faith and were now ready to take our first communion. The day before we all went, the whole class to church next door and had our first confession with the priest. On the day of the event the girls where all dressed in nice white dresses almost like wedding gowns. Us boy all had on white shirts and black ties with black pants. I as part of the ceremony, as we marched into the church, the priest was at the head, leading us into church, but there where men dressed in military uniform, with real swords and their hats hat tassels on top, almost like features, boy they looked great. Later that day I found out that they where the knights of Columbus. *My playground injury: At the local playground two or three streets over, we would go to play on the swings or take rides on the merry-go-round. I was playing with this boy who was a year younger than me and I punched him in the stomach. His older brother who was one year older than me pushed me off the merry-go-round and I landed on my back and my head hit a pill of breaks. I was bleeding badly and this older boy walked me home. My parent rushed me to the hospital. I had a soft spot that felt like a hole in my head and the doctors had to shave part of my head and put stitches in to seal up the area. After weeks of healing, the stitches came out and I was fine. This was one of many moments I gave my mother a real fright. Now as a grown man I realized how I gave my mother some hard times of worry as her only little boy. You see when my mother and father were living in Yugoslavia; the nearest doctor was hundred miles away. And my mother first born son “Anthony” died when he was still a baby, I think three months old. So I was my mother only son and very

precious. *My first big boy bike: I must have been eight or nine when my parents purchased my first bike. It had training wheels on it, and at times my father would hold me up and run along with me as I tried to ride without the training wheels. Once I learn how to ride by myself, I was a hot cat on wheels. It surprised me that as fast and crazy I would ride my bike that I was never in a bad accident or killed, but since I was eight years old I always knew that my life would be protect, it was not until my spiritual years that I finally realized that my protection came from God. He sent his angels to watch over me, protect me, and keep me from harm. *My sister run over: I when I was riding my bike on the sidewalk and my sister stepped out as a police officer telling me to stop. I could not believe it and of course my family didn’t understand but I forgot how to stop, of all things I forgot, as if I had a mental block. My sister at the time was very young, and did not have enough sense to move and I ran her over. Actually, my bike tire went right up her body to her head and I fell over hurting myself in the groin area and my sister having tire tracks on her forehead. If you where to do an investigation of this run over crime, you could match my tire tracks with her forehead and know that I was the driver, case closed. When we talk about this we all laugh but at the time my sister and I had pain. *Aunt Johanna in Terror: It was summer, what year I don’t , but little Johnny hot wheels out tearing up the sidewalks. I was coming down the sidewalk fast and as usual I ride right up the drive way, because my father had no car. This time I did not know my uncle and aunt came over for a visit and to share things from their garden. You see between my mother older sister and my father younger sister, everyone all had a garden and would share with each other the blessings of over abundance. Well they were pulling out of the driveway as I was coming in. It all happened so fast, but my bike tire hit my uncle car bumper and I went flying over the car, I can still hear my aunt death scream. I was ok, and walked away with no injury, but I sure got Hell from my parents. My aunt was very angry at me but at the same time hugging me and kissing me on my forehead crying, women ha, go figure. Author Note: You know I loved my mother, but I gave her some hard times,

I wish now I can take them back, and not have her worry so much over me, she was the greatest. *The plum tree: The house we lived in was owned by my aunt Johanna, we all called her aunt honey, and I don’t’ why. She and my uncle lived in Lakewood and were over for a visit. I that she was upstairs on the balcony that was right next to the drive way and on the other side of the driveway was the plum tree. It had some nice plums on it and she was picking some that was hanging over onto our property and I decided to help her. I got a broom and clime over the other side of the railing. Holding on with one hand to the railing I was hitting the plums down with the broom, but the big ones were way high and I had a hard time reaching them. Without thinking, I let go of the railing and used both hands on the broom and fell down two stories onto an ash fault driveway. My aunt screamed and everyone rushed me to the hospital. My right forehead and right shoulder were fractured. My left wrist was broken and my left arm was fractured. I was in the hospital, what seemed like six weeks. My whole face was swallowed; the tears from my eyes crystallized my eyes shut. My left and right arms were in a cast; the right arm was from my hand to my elbow, and my left arm was from my hand to my shoulder. Because of me missing three months of schooling, I was unable to catch up with my school work and I had to go through the second grade twice. Shortly after this adventure my parent purchased their first home, and we all moved to Memphis Avenue. *A Smile at my Sister Wedding: My sister Erna got married at the age of 18 to a very nice man named Joseph. When it came time to have the wedding picture done at the studio “B&W” pictures, we all gathered together. The photographer told us each were to stand and for all of us to smile. What my family and relatives did not understand for years later was that I thought I was smiling. I could not understand why he kept telling me to smile when I was. Had the photographer put a mirror in front of me so I can see what I was doing wrong, I would have understood that I was not smiling. My sister & brother-in-law never forgave me of this mistake and thirty years later still talked about how upset they were. If only they could have lived in my shoes at that moment than they would have understood and would have found forgiveness in their heart.

*Mom & Pop Shops: On Lorain Avenue from West 25th Street all the way Down to West 150th street on both sides were all kinds of mom and pop shops. The buildings at that time where design to provide living quarters upstairs and store front downstairs. My older sister Erna got her first job at a second hand (used) clothing store. The owner of the shop was Mr. Grossman and taught my sister the basic of retail business of which will later in her life pay off to her benefit. I my parents taking me there and Mr. Grossman who liked my sister gave my parents a discount on everything they purchased. *My Jewish Friend: There was this nice family who lived on west 41th street at the end of Fenwick. They had a boy and a girl and the boy was much older than me but we became friends and we played together a lot, doing things on the street or at the play round. The family was Jewish, but then at that time I did not know anything about the Jewish faith or what it was. Our friendship lasted only for a year. I don’t even his name anymore, but one day the whole family mysteriously pact up there things and moved, late at night, no warning or good-bye. It wasn’t months later I over herd the next door neighbor talking about why they moved. It was out of shame. You see my friend got his older sister pregnant, of which at that time it was explained to me by other boys older than me that she was going to have a baby. *Local Bands: Back in the 50’s we did not have stereo sets and CD’s to play music so we had no disc jockey to entertain us at parties, school dances and weddings. What we had was a real live band that had anywhere from four to six playing there music. They knew how to play all the great tunes of that era and believe me, I have experience both worlds and there is nothing like a real live band at a dance or party. I feel sorry for the children of today’s world who never really experience this type of fun. The band some time would have a drummer, guitar player, saxophone player, accordion player, base player, or some other instruments, but the music was always great, real, and live. *I was invited: There was this girl who lived three house next to us in whom I had a crush on. One day she invited me to her birthday party. Now back then boys and girls did not dress like they do today, the boy who were invited to her party all dressed up in blue suites, white shirt, tie, matching pants and shiny black shoes. The girls all dressed up in nice dresses. I

being in my blue suite walking in front of my home, seeing my parents faces looking out of the window with big smiles. They were so proud and happy for me, but they and I did not know what psychological affect it would have on me later as I got older. I thought they were laughing at me, and this was the start of me becoming introverted, very shy around girls. At the party we all played games, one I was dunking for apples. There was a big tub that was filled with water with apples floating on top. The object was to dip your head into the tub and try to get out one of the apples without using your hands, only your big mouth. I trued and got one of the apples in my mouth by pinning it up against the inner wall of the tub. It got my hair all wet but it was fun. Another game we played was pinning the tail on the donkey. They would put a blind fold on your eyes so you can’t see, then gave you a tail with a pin through it. They turned you around and faced you at the picture of the donkey on the wall and the object was for you to pin the tail as close as you can on the donkey ass. After the games we all gather around to watch her open her gifts and seeing the joys on her face. I don’t what my parents purchased for her. After the gift opening we all celebrated with cake and ice cream. *The Bag Lady: On our street lived an old lady in here late 50’s who never talked to anyone, lived by herself, no brothers or sisters that anyone knew of. She always walked down the street wearing a full length coat with black fur trim around her shoulder attached to her coat, and a hat always carrying a large shopping bag. The small boy’s would tease her, call her names, and she would turn around and look at them in the face and hiss at them like a cat. I only teased her once but felt bad afterward, wishing I hadn’t done that. I felt sorry for her the way the community treated her. *The valley below: Behind our garage was a hill that went down into a valley that was owned by the electric company. It had stored on the property telephone poles, and large rolls of wire. There were railroad tracks with trains going by on its way to downtown Cleveland. Some of the older boy tied the feet of a cat together and placed the cat on the tracks and when the train rolled through the cat laid dead cut in half with its guts spilled out. My friends and I found the cat but did not know who did it. It was the first time I saw the insides of an animal, it looked grossed and I was upset with

whoever did this. *Abandon Firehouse: At the end of my street as it bent around the corner was an abandon firehouse. We would look into the dirty windows and see the poles the firemen would slide down. At the time the firehouse was in full swing, the fire trucks were still pulled by horses. I could be wrong but I saw harnesses the kind horses wore around there neck. The firemen living quarters was on the second floor. By the time my family moved into the neighborhood the fire trucks were automotive. *West Side Market: On west 25th street where it meets Lorain Avenue is a historical place known as the west side market. It’s a great place to shop for fresh produces, meats, cheeses, dairy products, bread, pastries and fish and seafood. My parents would go shopping every Saturday by riding the Lorain bus down to 25th street, which is also called Pearl Road. I them coming home, my father and mother both, each carrying two large grocery bags full of food and they only spent ten dollars. But of course things were different than, my father weekly income (take home pay after taxes) was $53.00 but you have to understand a dollar buying power was a dollar. Today our dollar buying power is only 18 cents because of rising inflation. After President Nixon took us off the gold standard the American dollar bill lost its value and buying power of 10 cents the first day. *Our First B&W TV: It was a big moment in my family when Dad purchased the family first B&W TV. It was great; I can the shows we all enjoy watching together as a family. My mother on the sofa, my father in his special “man’s” chair and for my sister and me, we loved lying on the carpet floor, most of the time with games, toy’s, coloring books and also a pillow and blanket. My favorite cartoon show was Johnny Quest which I watched every morning just before going to school. On Saturday morning was kinds hours up to noon and the three basic channel that were on was NBC, WERE & ABC and they all had cartoons on. We had great shows like Greek fairy tales, Hercules, the three stooges, the Little Rascals, and on Sunday David and Goliath. *TV Shows of the 50’s: There were great family shows we all love to watch like “Father Knows Best”, the “Donna Reed” show, gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Bob Cumming show etc.

*Our next door neighbor: There was this girl who lived next door. She and her parent came from another country, but she was able to talk English and always loved to come over to our home and watch TV with us because they were new to this country and was not able to purchase a TV of their own yet. My parents like her very much and became good friends with her parents. They lived in the red brick building right at the corner of 44th street and Fenwick. *Chest Cold: Today when catch anything we go running to the doctor or emergency room. It my time in the 50’s we took care of our illness ourselves to a certain point. Only when we got little or no result, then we go to the doctor. One day I came down with a chest cold and my mom got out the old trusted vapor rub cream and spread it on my chest and throat. It warmed the skin and cause the pain ease up, breathing was better and in time as the body healed itself, we got better each day. Hot baths was also called for some time. *The Midnight Car Crash: It was a warm summer night and shortly after midnight there was a large sounding of car wheel and a big car crash on the bridge that went over the valley behind our garage. I went outside to see what happen and my father told me to stay in the yard, while he went to see what happen. I a very large group of people going to the bridge, the local men ran to see if they could help. Someone called the police and we waited for the fire trucks and police to arrive. Back then we had no 911 or EMS services. At this time the city ambulance looked no different from the funeral cars; they both were the same vehicle, the city ambulances where red in color or white and the funeral cars were black. My father came home and talked with my mother telling her the people in the car were dead, and word got out that the car was leaking gas so all the men had to put out their cigarettes. It was a man and woman and they were both drinking. *Summer Time & Ice Cream: It was summer, the school was out, and the kids were in the streets or yard playing. The big boys would unscrew the fire hydrant and turn on the water for us kids so we can cool ourselves. The ice cream truck came by everyday to sell ice cream, but back then the ice cream was kept in an ice cooler with real ice to keep the ice cream frozen. *Faith or love of money: There was this boy at the Catholic school who played this trick on me. One day he said he went out to the tree in his back

yard and said a prayer to the Blessed Mother, and the next morning found a 50 cent piece coin. So when I got home I went into my back yard and got down on my knees in the snow and prayed to the Bless Mother. The next morning before school I checked to see if there was any money and there was none. I felt hurt and went to school thinking that the Blessed Mother didn’t love me. Later I pondered on what I did and too reason out what had happen. Was it because I had faith that it would work or was it because I wanted the money more? My mother packed my lunch and sent me off to school. On the way I stopped by the firehouse to see my friend Frank. He was happy about his wife having a baby boy he was ing out cigars to all the men, when he got to me he couldn’t give me a cigar so he gave me a 50 cent piece coin. My friend in school came up to me and asked me if I did the same thing as he did and if I got any money. I showed him the 50 cent piece coin I had in my pocket but pocket and did not answer him because he saw my lunch bag in my hand and the money so I wasn’t showing him my lunch money. He thought it really worked and the joke was on him. I never did tell him about the 50 cent coin. It was event like this that gave me my experience in life and the understanding of people character and honesty. *Stray Cat: Mom and me where coming home from a doctor appointment that was set for me, and on the way home as we walked down the side walk from the bus stop this cat started following us. When we got home it stayed around the side door making noises. I want to give the cat something to eat and when I open up the door it came right in. My mother was very upset and took the broom and started to beat the floor with it in the direction of the cat. I held the door open and soon the cat came running outside and as for me I was punished for letting him in after she told me not to open the door.

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Chapter Three

My life at the Memphis House

(1960 to 1965)

January 1, 1960 brought in not only a new decade but a new modern way of life. Science advanced greatly in inventing new ways of improving the housewife life. The music changed from big band to rock and roll music, women hair styles and fashion cloths change a lot, and home builders where deg new small compact single family homes. By mid sixties our country entered into the Vietnam War and the young generation was upset and tired of war. They rebelled against the government, the war and the church and the sexual revolution was born along with the new age movement; with peace, love and the flower children. Sex became open and free and moral values went out the windows. These young people went out on their own and form free love community type life style, in some community home girls were ed around from one boy to the next having free sex, becoming pregnant and not knowing who the father was. Wife swapping started to become popular and grow, where men shared each other wives for free open sex, another type of life style than later name changed to swinging thanks to women lib, but still remain the same object, have sex with my wife. In the last year of the decade, 1969 the human race for the first time in man’s history all around the world saw a man walk on the moon and say hello to the stars of heavens and to the people on earth; it was a moving event. Family Time: One of the things I chrish in the my memories of my childhood was family time together, like every Sunday We get together in the evening was to watch the Walt Desiny show which had great programs. Mom and Dad was on the sofa while my little sister was on the carpet floor with some food and a glass of cold milk. One thing that we practice as a good catholic family was to eat diner togeher everyday and talk about the

things we did or learned in school. At Christmas time, as a family we would make it a tradition for all the of the family come together to decorate the tress; and we play Christmas musice and just have fun decorating; mom would bring in some eggnog and sugar cookies. When we were finished we all went into the family den and wach TV together. We had wonderful parents who loved us and we loved them. *New Home and New Church (1961): My parents and my sister and I moved into a nice home on Memphis Avenue. My sister and I were enrolled in school at Our Lady of Good Council on pearl in Cleveland. I found the Church to be very interesting because it was two Churches in one building. The Church and school were built on a hill right next to the Cleveland Rapid Transit. The first church was on ground level, of which I went to Mass everyday while school was on. Right above it was the second Church, bigger and celebrated Mass every Sunday. Next to the Church was the Rectory where the priest lived. Right behind the school was where the nuns lived. Their home was connected to the school. One quarter mile down the road going north was Deaconess Hospital. *Our New Home: It was a big home, with a small yard and a two car garage with a connecting room. Our home was really a two family home, with a big porch and a tall pine tree in the front lawn, and a big tree on the street lawn. The kitchen was like an orange color stain wooden cabinets, a good size kitchen, where my family always sat together for supper. My sister and I would always drop my mother china plates, so after the third time, they purchase for us metal plates, porcelain covered. *The Bird Lady: There was an old lady living next door by herself and rented the upstairs to a young lady. Every day, 365 days a year she would throw out bread crumbs for the birds. She was a kind woman who loved animals and the birds were her love. There were times I would see 50 to 100 birds in her back yard eating white bread. She, like my father, both had a vegetable garden and would always exchange those vegetables that were plentiful. She give us lettuce, we give her tomatoes etc. Her husband died before we moved into our house so I never met him. *Dad and the Possum: My next door neighbor who loved birds and feeding them bread everyday and found out that a possum was living under her back porch. Being alone, a window, she called my father. Since we were

living in the city could not shoot it with a rifle so my father got a heavy winter snow shovel and hit the possum several time on the head as he confronted the animal. At first the animal Gerould at my father like he was going to attack but after three hits in the head the animal was finally dead. My father was the man in the family and he always proved it through his action and love. Not like the Beverly Hillbillies we did not eat the possum my father buried it in the back yard. *Johnny the Priest 1962: One summer vocation used our family garage as a Church and used my mother’s bed sheets to make priest vestment and altar linens. I used one of my mother’s fine wineglasses as my chalice, and I would use regular white bread, squeezed flat and cut out round as my communion host. I did baptized my next door neighbor baby sister, and it made me feel great. I enjoyed beautiful religious pictures and prayer books, Bible stories and the rosary. It was living in this home on Memphis road where for the first time I felt close to Jesus Christ. My love and faith was like David of the Old Testament. I learned much of the Mass of which I attended every day during school season, and on Sundays. You might say that I received a call from the Lord to be his servant in helping others, doing good deeds and sharing my faith. No, I don’t think I was strange, not because I like helping others and doing good deeds. My interest in helping other people both on a spiritual level as a priest and on a physical level as a naturopathic doctor and master herbalist became my central focal point in my life; yes, as a priest, healer and teacher like Jesus. *Johnny the Barber: The little room that was built onto the garage was my barbershop. My father older sister, my Aunt Christine husband was a barber, and back then they had clippers and scissors to cut your hair; today they use little motorize hand held hair cutters. My uncle and aunt lived in Akron Ohio and we would visit them from time to time and he gave me an old hair clipper. So I decided to become a barber, and set up shop in my garage. The next door neighbor, my friend whom I would play with was Donald; he became my first and last customer. I cut his hair just a little. He showed off his new hair cut and boy was she upset. I think she over reacted, because I took off so little hair you really could see where I cut unless you accurately went looking for it. But because Donny said something about it she noticed it. She took Donny right up to the local barber and ordered a butch hair cut for him. She made such a big thing out of nothing, because

his hair would have grown out again. I think she over reacted. *The Robin laid one on me: I was playing in the back yard and a robin landed on the electrical wire going from the house to the garage. As I walked under the robin who was sitting on the wire, relieved him-self and his poop landed right on the middle of my head. I ran into the house asking my mother what was on my head, and she started to laugh. She told me what happen and took me to the kitchen sink and washed (shampooed) my hair. *Blood Brothers: Donny and I love to watch western shows on television. We all knew how to and what it meant to be a blood brother so Donny and I decided to become one. But instead of cutting our wrist, because the cut may go to deep we may bleed to death; we decided to do a little cut on the tip of our middle Finger. So one day when no one was around we were in Donny kitchen, we took a shape cutting knife and cut our middle finger. It was very quick and a little sting afterward we touched our two fingers together to let our blood mingle and swore an oath of brotherhood. *Where babies come from: My friend Donny and I were talking one day about babies and me being older than him I told him the truth and that night he told his mother what I said. She was upset and told my mother all about it. My mother was an understanding woman and knew I did nothing wrong but spook the truth. She asked me not to talk about where babies come from to Donny anymore. *Swimming Lessons: it was one month later after the baby event. School was out for the summer and Donny and I signed up for swimming lessons at the Cleveland zoo. Today, the outdoor pool is no longer there, it was replaced with an amphitheater. Well, on the way home as we walked up this road we all called snake hill because of how it twist and turn on the way down to the zoo. A man in a car pulled up and asked us if we can give him direction to the police station. He found this drunk woman past out on the road. She was laid out along the front seat with her head on his lap. I also observed an empty whiskey bottle in the back seat of the car. I told him that we did not know but that a police car was sitting at the end of the road. He said thank you but before he left he asked us if we ever saw this, and he proceeded to pull the woman pants down and showed us her, let just say love

box. The woman was young with a nice figure and brown pubic hair and lots of it. My reply to his question was no and he left and I was afraid Donny may tell his mother about this little adventure in life experience. So I made him swear a blood brother oath never to tell anyone of this, and all the remaining years I known him he never did. *My Friend Joey: My friend Joey lived two streets over from where I lived and we both went to the same Catholic school. We were in the 5th grade at this time, summer was here and school was out. We would play and hang out at snake hill. One day we were at the top of the hill lying on the grass talking. Then Joey told of him coming home and herd noise coming from his parents’ bedroom. There four of us talking and Joey gave a detail story of what he saw. His father and mother were naked in bed and having sex. Joey told us everything they did, this was just another time in my life when I learned about life. *Everyone knows a bully: I think, one time or another every young boy runs into a bully in his life that acts stuff and uses that stuff image to get what he wants, without honor and without work or trading or giving something in return and I was no exception. There was this boy on the next street that always waited for me, as I walked to school to collect twenty five (25) cents from me or he will beat me up. So like most boys I gave him my lunch money. Then one day I meet a man from the auto-shop who witness this daily event and asked if he could talk to me. He told me a story of when he was young and how he had this bully always picking on him. He explained to me that bully’s are cowered who act stuff to create fear in people and use this fear to trick people in giving them what they want or get beat-up. He told me that every man must face up to that fear and overcome it by being stuff and knowing that good overcomes evil every time. It may hurt a little for a short time but you fight for good and win and even if you lose the fight that bad boy will know that you can’t be controlled any more. The next day on my way to school the bully jumps out from behind a bush and asks for his money. I told him I only have my money and his money must have been given to someone else. He started to make a fist and without him knowing or seeing, I pushed him right in the nose and he went down crying and bleeding. After that he never troubled me again.

*Johnny and the homeless man: Between the bus depot and my school there was a section of, to a boy, woods 15 feet wide with grass bushes and trees 6 feet tall. During lunch break some of us boys would gather there to play. Well one day I saw what looked like a car tire with a coat on it. So I kicked the tire only to my surprise as it moved. The other boys ran away but I found out that it was not a tire but a homeless man sleeping. He asked me what I wanted and I apologized for kicking him and said I thought he was sick and maybe needed some help. He said he was ok and I left. Later in class I was thinking of him and why he had to live like that and sleep in the woods. I never figured it out and learned that it was a fact of life that some people are like that. *Johnny the Sidewalk guard: When I got into the third grade I signed up to become a sidewalk guard. My responsibility was not to let the other children cross the street until the light turned red. It was great and fun, I got to leave class 15 minutes early from class before anyone else was allowed to go home. We got to wear a badge, plus a uniform and a crossing guard flag on this pole. When the light was green I had to put my crossing flag across the sidewalk blocking age to the children. When the light turned red I open up and allow the younger children to cross the road. I felt like a big man. The teacher in charge would stand by us and watch to make sure we were doing it right. Pearl road was a very busy street. *My Father the landlord: My father and mother decided to rent the upstairs out to earn extra money for the family. My Aunt Pauline found a nice man and was living on her own and my grandmother went with them because she was the baby of the family and someone had to help with my cousin Joseph. We had many strange family moves in and out. After having so much trouble my father decided not to rent it out anymore. *The terrible cry for help: When we were renting the upstairs the front living room became my sister and I bedroom, the dining room was our living room and the second bedroom was our TV room or den. One night as we were all sleeping, I would guess that it was around 3:00 am in the morning we heard the sound of car tires make a loud noise as it come around the corner of the side street just in front of our home. The driver lost control and hit our front tree head on. I can still hear the screaming cry of a woman saying “My legs, my legs, I can’t feel them, please somebody help.” The neighbor called the police, my father came to our bedroom to hold me,

and I put my hands over my ears so I could not hear the screams of that poor woman. I feel asleep in my father arms that night. The next day I looked at our tree, there was a large area of bark missing and I could smell oil and gas from the car that was there earlier that morning. The neighbors were talking and said the women did not live, nor did the driver and that both have been drinking. That Sunday I told the parish priest what happen and that I would like to dedicate that Sunday morning Mass in their honor, he understood and said yes John, we shall do that, and we will pray. *The Death of my Pope: It was June 3, 1963 that mother superior made an announcement of the death of his holiness Pope John XXIII (twenty third). Our nun started crying and I was very sad because my pope was dead. Because we both had the same name “John” I felt a special bonding with him and this is why he was my special pope, the pope of peace. After school I rushed home to watch the TV on more news of his death. I cried that day because my friend had died. I never meet him or talked to him, but I read the news of what he was doing for world peace in our church bulletin of the things he talked about. I loved him and he was my friend. As my mother and I watch, we both had tears in our eyes. Days later his funeral was shown on television at school and the nuns allowed us all to watch TV at that time. *John F. Kennedy: It was November 22, 1963 and I was in the third grade doing my studies when mother superior made another announcement on the PA system of the death of our 35th President, John F. Kennedy. The nuns were crying and all the girls in class were also crying and we boys held our heads down in sorrow for the death of a great man. Days later we all watched the funeral on TV. It was if I could feel the energy of emotions in the classroom, a great feeling of pain and sorrow. The faces of the nuns and children, when I looked them in the eyes, the pain I felt. *My near death experience: I stayed home from school because I was sick. I was lying down on the sofa watch TV covered up in a blanket. My nose was running and I had a lot of phlegm built up in my chest. Then all of a sudden I could not breath, I got up grasping my throat running around in the room making all kinds of noises. My mother was helpless to help me; it was like my throat pipe closed up. Today I know that it was the large amount of

phlegm that clogged my pipes and did not allow me to breathe. Then out of the blue they opened up and I started to breathe again. This was my third time I almost died. This first time with my head injury at the play ground, and second when I fell off the second story porch in the drive way, at our home on Fenwick. *My first-hand experience with death: I was in school one day when mother superior made an announcement of this rich woman death. She ed the church for many years and was asked to pay homage to her at the funeral home just one block down the street. I walking into the funeral home right up to the coffin. There she was laying there inside, dead. I ran out of the funeral home and all the way home. I told my mother what I saw and how it frighten me. She told me not to go into funeral homes anymore, and that there was nothing to be afraid of, it’s part of life here on earth. *The three year war: Three houses down was a boy named Donald who first became my friend but later became my enemy all over a stick. For three years we would play dirty trick on each other and family. Donald ran around with a bad bunch of boys who got into trouble all the time. *The Local Library: At this time the Cleveland library had a branch right on the corner of Pearl road and State road, on the pearl road side. Today the library sits on the State road side. I loved going to the library and check out book, sit in on story time etc. My mother loved when I would bring home a story book and read to her. She did this to help me learn how to read better because she knew that my German always gave me a hard time with my English. I read to her about Abraham Lincoln living in a log cabin, chopping wood, this was her favorite story. *The Cleveland Zoo: On Mondays before noon time we can get into the zoo for free and my friends and I went to the zoo every week just to check out the animals. The zoo today was nothing like it was back in the early 60’s. Today the Cleveland zoo is much better, more educational, more things to do, places to see, and more night time events. It’s a great place to visit. *Snake Hill: This was a road that leads down from “street” to the zoo. It’s closed now, but it was a great place for us guys to play, it was like we all had our own forest to play in. In the winter the road was closed and we used the

road as a hill to go slide riding. In the summer we would build forts and play. The local high school boy would cut class and look at magazines that had picture of nude girls and then when they were finish tossed it out the car windows and went home. We would pick it up the magazine and look and look at the pictures and learn about the facts of life. *I spy you Spy: In the early 60’s it was the time of the cold war between Russia & China against the United States and England and the known free world. The big TV shows were I spy, the man from uncle, James Bond 007. The toy industry played the field by making plastic guns, holster, ID card & wallet, badge and every kind on the street was an American agent. *Royal Castle & McDonalds: My favorite place to eat was at royal castle because of their 16 cents hamburgers and birch beer. They even sold the burgers in a 12 pack. They were small eating place at first with just a counter and rotating stools. Behind the counter they cooked breakfast, lunch and the famous burgers. They were small on a soft bun with grilled onions. There was like no other taste like royal castles. Right next door on one side was the post office and on the other side was the local movie theater. When McDonald came to town their standard hamburger was 15 cents and it was bigger than the Royal Castles burger. Our Local movie theater: The afternoon show was only 50 cents. One of my favorite movies was Walt Disney called “King Arthur” and another movie was “the three stooges in orbit.” Royal castle and the movie theater are no longer there but is now a corner shopping center. Above the movie theater was a bowling alley where young boys got a job sitting up the bowling pins. They did not have automatic pin setters yet. It was a great place to hang out and play a game of bowling. *Johnny the Detective: At this time my favorite TV show was “The New Breed” 1961 to 1962 staring Leslie Nielson as Lt. Price Adam. This is when I wanted to be a detective. My favorite detective cartoon was “Dick Tracy.” So I played a lot as a detective, it was fun. I befriended a nice man who had his own business right on Pearl road next to the public library at the time, making commercial signs for other companies and business people. After telling him my idea of being a detective, he went and posted my flyer on his filing cabinet letting people know that I was for hirer. He was a very nice man. When he finally retired his son took over the business and expanded

the business with new ideas. I liked him and I pray for him at times. *My first marriage proposal: It was in the third grade there was this pretty young girls with blond hair named Linda. One day I had this other girl, who was a co-student; deliver a piece of paper to her. You see Linda sat three desks behind me. Wells as it turned out she thought it was funny, because I told her I will grow up and be a detective and take care of her. Her answer was no. However, to this day I still have her picture. I often wondered how her life turned out. Who she married, what career did her go into, and did she have any children? *The Neighbor Barn: My neighbor two houses down had an old barn in his back yard, while everyone else had a two or one car garage. Well one day we went in from the back through some loose boards just to look around. It was old and very dusty and dirty. The family who own the house had an old antique car in which we would sit it in and play with the buttons on the dashboard. I took the cigarette lighter when we left. The neighbor found out we were playing in the barn and found out that his car cigarette lighter was missing. He called my father and told him what happen and that he was going to call the police. My father went over there to talk with him and convince him not to call the police; he would pay for any damages. The man would not hear of it, mean while I found the lighter and returned it to him and apologized for taking it. He did not call the police and I was forbidden to go into their yard or barn anymore. *Stink Bomb: It wasn’t a week or two later after the barn adventure that my friend Donny and I found out that the neighbor wife deposited their cat litter outside by the barn. At sunset we did a night time look se and collected some of the cat litter in a plastic bag. We added water to the bag and sealed it and let it sit in the Sun for a day. These bags became stink bombs and we would throw them at our enemy house and stink up the place for days. We did not throw them at the house just on the walk way. *Race Car Johnny: At this time, go-carts were big and every kind wanted to build their own and sign up for the soap-box derby race. The driveway at our house on me Memphis road had a nice hill of which I ran my go-cart down and turn a sharp left or right onto the sidewalk at the end of the driveway, just before the street. These go-carts needed a hill to ride down on

because they had no real engine. *Johnny motor bike: One of the things us kids would do is to our bikes was clip on the wheels a piece of a playing card to the fender with a cloth-clip and as the wheel would spin it would make a loud noise like a motor bike. To us kids it was cool sound made us feel good, with confidence. *Garbage day: You know back then, the city of Cleveland would hire garbage men to come into our back yard and take our garbage cans to the street for garbage pickup. A service, like the milkman, that is no longer practiced. Just like the gas-man and water-man would ask to come into the home to go down to the basement to read the gas or water meter. *Fire sticks explosive: It was the 4th of July and everyone was shooting off fireworks. My father showed me something very interesting. He took a pipe with an end cap on it. He then found an iron bar that fit just right inside the pipe. With his pocket knife he would scrap off from a wooden matchstick the red or blue material found on the tip of the matchstick. He place it inside the pipe and put the iron bar inside and then hit the iron bar onto the concert steps on our patio and it sounded like a gun shooting and the pipe went flying. The material collected from the tip of the matchstick acted like gunpowder. *Rabbit, Rabbits, Rabitts, and more Rabits: My father got two rabbits as pets for me and my sister, one male and one female. My father knew what was going to happen and started build cages. Soon we had 22 rabbits and we eat chicken every Sunday. Then one day went I could sleep I came down to get a drink when I heard my father and mother in the basement making noise so I went to check it out and that’s when I saw my father butchering a rabbit. My mother was holding the rabbit upside down by the hind legs as my father was skinning it with a sharp knife. I cried and they had to explain to me the nature of life and the need for food; and that it was time for me to start becoming a young man. *Chickens too: My father purchased four baby chicken for 25 cents each. One died a week later and the others grew up to be two hens and one rooster. As adult the hens laid eggs but the rooster liked chasing me around the yard pecking me. This went on everyday to the point I couldn’t play in the back yard anymore and I ed what my father said about

becoming a man. So one morning I put on a good pair of heavy shoes and went into the back yard, and as always the rooster came running up to me. This time I didn’t run but kicked the rooster and he went rolling along the grass. From that day forward I chased him around that that nice pair of shoes, and he learned fast who was the boss. As long as he left me alone I did not kick him, a mutual understanding. *Fourth Grade Kissing: When I entered the 4th grade at Our Lady of Good Council, I met this nice girl named Cindy, who was boy crazy and loved to kiss. She had an interest in me and we would go into these big bushes right behind the Nuns house during lunch time. These bushes were five feet high and we would always meet there inside the bushes, it was big enough like a little house. What did we do there, well we would kiss all the time, at first it seem a straight thing to do but everyone on TV was doing it so we decided to check it out, later it became fun and we enjoyed doing it. It was a memorable year. It was innocent, two children exploring and learning about life, nothing more. My Confirmation: It was time, I am 12 years old and we prepared our selves to be confirmed by the bishop of the Cleveland Diocese of Ohio Most Rev. Edward F. Hoban. My confirmation name I picked was “Joseph” after the earthly faher of Jesus, but my sponsor was my cousen Joseph Hozvicka, who mother was aunt pualin, my father younger sister. I went up to the altar were the bishop was seated and I knelt before him and he anoited my forhead with holy oil and sealed my soul with the Holy Spirit, and since I was already bapized I was now complete, I was born of the water (baptism) and of the Spirit which was my confirmaion. In the teaching of Jesus to Nicodemus on the rebirth of the human soul Jesus says “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him. How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:3-6 KJV

Chapter Four

My Life at Ashland House

Junior High and High School

(1965-1971)

We moved into our new home in October of 1965, I was in the 7th grade and my sister was in the 4th grade. We both made friends fast with those kids who lived on our street but school was not so easy coming from a Catholic school and going to a public school for the first time; it required some adjustments on my part. Our house was one of those new modern compact home, small but functional. It was built in 1957, the first one on our street, the model home that was shown to people interested in buying one just like it. My parents where the second owner of this home and it has stayed in our family ever since. I when the land was all farm land and my father and family would come here and go blackberry picking, who would ever think that homes would be built and we would buy the first model home of the area. *First day at School: My first day at school was ok but I meet this boy named Tony who wanted to fight me for no reason, he just wanted to see how tuff I was. This did not go well with me, all the boys in the room like to fight and test each other out who was the real tuff man in the class. Next to the school was a Church and next to the Church was a new highway bridge where they would meet and fight. The girls seem to like to watch and I found myself in a whole new world. Coming from a Catholic school run mostly by nuns, we were taught fighting never was the answer or solution to disagreements. Every day I went home a different way so not to run into Tony.

*My love for Science: I found myself falling in love with science, biology, astronomy, rocketries, electricity class, and craft class both metal and wood. In electricity class I built my first radio transmitter and was able to hear my voice on AM radio it was a big thing for me that day when it work for the first time. I giving aloud yes so the whole class heard me. In biology we had to dissect a frog and learn its anatomy. We also learned about our weather and the things the weather man had to learn and do in order to report the weather on TV. We also had astromony class which was great, learning about the stars and planets; these were wonderful times exploring the world around us. *A Boy named Billy: After we moved in to our new home my parent ed me and my sister in the local public school. I went to Ford Junior High starting in the 7th grade. There was this boy named Billy with red hair, he was kind of wild and adventurous. He had a big tree in his back yard that he like to clime and play in. He was 13 years old as I was and one weekend on Saturday his parent went shopping and Billy was playing in the tree and he had a rope his mother used to hang her laundry with. On Monday morning the teacher announced that there was an accident and that Billy was dead. His foot slipped on one of the tree branches and fell but the rope he had got fell over his head and he was hung. His parents came home to fine their son hanging from the tree dead. Our teacher instructed us on the danger of playing in a tree with a rope and talked to us about the danger of life and how we all had to learn to use our head and be aware of things that can harm us. After his talked we all took one minute, lowered our head in respect for Billy ing away so young in life. *The Bicyclical Theft: My father was always interest in buying good strong things that will last and that included bicyclical with big fat tires that required extra energy to ride. All my friends had three, five or ten speed bikes with thin tires that made ride so easy and fun. Then one day on my birthday my father got me a new bike, one that I can chose and there was this black three speed bike. It cost $50 more than my father wanted to spend, and I told him I would pay half and I did and I got the bike. The bike was great and I just loved it. I put mirrors on it, a big compatible seat and speedometer. One day my little sister wanted to go to “ZAYER” a local department stor. She took my bike without me knowing it, when I came home I

looked for my bike and then I saw my sister walking home. She told me that she took my bike and left it outside of the store without locking it up. When she came out of the store the bike was gone, stolen. The police was called and the bike was reported stolen. Two weeks later the police found the bike, all that was left was the frame, everything else was stripped. This was the last time I owned my own bike in 1973, two years after I graduated from high school and I had a good job and my own car. *The Big Swat: I was in 8th grade, and in a time when teachers had the authority to discipline wild and un-behaved boys with a big wooden paddle on the ass. Because of one boy parent sued the school system for abusive punishment, the school system set up guideline for teachers. The teacher was allowed only three swat’s on the ass and not below the ass hiding the back part of the thigh, and he had to have another teacher there as a witness. This way the boy could not lie about the teacher abusing him. Well the day came that I was called up along with two other boys for discipline and went into the hall into another room. The teacher called for another teacher to act as witness. The paddle was 4” wide with holes in it. We would have to bend over and hold our ankles and he would swat us three times on the ass. It sting real good and this was the second time I receive a punishment of this kind in my life, the first in 4th grade from a nun with a ping pong paddle, 22 swat’s on the ass. It was like getting hit by your mother, because nuns where women, and the second time in the 8th grade. This was the last time I ever received this type of punishment in my life. Bus Boy: I was in the 8th grade and school ended and summer vacation started. I got a job as a bus boy, I 14 years old at the Sherrond hotel. I was a summer job bu i was a cool job. I also washed dishes at ime or help the chef prepare something for a big party. At this time the Jefferson airplane was in twon for a concert and stayed at the hotel, in the hallway by the vending machine I meet the female singer of the group, Grace Slick, and talked to her she was buying a pack of cigerrets and was short of some pocket change and I gave her what she need. I also did a room service for Jack Casady and he gave me a 8X10 picure of himself and signed it. I never was a great fan of the group so I sold the picure at school in the fall of tha year. I made good tips from the waitress I worked with, I was lucky they were good

women the dinning area was high class wih a live organ player and dance floor. We used real table cloths and napkins. The seating host was a loving woman, professional with blond hair and very hot. *The Spy Era: The cold war was going on, and Hollywood and Television stations got on the band wagon and produced such shows as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and I spy, James Bond, and others. The toy company profited from the era of the 60’s by making plastic guns, badges, and port. Between 1965 to 1968 I was greatly interested in spy movies and playing as a secret agent. We would walk up to Hopkins Airport here in Cleveland and check out the people getting off the plane, checking them out to see if any might be communist agents. We would do special training to protect ourselves, we had special equipments. It was a great time in my life. *Sleep Outs: The guys and me would sleep out in the back yard then when everyone was sleeping we would go swimming in other people pool, visit people gardens, clime neighbors garages, and we would tell jokes most of the night and fall asleep around four in the morning. When we turn 18 we became of legal age and after midnight we walk up to the local donut shop that was open 24 hours, hoping a policemen would stop us and ask how old we are since we are now of legal age and curfue did not apply to us anymore. *Me in School: As for me in school, my parents always enrolled me into a slow class ever since one of my nuns in the second grade told my parents I was not smart and always need to be put into a slow class with other children who had problems learning things at the same speed as the other “normal” children, and this was wrong. I always knew I was not slow and that I was a creative thinker, my mind was always working, it was just that the nuns and teachers were unable to hold my interest in learning what they were teaching. I was put into a slow class because of the teacher’s failure to stimulate my interest in learning. It was the start of a new school year in 1966 when I went into the 8th grade. There was a young man who became my social study teacher, who was able to stimulate my interest, get me to participate in classroom talks, and who told great stories of his life in Florida. When I received my first report-card, I was shocked and surprised that I got an “A” in social studies. It was the only “A” I ever got in my life in junior high and in high school.

It was the first time I walked home from school feeling like I was someone, I was not slow or stupid, I was proud of myself. And to this day I still have that report-card with that “A” in my bag of memories I keep. Always there to remind me that I am not slow or stupid but that I have brains. *Junior high Bullies: Coming from a Catholic school and going into a public school was a big change for me that my parents never could understand. The boys in the 7th grade had this idea to always prove and test their manhood, of which I always thought was stupid. In the summer of 1966 my friend and neighbor Mike who lived across the street from me asked if I would like to work out with him with weight and I said yes. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning we would work out for an hour on weights. He taught me various exercise and by the time school started again in the September right after Labor Day weekend, I had developed a good set of muscle from the three month of workout. The first day of school all the bullies saw me and was shocked at how I looked that for the rest of that year and next all the way up to 12th grade they never troubled me again. In fact I help stopped bullies in the 8th grade from picking on smaller kids. *I slapped my sister: My parents decided it was time for me to hold more responsibility in the family, so my father entrusted me with my own house key. My sister was told to obey me since I was the oldest put in charge when both my father and mother where working. One day my sister did something that was wrong and I told her not the do it again and to go up to her room, she said no and she defied me. This was the first time she disobeyed me and I did not know how to handle it, out of reaction I slapped her across the face. She went up stairs crying. All day I felt so bad for slapping her, I never told her how much I loved her and how lucky I was to have her as my sister. Even now as I write this, telling you of this event, I still feel bad about this part of my life. All my life I was always her protector. School or woods: It was the month of May and in the early morning there was a very thick fog and we had to walk to school everyday. As we got to the end of the street we had to make a decssion, go to school or go to our fort in the woods and cut-school. We went to out fort in the wood and there we hanged out all day until school was over. Acroos the street from the woods

was a Lawson store and we purchase some food and candy then went back to he fort. My friend Jim wrote a note for me to give to my teacher telling her that I was not feeling good and stayed home. John the Hunter: I’m in 8th grade and the other boys on the street, Jim, Bob, Jeff, Micke, paul, and others we all got the powermaster 760 air rifle and started hunting in the woods next to our homes. We all had a great time hunting squarls, rabbits, and other creatures. WE would camp out at a fort we built in the woods for two hours afer sunset. We cook soup, baked potatoes and once a squarl wrapped in bacon cooked over a camp fire. I had to skin the animal myself the other boys were affraid, but my Dad taught me how, the other boys Dad’s were into golf, model airplains, etc. It’s times like this I was gratefull for my Dad teaching me, so if I had to I could survie not starve. Pathfinder Skills: I was 15 years old and at this time moutain men, frontersmen, camping and hunting was my love. From the skins I tanned and collected I made myself a winter rabbit hat to keep me warm, a hunter pouch to store my ammo and fire making kit. I purchase a steers horn and made it into a ammo holder fill wih my “BB’S”. I made a rifle sheet from cow hides with fringes. When I go camping I know how to set up the camp, tents, firepit, latren, campfire etc. I also learned tracking skills, the foot prints of various animals. I would make plaster of paris casting of the animal track to help me learn them. I knew the proper use of hunting kinfes and axes, proper way to make a camp fire, and cooking on an open firepit. *My first camping trip: It was 1968 and my cousin called and asked if I would like to go camping with him and his friend. My cousin Joe was six years older than me and I was 16 at the time. We went to La Due reservoir in Ohio half way between Cleveland and Youngstown on State route 422. My cousin was told it’s a wild area and that there were still bears around. To play it safe my cousin brought his shoot gun. I did not know it until after we set up came. It was at this time when I fell in love with camping and have loved it ever since. My aunt, Joes mother made a big pot of potato salad and my cousin did not bring

any way to keep it from spoiling so potato salad that was to last three days was eaten up in one day, by three young men, one still learning (me) one stupid (my cousin) and one friend who didn’t care. As a camping buddy he did not last long and my cousin found another one to take his place. *My second adventure in Camping: I was 17 years old now and we went back to La Due again but this time I was able to purchase a beautiful hunting knife before we left for La Due. My cousin had this great idea about sleeping on air mattress. It was my idea to sleep on the floor, ruffling it like a real mountain man. One night I was looking at my beautiful hunting knife when it slipped out of my hand and cut a hole in my cousin air mattress and when he found out what happen he took my air mattress and made me sleep on the floor. I loved it and had no problem sleeping. *Our Third Camping Adventure: When it came time for fishing we always was ready for action, we never got a lot of fish as I would catch when I was fishing with my father, But we knew how to party at our camp site. Good food, whiskey and women. One time in the morning we met the women who were sleeping in the tent next to ours and one of them told me that they stayed up late last night laughing at the dirty jokes we were telling each other. Some night we played poker with some of our camping neighbor. When we went camping, each of us had a job. It was my job to set up camp (tent), Joe job was to rent the fishing boat for the weekend, and our third camping partner to set up the fire pit and start cooking lunch or dinner. We loved camping in the primitive section a great lake in Ohio called pymatuning on the Pennsylvania/Ohio line. Most of the lake was in Pymatuning. *Rocketry: From 9th grade through to 11th grade I love building and launching rockets into the sky. We had a club of 8 guys, building and launching rockets. We even pulled our money together to buy engines to launch the rockets. We had a lot of fun and it kept all of us out of trouble, keeping us active. We had a system; we would launch the rockets into the direction of the local school yard. This insured us of getting the rockets back. If we launch them straight up it will end up in someone yard, tree, house where we can’t get it back. One time we launched a mouse into the sky and never found the rocket or mouse. We had camera mounted on the rocket and took picture and movie

camera 8mm film and watched as the rocket went up and see our houses as small building. We were going to go into telemetry rocketry but the of our club left, each went his own way when we entered high school. Back then 7th, 8th and 9th grade was junior high, and 10th to 12th grade was high school. *Railway Launch: I took a set of straight railway track and mounted them on a 5” wooden board 10 feet long, with a train flat car on it with a rocket mounted on the flat car. The track was directed to the school yards. The track set-up was place on top of my father garage which also was flat at an angle. Other neighbor was built Gabo style with a pointed top. First try was a failure but the second one was successful, it was great you had to see it to believe it. The rocket took off and the train flat car fell off at the end of the track. All launches had a countdown and were recorded on our official tape recorder. We had a control center in the Garage, and we would monitor the weather, because high winds would take the rocket off course. We also had our own weather station, launch pad crew, recovery team on bikes, and launch personnel in the control center. We were set-up just like NASA. *New Science interest: Astronomy: As I entered high school the first year, I found a new love and that was astronomy. I also fell in love with photography. Both worked together because years later when I got my first telescope I took pictures of the moon, Jupiter and its four moons, and Saturn with its moons and rings of cosmic dust. The picture of the Moon was printed in the high school newsletter and an article was done on me. I started an astronomy club when had 18 in Brook Park and we would hold our meeting at the public Library, and we would have camp outs in the summer time on a friend farm where it was very dark, no street light to interfere with you watching the sky. Oh’, how the sky look at night in the country, so beautiful and so big. You can see the stars and planets, shooting stars which were meteors, and it seemed that the universe was alive. In the 11th grade I took an astronomy class, and it was great, I failed the teacher daily five question quiz, and I told him this is how I learn, by seeing where I went wrong, he was very worried about me ing. However, on the semi-test and the semester test, I ed with flying colors and the teacher just looked at me with awe as I smiled looking at my final grade. *What I Never Got: All my time in high schools there were things I wanted

but never got. I never had a girl friend and never went to any of the school dances. I never was interested in any of the high school sports. I was an introverted young man, very shy. I had feeling and desires like the other guys but too shy to ask a girl out on a date. This problem started when I was young at the age of 10 by my parents. They loved me but did not releazed the laughter and funny smiles on their faces did to me inside. It caused me to lose my self confidence, to draw inward and become very shy. My First Car: I’m 17 years old and on trash day I would go around and pick up electrical part people would thow out and from various part and a turn-able I built my first stero conpotent with a record player. A friend of mine liked it so much he talked his dad into buying it from me with a 1962 “Ford Falcon” car that did not run. I worked on it and got it running. Then I took my mother old vaccum cleaner that had a attachment for removing old wallpaper, it sprayed hot water. I filled the sprayer with blue paint and it came out looking great. I then sold the car and purchased a 1964 Ford gaxaly. I painted it flat black paint with wide white racing strips, then I rasied the back springs and it raised the back end of the care. It had a 289 engine with a great take off speed. We were on TV channel 3: I was watching the local news and they report that they are looking for anyone doing something to fight air pollution so I wrote a letter to the satation telling them that I was doing research on air poluion using model rockets. The reporter called and ask if they can watch the next launch and interview us. Me friend greg and I told everyone we are going to be on TV, but no one believed us. Well the day came, the news truck pulled up and the reporer came up the drive way and I welcomed him. We went into the back yard and the next thing I knew all the neighbor were in yard next to the one we were in on both sides, there must of been 60 people waching the launch. That night I watched myself on TV, in the 6 O’Clock news and we had a 3 minutes spot on the news. It was a great day for me, since vhs was not yet invented I taped the news report on my cassett tape recorder, and I still have it to this day. Summer fishing: My friends and I always went fishing at the local river called Rocky River which drained into lake erie. We fish off the shores of the river, and one afternoon I ran out of bait so I used a peice of Polish keilbasa and I throw it into the river and I turn and went behid a tree to pee when I returned my my fishing rod was gone and then I saw it in the middle

of the river going down stream. The river was only 18 inches deep so I ran after it, and went I picked it up I realize there was a fish on the line so I reeled it in and cauth a 2 pound carpt. We also love to go night fishing at edgewater park on Lake Erie with my cousin Joe. Here we relaxed with lanern shined its light, soft musice from the radio, we relaxed, told war stories, had great food and it at a nice warm summer evening, drinking beer. It is these event I cherish and of my youth.

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Chapter Five

My Years after High School

1971 to 1979

After I graduated from High school the biggest worries in my life was the Vietnam War I was close to being drafted. My draft number 101 and the draft board were calling young men who had 84. I tried getting a job at NASA, because working on a government job my chances of being drafted is not good, however, I failed the entrance exam twice. But President Nixon came through and in 1974 ended the Vietnam war and closed the draft. I going out and celbrating the this happy time. *My Adventure at Clarkin’s: Because I was now the warehouse manager it was my turn to open up the store at 6:00 am in the morning to let the cleaning crew in and found the store flooded. The main water pipe at the front snack bar became frozen and busted with water running everywhere. I called the store manager and called in some of the employees early. We all worked had with our shoes off and our pants rolled up push the water to the front to be pumped out. The store did not open until 11:00am that morning. I got hand drills and pumps from hardware, garden hoses from seasonal and set up four pumping system to pump out the water outside. The manager was very impressed with what I did and told the main office. I did not know two years later I would get laid off. *My Sister boyfriend: I was working at Clarkin’s department store as the Warehouse manager. My sister met this young man who started out as a nice boy, but something happen and my sister broke up with him He continue to cause problems for my sister, he would not let her go, and asked like a stalker. He worked with me at the Clarkin’s department store, I was his supervisor. One night I called him into my office and went he closed the door I grabbed him by his shirt and pinned him against the wall, ready to kick his ass, but I told him leave my sister alone, move on with his life. He did, my sister didn’t have any more problems with him. But he talked to the

other employees and everyone started to give me a problem. He told them a lie, and later the company got wind of what happen and they made up some reason to lay me off. I never told this story to anyone. My parent did not understand why they laid me off. I got two week’s vacation pay, severance pay, and my last paycheck. I walked away with two thousand dollars in my pocket. *1971 Party: After I graduated high school I got a job as a department manager at Clarkin’s department store. It was the first best job I had in my life. But like everything in life, nothing last forever, to get the employees to like me better I had a party at my parent’s house. They were gone for the weekend visiting our relatives in Canada and my sister went with them. We had whiskey, beer, food etc. My neighbor called the police because someone threw a rock at their house. I told the officer it was not us because no one left the party. I also talked to the neighbor and told her the same thing, the police did find the people who did it and it was not us. The party ended at 4:00 AM and I had a large mess to clean up. I found one guy playing around with the thermostat and had to throw him out. Another African American friend urinated all over the bathroom, man was I upset with him, I told him the next day what he did, and we no longer were friends. I had to find out who took my parents bed sheets and get them back, everything had to be in order before they come home. *The Flea-Market: It was the summer of 1972 and again my sister and parents went to Canada again and my father did not leave much food in the refrigerator and by Friday night all the food was gone. I was working but payday wasn’t until next week and I had no money. Then I got a great idea, Friday night I collect several box full of items I no longer wanted and Saturday morning I went to the Flea-market. I sold a lot of things and made $50 that day. I spent it all on food and when my parents came home they were surprised to see all that food in the refrigerator. I told them what I did and my father was very proud of me, I brought in food for the family. *Lorain Diner: There was a small diner on Lorain Ave by west 41st street. Truck drivers, mailmen, bus driver would stop in for a fast lunch or breakfast. My cousin Joe and I would stop in from time to time and get us some chili dogs. These diners were just like the mom and pop shops on Lorain, owned by a husband and wife, giving out great food and coffee,

earning an honest living. The atmosphere was friendly, the decor was magical, and the service was great. You would be surprised at the great food you can get at these find diners, at a reasonable price. My Second Job: After getting laid off from Clarkin’s I found a job at Kenny Kings and worked there as a dish washer. There was a nice man named Dean who taught me short order cooking. The next opening that came along for a cook I got the position. Since then I fell in love with cooking. I became an expert at breakfast cooking, especially eggs. I wrote a training manual on short order cooking and had dreams of writing my own cook book, but in time other doors open up in my life and it never came of anything. Boy Scout: When I was 19 years old I ed the boy scouts of America and became the assisance scout master. The troups were part of the Assumpion of Mary Church, a Roman Catholic Church. My job was to question the young boy on the meaning of certain words that the boy scouts belived in such a trustworhy, honest, brave, etc. I also went over camping gear equipment and how to start a fire, and build a sheler. In the woods we learned abou the sign and wisdom of Mother Naure and the animals. By using a tree to tell which direction is north because of the mosts grounding on one side. I showed them how to make plaster of paris and fill in the animal track on the ground and make a mold, when dry we would learn how each animal makes their own racks. First Boy Scouts camp out: The scout master and I took the troups down to Maple Grove, part of the Cleveland Metro-park system for an over night camp out. The kids set up an intiation for me that night, I myself set up a plastic cover between two trees.. The night was a lots of fun, the troups were told about leaving food out for the animals to smell, one boy did and raccoons gone into his tent and took the food, we found them in a tree shining a flash light on them. One of the raccoon got into one of the kids sleeping bag and chewed up his socks while he was sleeping. In the morning we had breakfast and walked home along the river edge until we got behind :NASA” on Brook Park road, then walked along Brook Park road going east until we all return to out post. My nesx “Third” great Job: In 1979 I got a great Job with a commercial

photo lab, they would pick up film from drug stores and camera shop, process the film and print the photos and return the film and pictures back to the places where they were picked up. My first job was film splisting 35 mm film, 100 rolls of film on one big reel and then I would take the reel into another room and in total darkness I loaded the reel into the film processing machine. One year later, after the owners found out of my experiences in photography and a graduate from a professional photography institute school so the owners of the company promoted me to night shift operation manager. I worked for this company for 5 years before I moved on to something new. Big Change in my Life: I would take my mother to her monthly doctor appointment and I did this for 10 years and saw that her health was not improving, so I went to the library to do some research on what type of medicine was practiced by the doctors befor pharmaceutical was used by doctors and I found out that for thousands of years it was diet, herbs, and natural elements of Mother Nature like clean air, pure water, benefits of sunlight, Water Bath therapy, foot reflexology and massage etc. Then I learn that there was still school teaching these natural therapies. I enrolled in these schools so I may learn, and after three years of study I received my diploma as a Master Herbalist from Dr. Christopher School of Natural Healing. Another three years of study and in 1986 I gradutaed with a Doctor of Naturopathy degree from Clayton School of Natural Healing. I then went into private practice as a Naturopathy Health Practitioner in famiy health care and did this part time for 27 years until I retired. Alternative health care was not recognizd in the State of Ohio and could not be licensed and had to practice my science under the protection of the first dment of the constitution “freedom of religion, for Naturopathy became mf faith and I practice as a health consultant. I had another full time job to earn my livng, but over the years I had 440 clients and over 1100 hours of clinical experience. Note: Before the college closed, more medical doctors (MD) who had an open mind graduated from Clayton than any other Traditional Naturopathy school, and this also included chrisopractors. 1986 First Client It was 1pm in the afternoon when a knock was on the door and I let my first client in, a woman, and she was seated and starting telling me her problem and as she was talking, the question that was going around

in my head was, what am I going to do? how can I help her? What should I recommand? Then at first is was a little hard to hear people call me Dr. Hozvicka, and it took me some time to get use to it. Then it came to me the underlying cause of all illnesses was toxinema so I designed a detox program to follow to prepare her body so later I design a second program to address her problem. After four months she was happy with the results and started recomendig me to her friends. Then word got out and I had 10 local health food stores recommending me to their customers. I had my first business cards printed up along with a brochure explaining my practice, I gave 30 of them to each of the stores recommending me. I establish a good friendship and business relationship with the owners of the stores. !987 My first big Order: My college professor practice herbal medicine in the military and set up practice in Utah and Washington State. He designed over 30 herbal formulas, one for each of the organ of the body, and I trusted recommending them because they worked. I found a wholesaler in Columbus Ohio and called them up and place a $500 order which took them by surprise, now I had a medicine cabinet full of herbal supplements. This way my client dodn’t have to wait to start their program I had what they needed. 1986 Family Witch Doctor: My father would call me the family witchdoctor and my mother would get upset with him and reminded him how grandma used herbs to heal illnesses when they were sick because the medical doctor was 100 miles away. My father stopped calling me witch doctor when he learned that people were coming to our house where I had my office set up just like Marcus Welby and these people were paying me $50 for each appointment. Other Achievements: Beside my private practice I had health articles pubished in nationwide magazines, I was invited to lecture at the Cleveland IX Center and met the actor Dennis Weaver, I lectureed in Maryland and Orlando Florida where I met the nobel prize winner Dr.Ralph Heinrick Ph.D for his researh with xeronini (I have picture of me and evry famous people I met as proof), I taugh Herbal medicine at South West General Hospital in Middleburg Hts, Ohio. I also lectured to interest groups, wemen clubs, botanical gardens, gourmet vegetrain club, meta-bolic fitness center

and other places, events, and groups. I had a fulfilling life helping people get well and educating the public in natural health. As clients I had many nurses as clients in which four of them went to my school and became naturopathic nurse practitioners; I also had medical doctors and their wives and children as clients, Chriopratic doctors and their family. I have been a guest on 11 radio talk shows in Cleveland, Columbs Ohio and other cities. I have one hell of a resume of my career in Natural health medicine. My other full time job: Along side my health practice I had a great caeer as a professional security officer for 30 years. The stories I can tell you of my years of experienes; where I saveda man life,called the fire department 40 times when I worked at LTV Steel, and my last 7 years was at the Cleveland Clinic. Now that I’m retired I have become an author writing eBooks on all my life experiences and sharing knowledge to all who are open to learning. THE END....

Natural Health Schools

1. Trinity School of Natural Health 220 Parker Street Warsaw, IN 46580-3843 2. New Eden School of Natural Health 5 Washington Street, Suite 300, Valparaiso, IN 46383 3. Genesis School of Natural Health Sharlene Peterson 4 Wagon Wheel Drive Spearfish, SD 57783 4. California College of Natural Medicine 1237 South Victoria, #169, Oxnard, CA 93035 [email protected] (800) 421-5027 5. Christopher School of Natural Healing P.O. Box 412 Springville, UT 84663 1-800-372-8255 Toll Free

Books you should read

Dr. Norman W. Walker D.Sc. Dr. John R. Christopher MH, ND other great men books to read Bernard Jansen, John Tilden, John H. Kellegg, Edward Shook, Saebastian Kenipp, Benedit Lust, Samuel Thomas, and others.

Health Organization & Assoications

1. The American Holistic Health Association (AHHA) 2. American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA) 3. American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) 4. American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) 5. The coalition of Natural Health (CNH) 6. American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP) 7. American Society of Alternative Therapists (ASAT) 8. Foundation for Alternative and Integrative Medicine (FAIM) Note: you can find them on the internet.

About the Author

Life Experiences: * Private investor in the Stock Market since 1979 * First president of the “PPG” (Partners for Profit and Growth) investment club 1997-1999 * Financial Planning Specialist Diploma March 30, 2001, from The School of Financial Planning, subsidiary of Professional Career Development Institute. * Paralegal Diploma from Black Stone Career Institute Jan. 25, 2009 * J and J Holding Company, senior portfolio manager 2009-2011 * Author of “Stock Investing 101” training manual (you can purchase a copy go to the digital product page) * CEO of Financial Concepts & Solutions LLC 2012-present *University of Metaphysics: Studio City, California, Bachelor of Metaphysical Science 1986 *Lafayette University, Doctorate of Science Degree in "Science"1989 *St. Anthony’s Seminary (Orthodox), Bachelor of Art degree in Theology 1989 *Agape of Jesus Seminary, Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree 1991 Read more at John Hozvicka’s site.