Bob Scholtens:  

I was born on April 19, 1950 to parents that, as I learned later, were not on the same page! My father was one who ruled with an iron fist, and criticised everything he didn't understand. My mother, on the other hand, had an extremely rough life as she grew up, moving from one foster relative's house to another, since her mother died when she was young, and her father couldn't handle the responsibility of raising a child. She wanted her kids to have a better life than she'd had. Because of the differing philosophies coming from my parents, by the time I reached high school, I was a messed up kid, to say the least. On the one hand, I had the intellectual capacity to do well, as was demonstrated in ninth grade english with Mr. Sweers, when I was one of 4 students who worked ahead, and finished the entire year's work by the end of the first semester. On the other hand, I was socially messed up. While I had been extended friendship from several of the more academically minded students, I was so insecure that I turned away from their kindness, and, much to my shame, aligned myself with those who were more like my father. That mentality determined the direction of my life for several years, including qu...Expand for more