Richard D O'Connor- Merchant:  

Life Gosh, Where to start First off, in case you are wondering. I legally changed my birth name from Richard Weyenberg to Richard OConnor when I was 17 years old. I took on my mothers maiden name. It was a graduation present to myself. After many years of dealing with my fathers physically and sexually abusive, drunken fits of rage, I finely became a man and stood up to him and told him never to strike me again and blocked his swinging fist in the parking lot of the Ventura Courthouse parking lot. So, I did what anyone else would do and I changed my name. I was the only boy in the family to carry on his last name and I changed that.. He was so Pissed off when he found out, too. I had a lot of fun in High School. It was a good time of my life. When I was at school, I always forgot about the horrible life that was waiting for me at home. I tried to get involved with many school activities as I could from C.F.S and Key Club to Wrestling, Baseball to singing in many of the Choir groups. A lot of my friends back then did their best to keep me away from my father and my abusive home life. I know I would NOT have made it through all of those years, if it weren't for my friends and their families who helped me out all those scary times... You guys know who you are so thanks for letting me crash on your couches and or floor so many times. I have really have been on my own since I was 15 years old. My very first job was stocking shelves at the TG&Y and boxing groceries at Alpha Beta on Alamo and Tapo Street. I even made pizzas on the weekends at Patio Pizza on LA Avenue and swept the floors at Merts Barber Shop. After I graduated from Simi Valley High School, and went to Moorpark College and received an AA degree. Transferred to L.A.Pierce College, where I rece...Expand for more