Joe Renier:  

7/14/2008 Those of us who grew up in Manitowoc had the privilege of experiencing small-town America at a time when innocence was an ample commodity. Heck, some of our lives could have served as the model for Beaver Cleaver (I, for one, thought I looked a lot like Jerry Mathers and knew several Eddie Haskell's). Black-and-white TV was on its way out to be replaced by color and cable, but we were the generation who had the first crack at Gilligan's Island, The Beverly Hillbillies, Star Trek, and Hogan's Heroes. I think life was simpler back then. Last summer (2007) I spent a week in Manitowoc with my 16 year-old son and was driving south on 10th Street when I saw two small boys delivering the Harry Times out of a red, Radio Flyer wagon. I got a lump in my throat and wondered again what it was like. I didn't realize I missed Manitowoc so much until my recent trips back "home." So, without further delay, here is what I have been up to since 1974... Because I didn't think I had the brains to make it in college, I enlisted in the US Air Force (with Tom Snowden and Denny Schrank). My specialty was computers and cryptography, and the highlight of my 4 years was living near the Soviet border in far eastern Turkey, spying on the Soviets. Lots of camels and sand, lots of stinky men, but no trees and no women...but we had lots of beer. I returned home and was hired by IBM and got married. The marriage ended after 24 years, but I have three beautiful daughters (29, 28, 25) and one adopted son (16), and one grand baby. I now live in Tucson, Arizona, and for those of you who have not spent time here, it lives up to its billing: It is a dry heat, but a very beautiful place to live. During my time in the USAF and IBM, I have traveled much of Europe and can speak enough German to get me by or get me in trouble, or in the case of an emergency, enough German to buy a be...Expand for more