Richard Painter:  

Why am I in Classmates.com? Why am I in Classmates.com? Good question without a clear answer. I was born and reared in Newark, Ohio, spending my first 18 years there. After I retired my wife and I traveled. We traveled across the USA to parks, cities and landmarks that we could only dream about when I was working. I had a deep-seated feeling something was missing. I needed to try to understand why I made the choices I made in life, some good - many not so good. I needed to return to Newark, a city I loved with many good memories. The city I grew to know from the inside out. "That is My Town!" At an early age I lost a parent. With one parent deceased, one sickly and a step-parent, the less I write about the step-parent the better, life got tough quick. We, as a family, went from upper middle class to welfare in a "Newark Minute." Newark has minutes just like New York, you know. I was allowed to roam the streets of Newark day and night. This is not a good situation for a youngster! I left my church, First Methodist, at age thirteen and never looked back. Why? I don't know! One reason was because I felt uncomfortable in church. Maybe that is the way one feels in church. I don't know! I ran with many kids who went home at night to far worse than me, after all we are talking about Newark, OH, not Bayberry, NC. Other than the occasional trouble that I got into, I crashed a car at age 13. I bought a car at age 15 driving this car for 2 years without a license, brakes or insurance. That is enough writing about the trouble that came my way. My grandfather got a hold of me in my senior year and in one week I was a licensed driver with a more reliable car with insurance. I cannot remember anyone asking me if I wanted these changes. Growing up in Newark I worked a paper route, caddied, picked strawberries, was a theater usher, worked Big Bear Stores produce and set bowling pins. Not a bad work resume before I became eighteen, huh? As you might have guessed, money was tight at home. I attended school in this order Fulton Elementary, Wilson Junior High, Polytechnic High School, Long Beach, Ca, and Newark Senior High School. I never took a book home during my junior high or high school years. I was busy in study halls. Busy! Busy! I was marching to a different drummer in those days. I am still marching to a looney tune! While my ...Expand for more