Böcker av Raymond J. Golarz

Lessons Learned Over Time Lessons of a Different KindI am Marion Simpson Golarz. Yes, that is my name on the cover of this book preceded by the word "with". The with is fairly accurate because for many years now I have been a back-seat driver, sparing partner, and even a co-pilot during Ray's career as a teacher, criminal justice director, administrator, university instructor, keynote speaker, and author. Before we were married he warned me that life would not follow a straight path. Little did I know. Life certainly has not, but it's always been enriching. I am particularly fond of this new book for it has been in process for over thirty years, beginning with the first stories Ray created and told as he began his keynoting career. I was often in the audience then and loved to see the joy and comfort these stories brought to so many from all walks of life. During that same time I watched him struggle with profoundly overwhelming challenges as he attempted to bring aid and comfort to some of our neediest fellow men while he headed up criminal justice efforts. I watched him win and lose battles with out-of-date and erroneous theories about how to support, acknowledge, and encourage teachers and law enforcement officers, how to counter prejudice and racism, and how everyone should continue to reach for the sky.And that's what these stories reveal. You will laugh, cry, sigh, question, and have more than one "aha" moment as you work your way through this latest expanded edition, a story at a time. In this new book, you won't find strategies to improve standardized test scores, or data-driven solutions. But, if you are looking for inspiration you have picked up the right book. By the way, there are also some very good belly-laughs in these pages so enjoy them.

Ray Golarz paints a revealing pathway into the lives of a Depression era immigrant community. He takes the reader aboard a journey via the very early American game of football. Once aboard, the reader is introduced to a team of young semi-pro Polish football players, along with their friends, families, ethnic customs, and religious ways, then drawn into a community struggling to survive the Depression's challenges and maintain their unique identity in this newly-adopted country. This account has it all: football games filled with action, emotion, strategizing, and gritty determination. And like those who actually came to see the games, you will find it delightfully easy to walk along with family and friends, coming from all over their neighborhood, to stand or take a seat on a make-shift bench. Join in the singing of the National Anthem, agonize over plays gone wrong, and walk with them over to Wusic's gas station to gather and celebrate after game victories. Ah, but stick around. There's more. Before, during and between games and seasons, you can come to team meetings, share a Christmas Eve ethnic meal, and attend a Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. If you can wake up at two o'clock in the morning, you will be taken on a night trip to collect coal along the railroad tracks. Then in early morning, go off to Wusic's for coffee and a log in the pot-bellied stove. And you can get a close look at the Depression on a national level as you join Lefty who goes "on the bum" hitting the rails, driven by curiosity and want for food at home. Meet World War I vets on their way to Washington for promised bonuses, walk to Niagara Falls, and take a cot in a New York City mission.