Living in Grant Center: The 1960's - A Memorable Childhood

Living in Grant Center: The 1960's - A Memorable Childhood

In Mike’s book, Living in Grant Center , a picture is drawn of the many life experiences offered in a rural environment that deeply impacted his future. The two themes of a strong work ethic and a love of the great outdoors are seen in Mike today and readers will gain an understanding of how those evolved as early as age six in the man who continues to display those inspiring characteristics. Citing times of play and times of work, Mike paints a picture of growing up with his beloved family, reaching out to neighbors in need, and living life in the 1960’s, in times that were vastly different than today. Mike interjects humor and sincerity in his writing, recollecting specificity in his memories and reflection in transitioning to adulthood. Written for the purpose of sharing insights with his own family, Mike is extremely proficient at reaching all of us and prompting readers to reflect personally on experiences which result in our own growth and development. Now, decades later, I am enjoying telling you, the reader, the story of my life while growing up in west-central Michigan in a loving family during a tumultuous and rapidly changing period of time. Mike writes "My grandchildren and their children will not fully appreciate and grasp having a multi-party telephone system, a childhood without cell phones, video games, internet service, only three television networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC), and my mother buying her children’s school clothes from a Sears Roebuck catalog. My earliest recollections of my young life begin in 1957 when I was six years old. A gallon of gasoline in 1957 cost $.24 and the minimum wage was $1.00. Upon my high school graduation in June 1969, a gallon of gasoline cost $.35, and the minimum wage was $1.60 per hour. I consider my childhood ending in the early morning hours of September 3, 1969, when I disembarked from a Greyhound bus at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and immediately received a tongue lashing from a boot camp drill instructor."