Lost Life Recovered: an Odyssey

Book excerpt: This is the story of an individual, who overcomes almost insurmountable odds, recovers and succeeds. His father, having four daughters, won the demographic lottery: the son was born. When just under 4 years old, his father was murdered by a man who then becomes his step-father. That’s when the orphaned son’s survival struggles—his odyssey—begin. Traumatized and scared, he suffered regular abuse, as did the family. Abandoned at age 10, survival struggles intensify. Foster-homes enabled him to finish high-school (10th-grade) at age 14. At age 15, he had to go to work and support the step-father. Progressed rapidly, his last job was at the U.S. Embassy. Despite his 10th-grade education, he obtained admission in a U.S. university and came to the U.S. in 1958. At times surviving on one-meal a day, soon he was working part-time—cleaning bathrooms, washing dishes, scrubbing floors, cleaning animal-pens, etc.; he worked summers in fruit-orchards, lumber mill, and as janitor. Graduated with honors, he earned master’s in 1964 and doctorate in 1968. He is now an emeritus-professor/chair, University of Idaho. Inspired by the memory of his father, the land of opportunity enabled him to overcome the odds and recover his lost life; the American dream fulfilled.