Aside from my parents who did a good job raising me, and my older brother who died when I was thirteen, not getting the chance to finish his mission, I had an interesting assemblage of mentors in my life. The first was my grade school Physical Education teacher. It might have been 4th or 5th grade when I was first introduced to him. He was a former Marine Drill Sargent who didn't bark at you but said things firmly enough to let you know he meant business. There was no slacking in his class. I became one of his patrol boys (crossing guards) from 6th to 8th grade and got to spend even more time around him. He taught me about honor, discipline, respect, and perseverance. All are qualities I still cherish today.

 

Next was the General Manager of a new $10M Sports Complex (1970 dollars) which included a beautiful Ice Arena that opened a few blocks from where I grew up. He was an older black man and a true gentleman. I was 15 1/2 and had never really known anyone of color. At my grammar school, there were no black kids in the 60s, and it was the largest city in New Jersey. In high school, there were maybe a handful of black kids out of 1,200, and they sort of kept to themselves. This Manager though was a good guy, a good mentor, and I didn't see any color when I looked at him or when we talked. What little prejudice I might have grown up with he washed away. It's complicated, but although I didn't work for the City, I had acquired a master key for the entire multi-million-dollar complex. When this Manager found out about my key (he was the only other person with one) he let me keep it because he had more trust and faith in me to do the right thing than the couple dozen employees the City had saddled him with. I never let him down. I couldn't.

 

There were others. Jack LeClair, a former Montreal Canadien, whom I reference several times throughout this book. I worked for, and with Jack for nearly a decade at hockey schools, ice rinks, on benches with PeeWee and Semi-Pro hockey players, and got to tip back plenty of Canadian beer, along with having some lively conversation over those years. He was a positive father type figure with a great attitude about life. Next, there was a sporting goods store owner whom I worked alongside in numerous hockey programs. He employed me when I needed a job, helped me get my youth hockey newspaper started, and has always been there for me… a friend for life. A Plant Manager early in my packaging career was a seasoned veteran in the industry and taught me how to treat people with respect and work hard to earn success. Finally, there was a business owner, my employer of thirteen years, who believed in me enough to get me off the plant floor and into a suit and tie every day. I can't even begin to explain what I learned from him as his sort of sidekick for a decade. Add in a few really good parents of young hockey players, all of which were good mentors themselves. I was fortunate to have had a diverse complement of personalities to provide guidance and continually fulfill my thirst for knowledge.

 

Seek out, multiple mentors. Your parents may be or have been, good mentors, but the wide-ranging knowledge you will acquire from multiple mentors, hopefully, good mentors, will be invaluable along your life path. The collective learning you will gain is priceless.