2022 - 50th "Garage Gang” hoodlum, knucklehead, environmental enforcer, multi-millionaire, world champion, homeless vagabond, published author, dad and papa...it's been a ride. I'm sure that yours has been as well. -After graduation, worked labor jobs then worked my way through Edinboro Univ. with a BS in Geology. Always loved ancient history, but try to find a job! Still weightlifted. Partied Hearty. Dad died unexpectedly, Mom had brain tumor. -1977-1980 Grad school at Kent State Univ. Actually became a semi-serious student. Research under a grant from Los Alamos National Laboratory. Set numerous KSU weightlifting records.198 & 220# classes. Partied somewhat hearty. MS Geology. Environmental science. Everyone else went into oil. Oh well. The Iranian crisis -1980 to 1989 Environmental investigator for the EPA/hazardous waste program. Awards from the EPA, Governor etc. Put bad guys in jail. Made some friends and a lot of enemies. Lots of press. -Married 1985, 2 kids!! No sooner adopted one and we had another. I became semi-civilized. To think that the government actually allowed me to reproduce myself. -National weightlifting championships 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988. 220# class. Won Mr. Mr. Muscularity BB and qualified for Mr. America in 1984. -Left EPA & co-founded a waste management company 1990. NYSE 1991. Made giant $$$. 28,000 sq. ft., 42 room house "Stoneridge". Took the Rolls Royce to our 20th year reunion. Went through the whole obscene materialism overload response from being a pauper for so long. But I did actively pursue my love of ancient history and anthropology. Collected an entire museum of artifacts, bibles, coins, weapons, fossils, antiquarian books etc. Held charity events before the bottom fell out. Became involved with the Republican Party. -Joined Vice President Dan Quayle's Council for Competitiveness 1990, VP at house 1991. Testified to US House 1992 on interstate commerce. When the money went away so did the Republican Party and most of my museum -National weightlifting championships 1992, 95, 96. 220# class -1995/96 stock crashed, divorced, IRS, lawsuits, penniless single parent...not a pretty time. Lived in my car for a while. Lots of negative press. the media loves a fall from grace. -1997-2004 Real estate agent; kids soccer & football coach. Church youth group leader. -National weightlifting championships 1998, and 2000, '01, '02, '03, '04, -World weightlifting championships 2001, '01, '02, '04... set open world records 2001,2002. 220# class at the tender ages of 47 and 48. See YouTube video -Back in the waste management business 2005, but a corporate slave. -After 9-11, started researching history again. 2008 published a controversial book on Islam which is now banned in much of the Muslim world. Under a pseudonym on Amazon. Pen name is after a Roman ruler who was also a stoic philosopher. Published another book in 2012. “Unchained, Tales of Overcoming the Impossible through Faith and Action”. My daughter is now 32 and my grandsons are 3 and 13. My adopted son is incarcerated. Have had a wide range of surgeries with pins in my ankle, elbow, hip etc. and a heart attack in 2014. Back surgery in 2019 left my right leg paralyzed. Another surgery and over 150 therapy sessions and finally back to training again. Experienced toxic gas poisoning at work in late 2020 and retired from the corporate circus in 2021. This cat is down to his last 1 or 2 lives. Received my substitute teaching certification in early 2021 and teach middle school and high school math, science, history and English. Also work with the intervention program. School systems seem stretched to the max; I can sub almost every day. The principal at one school helps serves lunch every day because there are not enough servers. Finally completed my museum in 2020. Ancient coins, royal and papal decrees, Wooly rhino, mammoth, maicharodus skulls and lots more stuff that a person just has to have. Hey, as long as the pins, stents, God and the kids hang in there, you gotta keep on keeping' on. I have no intrinsic talents or skills but I'm graced with a boatload of perseverance. -Ordained in 2022 and perform my first wedding the week after our 50th year get together. I am truly blessed and I hope that you are as well. It's been a long haul from the days of the "GARAGE GANG" with Craig Dixon, Lance Dagnall, Leo and Bill Schober, Marco X, Tom Clarke, Jon Bauer, Richard and Larry Schneider and all those other semilovable lunatics. Have a great day! Mark 2012 - 40th Story At the risk of being mundane, I have outlined the past 35+ years since graduation to save the poor soul who might even look me up from going comatose. Many of these things may seem unbelievable, but I can assure you, both fortunately and unfortunately, that all of it is true... Multi-millionaire, world champion, homeless vagabond, published author etc etc... -After graduation, worked labor jobs then worked my way through Edinboro Univ. with a BS in Geology. Always loved ancient history, but try to find a job! Still weightlifted. Partied Hearty. Dad died unexpectedly, Mom had brain tumor. On my own for sure. -1977-1980 Grad School at Kent State Univ. Actually became a semi-serious student. Research under a grant from Los Alamos National Laboratory. Set numerous KSU weightlifting records. 198 & 220# classes. Partied somewhat hearty. MS Geology. Environmental science. Everyone else went into oil. Oh well. The Iranian crisis -1980 to 1989 Environmental investigator for the EPA/hazardous waste program. Awards from the EPA, Governor etc. Put bad guys in jail. Made some friends and a lot of enemies. Lots of press. -Married 1985, 2 kids!! The government actually allowed me to reproduce myself. -National weightlifting championships 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988. 220# class -Left EPA & Co-founded a waste management company 1990. NYSE 1991. Made giant $$$. 28,000 sq. ft., 42 room house Rolls Royce etc. The whole obscene materialism overload response. But I did actively pursue my love of ancient history and anthropology. Collected an entire museum of artifacts, bibles, coins, weapons, fossils, antiquarian books etc. Also gave mucho to charities. Became involved with the Republican Party. -Joined Vice President Dan Quayle's Council for Competitiveness 1990, VP at house 1991. Testified to US House 1992 on interstate commerce. -National weightlifting championships 1992, 95, 96.220# class -1995/96 stock crashed, divorced, IRS, lawsuits, penniless & single parent...not a pretty time. Lived in my car for a while. Lots of negative press. -1997-2004 Real estate agent; kid’s soccer & football coach. Church youth group leader. -National weightlifting championships 1998, and 2000, '01, '02, '03, '04, World weightlifting championships 2001, '01,'03,'04 Set world records 2001, 2004. 220# class. -Back in the waste management business 2005. -After 9-11, started researching history again. 2008 published a controversial book on Islam which is now banned in much of the Muslim world. Sells pretty good on Amazon. Pen name is after a Roman ruler who was also a stoic philosopher. Maybe you can figure it out. -Just testified last month to the Ohio House Finance and Appropriations Committee. This is starting to sound familiar.... My son is now 25 and on his own raising hell, my daughter is 19 and extremely close with me. We travel all over together. I am blessed. How's that in a nutshell?