YES, I'd love to find a willing artist/illustrator to join me in an exciting writing venture.  The series-in-the-making is to be called WORSMITHING 101.

This writer very much digs creative journalism.  It all began with English Teacher Irma Rhodes back in my Senior Year at Jamaica High.  She had us do a midterm essay about our future dreams in life.  Mine was to inject a dose of integrity in nitty-gritty politics.

And so I wrote out my heart's yearnings. She evidently liked what she saw and insisted that I read it aloud to the class.  That proved to be the accidental launchpad for me.

Shortly afterward. in Spring 1959, the NY DAILY NEWS sponsored a "Voice of Youth" essay contest for high school students.  I was not going to enter, but Mrs. Rhodes put on some friendly pressure and encouragement, and so I gave in and entered.  And to my very startled surprise, I was declared one of four winners.

On April 15, 1959, that little essay of mine appeared in print, the first of many to come. I even had to borrow my daddy's bowtie for the photo they shot.  Alas, old memories!

In the years to follow, I had the privilege to write for half a dozen newspapers in both the NYC and Metro DC areas, and ultimately do the "Sagebrush Sage" commentary column when we moved west to New Mexico.  What an exhilirating experience.

Since the 70's, I also took on a second career: Gerontology.  This enabled me to do teaching, counseling and writing as a cherished threesome of activities.  Today I write regularly online for salem-news.com and occasionally for the daily Statesman Journal.

Curious people are asked to simply google my full name and check out sample stuff.

Now I am eager to launch a book series on word clusters, terms that end with common suffixes like "ment" and "ate" and "ive".  They will be lighthearted and tinged with wit but I sorely need an illustrator at my side to help make this dream a total reality.

Your fellow alumnus issues a clarion call for help.  Will you respond and say YES?  I'm fully reachable at notcoy@netzero.net.  Or by phone at 503-365-7533.  Your choice.

Yours in Teamsmanship,

Barry-Lee '59