Clifford Lerand Lerand

After college I worked first in accounting and cost accounting. Then became a production and inventory control manger, doing statistical forecasting and handling all the manufacturing needs at E.F. Brewer in Menomonee Falls. I then got involved in computer programming and systems and oversaw the computer systems at E.F. Brewer. After being there 8 years I went to Construction Forms in Cedarburg, WI where I was the Computer system Manager and Inventory Control Manager. After 10 years there, I became the MIS Director at the William K. Walthers model train company in Milwaukee, WI where I worked for 10 years handling their computer systems and programming. I then got a great offer to take over operations at Hosley International in Indiana as the IT Director and Dir. of Operations, where I handled everything from global logistics and supply, all computer systems and programming, and oversaw the distribution centers as we grew from a small company to a global company selling home decor products to all the major chain stores. I also handled the forecasting for our two largest customers, Walmart and Jo-Ann. I worked there for 18 years before semi-retirement. I now work at Dyer Baptist Church and Plum Creek Christian Academy in Dyer, IN doing their accounting and finance. I especially enjoy working with my son there as well.

My greatest joy in life was when I trusted Christ as my Savior on Sept. 8, 1982 and turned my life over to the Lord. I grew up in an orphanage for 10 years as a Catholic and was adopted by Lutheran parents. I was re-baptized Lutheran, as they apparently felt the Catholic baptism wasn't any good. I went through their confirmation program. But in college I went back to the Catholic church, as I got nothing out of the Lutheran church, but had to then go through their CCD classes that I missed as a Lutheran. However, when marrying my wife on July 6, 1974, I had to convert to being an Episcopalian. Then, while being with the Pilgrim People choir for 8 years, we visited over 400 different churches of all various religions, playing the musical portion of their service and introducing new songs and music to the various churches. It was then that I was exposed to the Baptist churches where I heard fantastic messages from the Bible that I had never heard from other churches. After spending over a year reading the Bible for myself, I saw how many things in my prior 3 religions didn't match up with what was being taught in the bible. I had depended upon my baptism for salvation, but always wondered why I had to be baptized a 2nd time and what place baptism had in the plan for salvation. After reading the bible numerous times, I found no place where baptism saved anyone. It isn't there. It was a command of obedience AFTER one accepted Christ and what He did on the cross to pay for my sins. I then realized that I depended upon my works - what I could do - to be saved, and that the bible said in Ephesians 2: 8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." And Romans 10:8 says "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." and Romans 10: 13 says "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." On Sept. 8th, 1982 I decided to confess my sins and acknowledge that I couldn't save myself, and I put my dependence 100% on the finished work of Christ and asked Him to save me. I then was baptized "under the water" as shown in scripture. I now know that I have the assurance of salvation, not based on my good works or deeds, but based on what Christ has promised me, by putting my trust in Him. I pray that all in my graduating class would have this assurance. That's when I decided to leave my prior 3 religions where I got little teaching of the Bible, and joined a Baptist church where I now have really grown in the Lord.

I guess some of the fun stories were when we got a bunch of guys to bring in birds in brown paper bags and let them loose at noon time. It was fun watching the teachers trying to catch them in the hallways and lunch room.

Then there was the time we got everyone to check out books in the library. I know one person went a bit overboard with over 100 books being found in his locker. But it was a bit funny how the librarian at first said how great it was to see so many students interested in reading. Then, as the shelves emptied, and students couldn't even find books they needed for class assignments, the teachers finally caught on to what really was going on. But it was a bit funny seeing a library half emptied of books.

Then there was the time we put Limburger cheese into the heating system in the gym by loosening the grates high up in the wrestling room and dropping it onto the heat coils below. I don't know if they ever could figure out where the stink came from. And of course, we had to rub it onto the underside of some of our favorite (or not so favorite) teacher's desk drawers.

Other than a few pranks, I enjoyed school. There were a number of girls I would have loved to date, but I was very shy, so spent most of my time studying and being involved in band and sports. My only regret in school was not winning state in wrestling. I had pinned all three state championship winners that year in earlier matches. But after winning all my take downs in practice up the our heavy weight Terry Simpson, I caught my foot between the two practice matches and slipped sideways under Terry, where his almost 250 lb. body fell on my ribs and cracked 4 of them. I still wrestled, but not by approval of my doctor, who said I could die if one punctured my lungs. But our coach Dempsey said to wrestle anyways. I won at the two next conferences and was winning 8-2 at the final one before state, but then the referee noticed I had on a type of corset or belt under my shirt to protect the ribs and called the coach over. He asked him if I had cracked ribs, which he had to admit that I did. I was disqualified from the match and lost all my awards going back to when I had the accident. Meanwhile, the three that I had pinned at the 133, 138 and 145 lb. weights earlier that year all won state. So, that was my biggest disappointment.

The trumpet I still continued to play. I was with a singing group for 8 years called the Pilgrim People, where I played trumpet, harmonica, drums, organ and base guitar. I still enjoy playing today every week at church with my son and grandson. He oversees the choir, band and orchestra there and teaches multiple instruments to the students at the Academy as well as teaching Bible.