I know that I'm a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I'm a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years.
- Mike & The Mechanics, "The Living Years"
This is my Dad, the person I look up most to in life. He's turning 80 this year and you wouldn't know it. This is a
guy who was forced to quit school when he was in 8th grade so he could run the family farm in Pennsylvania.
After World War II, he brought his young bride to Michigan where he worked his way up the ranks at the
factories until his retirement as plant superintendent at Massey-Ferguson. He was a tough father when I was
growing up, but I always knew that he would be standing behind me no matter what trouble came my way. He still does.