Al Scheid - Breaking Out Of Beerport: A memoir

A Memoir

AL SCHEID

Copyright 2014 by Al Scheid
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 0692255249
ISBN 13: 9780692255247
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014912628
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
North Charleston, South Carolina

DEDICATION

To my wife, Shirley, who, without complaint, put up with a husband tied to a computer for too many monthsand then had the patience to proofread the work. I will be eternally grateful for her loving support.

Thank you, darling.

Shirley Scheid, 2012

FOREWORD

We can change everything about ourselvesthe way we dress, the language we speak, even our facial features. But were stuck with our genes.

On that premise, Al Scheids story begins.

Born of working poor parents in a blueno, make that blackcollar coal mining town on the Ohio/West Virginia border, this is an inspiring story of a young mans journey from a downtrodden provincial village to the Gold Coast of California and beyond.

Not just another vanity me book, this is a colorfully written account of the first twenty-seven years of the authors life. But its more than that. It is a lesson in history, a primer in psychology, and a study of culture. It is about self-improvement and self-realization long before these new-age terms were invented. Such terms were not in the lexicon of this less-pretentious earlier generation of Americans.

Als odyssey begins in the early 1930s. The nations economy and spirits had sunk into what became known as the Great Depression. Though the whole nation suffered, it was particularly pronounced in Bridgeport, a village that was poor even in good times.

History and geography conspired to mold this town that lay along the Ohio River into the Gateway to the West. Bridgeport had been the last chance stop for western-bound pioneers, and as such, gambling parlors, houses of pleasure, and its many saloons flourished. Thats when the locals nicknamed the town Beerport.

Then there were the coal mines and steel mills from which ash and fine black soot raised high in the air and slowly settled back down upon the town and its people. It was a place where the buildings turned brown and the lungs turned black.

The industrial pollution restricted visibility, but worse yet, it seemed to dim the vision and stifle the optimism of those who called Beerport home. These Americans accepted their plight without anger, protest, or a sense of entitlement. They lived difficult lives but didnt seem to notice or mind. They envied neither those who were better off nor the well to do. In fact, achievers were discouraged and socially castigated as braggarts, phonies and show-offs. Most puzzling, these people not only accepted their condition; they seemed to embrace it. There existed a profound unwillingness, almost an inability, to leave Beerport.

This, then, was not a fertile ground for the motivated or ambitious. Yet this book is not about a young man with an insatiable ambition. No. Not there. Not in that town. Rather, it is about a young man who discovered, almost accidentally, that he was better than he thought and smarter than he supposed. With growing confidence, Al began to believe in himself and recognized that the town city limits were more than geographical borders; they were limits to his life. Now, determined to succeed, he had to break out of Beerport.

Thus Als path to success did not come via strategic planning, sage advice, or expert counsel. Bridgeport was a town devoid of mentors and role models. His success came through happenstance and hard knocks. But with each step up, he found he was another step further away from his town and his friends.

Could he smooth out his rough edges enough to compete with the educated elite? Could he join the highly successful and fit in with the well-heeled? Could he shake the coal dust from his shoes? And how could he possibly break out of Beerport without breaking heartshis and that of his only true love. Love complicated life.

This unembellished true-life story keeps building with each page. Just when you think youve heard it all, along comes another chapter filled with unexpected twists, new relationships, more surprises, and yes, more life lessons.

Breaking out of Beerport isnt a how-to success story. You will, however, be entertained and educated. But mostly, you will come away with hope. Bad times, bad environs, and even some bad behavior dont always result in bad endings.

Though it may be true in life that you cant control the hand youve been dealt, it is equally true that sometimes you can reshuffle the deck, draw a few new cards, and walk away a winner.

Stuart Orbach
Public relations executive and writer
August, 2014

PREFACE

It is as easy to dream a book as it is hard to write one.

Honore de Balzac, novelist (17991850)

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.

George Orwell, novelist (19031950)

Why did I write this book? In 1986, my oldest daughter and I visited my hometown. I drove her around, showing her places I had lived while describing local characters and things that happened during my life there. After a few hours she said that what she really wanted to know was how I managed to get from this run-down little town to graduate school at Harvard. Then she added, I love hearing the bits of your early life that youve told me. Why dont you write the whole story for your kids?

Her question made me think: could I really describe how it happened? The thought of relating my odyssey stewed in my brain for years, but I saw myself as too busy to write a book. Finally, I began writing a chronology of events.

Soon I realized that I was embarked on a voyage of self-discovery. Describing the events was often disturbing. Admitting mistakes was easy there were so many. Exposing my inner thoughts and emotions was quite difficult, but a story without that part is lifeless.

Real names are used for most of the characters. Where a pseudonym is used, it is because the real name could not be recalled, not to protect anyone.

As in all recitations of a life, some things are left out. First, not all events are interesting. Second, unnecessary digressions should be avoided to keep the story moving along.

I made a pledge to myself to tell the truth to the best of my memory, backed up by research whenever possible. If there was a compelling reason not to tell something the way it actually happened, the event has been left out rather than told in an untrue way. These omissions did not change the story in any significant way.

With most of my days devoted to business, personal affairs, travel, and an irrational urge to lower my golf handicap, the writing stretched out for several years; Im embarrassed to say how many. However, like every difficult task, if one stays focused and keeps working, the drip eventually wears away the rock. One day in late 2013, I wrote those wonderful words: The End. Then the painful chore of editing began.

So, how did I recall so many incidents and people? Having a strong autobiographical memory is formally called hyperthymesia I have a degree of this trait, albeit at a much lower level than the people who are noted for this syndrome. I mention this because a reader may be tempted to believe that some of the events are fictional; they are not. The people all existed, and the dialogue is approximately what was said. I know this to be true because I was there.