#12-Story continues: 1-25-13 Setting the stage.
As I said earlier, Mark gave me enough social knowledge and kicks in the pants to allow me to locate and eventually marry my first wife E.
It is not surprising to me today in retrospect, that I was led, yes led , to E. Her family would play the next role in my strange life leading to the present. My upbringing was summarized as a life of sameness. Her family was like Mark’s a huge contrast. Her father was a well known expert in science and rocketry. His first big job was at White Sands in New Mexico up to the time the Russians launched sputnik. He spoke out on how far behind our country was and he was fired for his views which did prove to be true. He went into private consulting and writing of nonfiction primarily and fiction secondarily… science fiction. We were married for 17 years before I arranged to sever that tie for spiritual reasons.
During that 17 years I exercised all the entrepreneurial talent I could muster internally to do what Mark had taught me. Her family thought I was like them … nonreligious, a doer and maker of business rather than an employee mentality… smart … good potential future… outgoing. My potential seemed good to them since their children were developing as a Hartford Ballet dancer ( older sister C.) , a world-class Dressage Olympic contender( E.) and a successful entrepreneur in the model and financial industry her younger brother B. Today they all consider me persona non-grata because of my choice to divorce and how I chose to accomplish that event. A story for another time they really don’t know the truth so I can’t blame them on any level.
Why this marriage was part of the spiritual path is this … her father worked with the same people that I met in grade school. Her father was best friends with Robert Heinlein the author I read as my first introduction to serious reading. In fact, he was my wife’s godfather. [Ironic since both Heinlein and Mr. S. were what I’d perceived as nonreligious or even atheist.] Mr. S. was also college roommates with Gene Roddenberry the creator of Star Trek. He knew nearly all science fiction authors.Additionally, Mr. S. knew many very important scientists in the space industry, both in the US and the then Soviet Union. He also knew of my interest in space. So, he introduced me to many individuals over time that influenced my early years developmental experiences.
The first few years of married life into this family of what I’d call intellectual achievers were new and interesting for me because of the diversity of interests they introduced to me. In addition, I was applying my new knowledge learned from the ‘Mark connection’ to become very entrepreneurial. I was still basically an introvert … but I was synthesizing an extrovert persona. I was networking people to get my business ideas off the ground.
From 23 to 28 I learned the discrete broadcast business from a Karl Eller owned company in Television and Radio Broadcast in Phoenix. After that, I started my empire building at 28. I negotiated deals and acquired my own radio sub carrier business with a customer base in place but stagnating. I negotiated a national deal with a new satellite broadcast music provider to supply me with product superior to the Muzak line at the time. I negotiated and bid contracts with all my old clients at the former business and created a platform for my newest idea in communications. Direct Broadcast in Store Advertising. SIBCO, Satellite In Store Broadcasting Company. The first of its kind.
So far, lest you think my ego is talking … I’ve been making myself sound very successful in business at a young age. I must digress a moment to say… that it was all meaningless in the truly important things involved with corporeal living. Yet, the experiences of the mega-corporate world set yet another stage for all the metaphysical elements to come together later.
In store advertising using sound systems was not new. Providing DIRECTLY controlled commercials into a specific store from a central studio WAS NEW. It was my idea. I’ll never actually get credit for that bit of history because, ultimately the universe stepped in and took me out before I could reap the rewards. I grew the test concept into a network of dozens of major national name brand stores broadcasting my messages each hour four times. The retail clients loved it as product would literally fly off the shelves. The clients were co-op advertisers. I estimated the industry potential at over one billion annually. I was right … but I’d never get to enjoy those benefits myself.
I was in my second year of growing the business when I was involved in a serious auto accident. By all evidence should be dead as a result of that accident. Instead, I was launched onto a new spiritual path when I tried to discover why my crushed automobile was empty, I was essentially unharmed, sitting on the side of the road watching the emergency teams trying to pry my missing body out of the car.
Continued next post.