For a change of pace and chance to really class up this joint I thought it would be educational to find out what people in your life mentored you and who are those whom you admire.

This is a pretty wide-open topic and I won’t be disappointed if it goes off on several tangents. We have a pretty eclectic group of posters and it would interesting to see who where those in our lives that shaped our values and opinions today. All I ask is that we have respect for one another.

I’ll be more than happy to begin.

For me it starts with my mom and dad. My mom had a wonderful subtle sense of humor that she showcased during some pretty hard times when my siblings and I were testing teenagers. She never could bring herself to swearing so when she was at her most frustrated she would say….”Oh, naughty word, naughty word, naughty word.” I miss her everyday.

My dad has always been a forward thinking man. As a pastor he always shed the boundaries of traditional worship and ministry. His calling later in life took him into the world of radio (22yrs) and eventually a 30-year clown ministry with my mom that was powerful and deeply profound for those fortunate enough to see them in action. My folks were married for 55 years until mom’s death in 2006.

My first piano teacher: Zelma. (Love that name) Piano lessons were tough with her because she had high standards but at the same time was fair. She also had in her backyard a walk in birdcage with hundreds of parakeets. After my lesson she would allow me to go into the cage as a treat.

Dell, my high school band teacher. He doubled as the band director for our Jazz Lab Band. While as a junior in high school I was sitting in the band room after school playing my Elton John songs when Dell walked in and said he had no idea I played piano. He then offered me the opportunity to play in the Jazz Lab Band. This was like being asked to join the Beatles. I told him I didn’t know jazz chords. He assured me he would teach me what I needed to know.

The first Jazz lab rehearsal my senior year after playing one of the warm up songs he asked me what I was playing as far as chords. He said those are the right chords now let me show you a different way to play them. My eyes must have been as big as the ocean. He played THE coolest sounding chords I had ever heard. From that day forward jazz took on a whole new meaning and a deeper musical passion and appreciation was set into motion for the rest of my life. I believe my musical ear is helpful in my production of radio commercials.

Today I play in my churches contemporary worship band where from time to time I perform some originally songs. Plus I play in a 3-member band with my brother and his highly talented 16-year-old son plus performing solo around town in coffeehouses.

I appreciate the values my parents instilled in me. I am grateful to my musical mentors and the passion they set forth in me.

There are many more in my life, but for now I will start with these.

Awesome. I'll post up some later. Nicely done Chris!

I would say my mom and dad have had the most influence for me as well. They raised me to think for myself and be self sufficient. They supported me no matter what, but also kept me in line when I needed it. They led by example and I try to follow, yet look to improve what they couldn't.

My dad taught me to tip well.

Not to put too fine of a point on it, but it's odd how many ways that has had an effect in my daily life.

It shaped my relationship with money. Good and bad - mostly good though.

It manifests itself with that kind of " I don't want attention for giving you money. I just want you to have some. And by the time you get it, I'll be gone." I like that.

I like that too.

I've a few mentors. Actually, this is a wierdness of mine, but I mark the time and day when something said to me was said, and then became significant.

(without the connection, it's less meaningful)

As a kid, I was the odd kid out. I was into all that electrical stuff, and did crazy things in the woods.

One uncle of mine taught me the value of just reading and thinking. He received very little formal education, yet I don't think I ever saw him without a book of some sort near by. He read everything!

Loved to talk about it too. If you asked him about his book, he would pull it out and show you all about it, what he thinks it means, why he enjoys that particular one, and tell of some plans he might have for what he found inside!

This uncle learned to be a craftsman of all kinds. Wood, metal, you name it! He also was very mechanical. One summer, powered by Pepsi, he tore down our truck and rebuilt it without much of anything but a small reference manual, he needed for some specific dimensions and parameters.

We shared a lot of time when I was young. Even little things like, "Did you know you can just clean the spoons with your fingers?" To me this was just excellent! Finally, somebody who saw stuff for what it was, not what it was made for!

Later on, I ended up doing lots of radio and computer related projects with a good friend, who lived near by. Another person, who had some downtime, decided to share with some kids. Opened up a computer club and we were about the only ones that showed up!

Spent the next coupla of years, just doing all sorts of interesting things. He just wanted to share, explore and have fun.

I can't tell you what I learned from both of those two. It was a lot. Part of it was the sense of play both of them had. My uncle actually said, "you begin to die when you forget how to play".

Another part of it was the ethic. They did stuff because they could and they found pleasure in it. They shared because they could and they found pleasure in it. They both treated me like an equal, despite being over twice my age.

A music teacher and a drama teacher both taught me about people. How people work is as complex, facinating and important as how things work! Never understood that until meeting these two.

The music teacher showed me about being humble, but strong. The drama teacher helped me to conquer fear --and I've told that story here before.

Both of them took the time to show me the art of things too. This is not a small thing! Art isn't for the sophisticated alone. It's for everyone! There is art everywhere! And the art is a conversation too. It's a little story between the artist (whether they know it or not), and the observer.

Our lives are this way. Think about it. Just that thought might change your life. It did mine.

My wife is strong, sexy, beautiful and so smart. Smarter than me, though I will never, ever get her to admit that. She showed me that doing and living what you believe, and that others are doing the same is our right, and must be mutually respected.

She knows about people at a basic level. She can see right through culture and dogma and just sort out who somebody is in an instant! (this is why she rules at poker)

To sum it up, most of my mentors showed me little things. Some of them made sense right away, others took time and experience.

The last person I want to mention is a person I worked with. This person made things, and they made them right. Art in action, every single day. The objects were not the art --the process was.

It was through this person that I first understood what holistic meant. Sounds funny, but it's true.

It was also through this person that I gained a lot of respect for the common person. No matter what our station in life, we all have thoughts, we all are artists, and we all work together to realize this world we live in.