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Today's Featured Biography
Michael DeCroff
Born 10/54, in Spokane, I attended Stadium grade school where I ended up as school president, running on a platform: or actually ran on a “silly business card sized self-made cartoon type caricature of myself”. Each card was made by me. I am sure it was the lower grades that got me elected. Once in office, I was shocked, as I was not even expecting a win and so, I was awed & and much unprepared, my VP (Butch) pretty much took over and did a great job of propping me up.
Glover middle school, wow,7th grade, I went steady with the most beautiful girl in the whole school for two weeks. I was too bashful for her, so that was short lived. Then for the next two years, I had physical problems (many hip dislocations) that kept me out of any and all sports or anything active what so ever. That took me pretty much out of any social scenes per say. A few of us tried to establish a rock and roll band, however that was short lived as well.
High school, now I was more physically fit, yet I was shunned by sports due to no jr high school experience. But I did vastly improve my GPA in high school and I met my only wife during that time, but that also faded after about 14 years, it would appear that the “in death do we part stuff”, is just something a lot of folks say at the time.
Together, we did create two wonderful daughters in the process, the first daughter did the get pregnant at 16 thing, she did not finish high school, but surely attended the school of hard knocks. The second daughter went deep into debt with school loans, even though we had saved enough for the first four years of college, but now she is a resident reconstructive surgeon in Temple TX. She has the skills to help in the effort of putting the humpty dumpty’s back together, and trust me, there is not shortages of folks that need reconstruction, ER stories go on and on, and there are never ending cancer reconstructions to be scheduled. Both of my girls make me very proud. I have two granddaughters from my first born and the first born granddaughter graduates from high school 2013 and have already been accepted at a film school college.
Hard construction work paid the bills, which included a few moves, to chase work; we finally ended up in Henderson Nevada. A fast growing city that offered good steady work that was exciting for me as well. I had the opportunity to work on some of the newest really cool projects on the strip as a carpenter, then, growing my skills into estimating, and then becoming one of many project managers for the Mandalay Bay project, from ground breaking to the classy million gallon aquarium, 5 star rated portion, and really hip night clubs etc. I have sat at the 24 foot long marble board meeting tables that are often shown in Hollywood movies, and held by own, yes the kid from Spokane.
Within that time frame of kids and moves, there was some play involved. I built & flew, from a set of plans and spec an ultra light airplane, then the family got into a short period of 4 x 4, which included sand drags, and hill climb competitions. I then dabbled at a speed ski: water skiing team. Then we moved onto horses, for me it was hunting in true wilderness areas, for the girls, it turned to endurance races, 50 and 75 mile races.
After the big Divorce, it was yikes, bungee jumping, then reverse bungee jump once, that was nuts, then skydiving a couple of times, (compression fracture) lesson of life put a stop to that desire. Then it was cowboy action shooting, for about 16 years and around 500 official matches, the pour economy has crimped my competing these days, yet I retired from CAS ranked 2nd in the world in my shooting category. I have been published in Shoot Magazine a few times, and about 30 times in the SASS Cowboy Chronicle, the official cowboy action publication with world wide distribution. Due to my cowboy shooting I had the opportunity to be in a western movie. http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Pay-Lee-Majors/dp/B000M341UA, The movie was loaded with many of our child hood western stars, including Stella Stevens whom I had drinks with after the Hollywood premier, what a great experience all of that was, (in the movie) I even git kilt by my past childhood hero, the Virginian. Wow he was old! I have been a part of two different, gun related dvds’ made for the Japanese market, great experiences as well, I have been on the set as range officer, for three pawn stars episodes as well. Each opportunity I learn new skills and expand my mind. I was part of a Christmas music video, that was done by the Killers, to benefit needy children. “Cowboy Christmas ball” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9d9qd9o_lU
During all of this I was building a very small mini storage property, phase by phase, pay as you go applied here, and that is my savior. The years of spending towards this property, verses new trucks, motor homes, exotic vacations etc were painful at the time, yet they are my savoir now. I have a safe and modest place to live out the golden years, as, these days, there is no need for 58 year old half deaf white guys in construction that do not speak Spanish.
In short, I am not much different than anyone else, we all went in different directions, we all made decisions along the way, good – bad – or indifferent, and for those of us still above ground, “I salute you”. May god bless and help you on life’s journeys yet to come”.
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