User:Randolph Polasek
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Randolph Jason Polasek, Born April 22nd, 1951 at General Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan.
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[edit] Family
Randolph is the third and youngest son of Frank A. Polasek Jr. and Helen I. Moore, younger brother to Frank A. Polasek III and Timothy M. Polasek, older brother to Carol L. Polasek and Linda M. Hall. Also younger brother to deceased at birth Bonnie and half-sister Peggy. Grandson to Frank A. Polasek Sr. who immigrated to Michigan from Austrian-Hungry Empire in 1898.
[edit] Born during Epidemic
As told by Helen his mother, Randolph was born during an epidemic at Pontiac, Michigan hospitals, General Hospital & St. Joseph Hospital. Several infants had already died with more to follow. By the end of June, 1951, the doctors informed Helen "There is nothing more we can do for him, Mrs. Polasek." The two month old Randolph was quickly Baptized by a nurse standing by, then IVs were taken from the infant. By then "he was skin and bones" according to Helen. Helen, with her baby Randolph wrapped in blanket, ran to awaiting car driven by the infant's step-grandmother. Unable to contact the infant's father, the women drove from Pontiac to Ann Arbor, Michigan to the University of Michigan Hospital. Once in the care of their doctors, Randolph was isolated, then to stop a upper leg infection that was unrelated to the epidemic, skin from the infection was sliced from the leg and replaced by skin sliced from him other leg, a skingraph. Randolph returned to isolation where his health inproved. Meanwhile his doctors contacted both hospitals in Pontiac where the epidemic continued taking infant lives to recomment they isolate their sick infants effected by the epidemic. This they did, including sending some infants to nearby clinics for isolation, and shortly thereafter, the epidemic ended.
[edit] Youth
"I have always felt blessed growing up in the then small "close-knit" community of Auburn Heights, Michigan, (now named Auburn Hills). My white two-story home was within the business district, across the street from Auburn Lanes where the always friendly owner, John Eldon, and manager Kenny Smith would allow me to hangout there to watch the older kids playing pinball, and bowl a free game as payment for emptying ashtrays and picking up used coffee and pop cups during bowling league play at night when I was eight years old. Next door to my house was the smiling Al Spadafore attending his grocery store and upstairs appartments, and who was more like an uncle to me. He would, along with being my daily pal, pay me twenty-five cents to shovel off the store's sidewalk when I was in grade school and comeover to my house's driveway with a bag of rock salt to melt the ice from where I would shoot baskets in the dead of winter standing on ice and snow. "I'm tired of watching you slip and fall, Randy. Pick a spot you want to shoot from and this salt will melt the ice for you." the huskie, one time all-state quarterback from Pontiac Central, Al would say to me. When I was in 5th grade, I started hitchhiking home from school to save the 15 cents the bus ride cost, and along with my lunch money I could save enough to bowl a game with a pop and M&M's...a second heaven to me at the time, lol! Also when I was in 5th grade, it was the year snow came early and with 25-cent snow shoveling jobs from Mrs. Wilson at the Post Office, Harold & George at the G & H Grocery Store, Stu at Stuwart's Dinner, the ladies at Short's 5 & 10-cent Store and Thomas' Varity Store, Ken at Ken's Party Store, the hottie watriesses at the Shamrock Soda Shoppe, Harold at Harold's Hardware, Al Spadafore & John Eldon at their business, even the manager at Pontiac State Bank who I drove nuts from me throwing my rubber ball against his building at all hours of the day & night during the non-winter months gave me 50-cents for the bank's both walks, and with all those houses I shoveled their walks living on Cherryland Street, I made over $15.00 before Christmas from two snow storms. Then the Saturday before Christmas, I hitchhiked five miles to Pontiac to buy gifts at Sears, Waits and S.S.Kreggees. I was only 10-11 at the time and was having a ball taking extra rides on Waits Store elevator till the old man running the elevator said I had enough rides. I saved a dollar for myself, as a reward to sit at the S.S.Kresggee's soda shop fountain counter for their lunch special with a malt. What a sight I must of been, packages half the size as myself setting on both sides of me standing along Auburn St. with my thumb out as snow fell so hard it almost blinded my sight. A yellow taxie cab from my community pulled over, and gave me a free ride home. That Christmas was one of a kind. And thanks to all of the business people and those living on Cherryland St. that hired me to shovel their sidewalk, I bought gifts for the entire family with my own money, lol!"
There were yearly parades, canoe races and fireworks in Auburn Heights back in the 1950's. The volunteer firemen were always a gas to watch putting out fires. A daily noon train came through town, sometimes stopping to leave a car full of lumber for the lumber yard, and on occasion, hobos would jump off and stay in the woods behind our house for the night.
"The stories I can tell..."
[edit] Education
Randolph with his two older brothers would board the Beeline Bus for a five mile trip to nearby Pontiac to attend daily Mass at St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church, then to St. Fredrick's School. After completion of the 5th grade, he transfered to Sacred Heart Elementry in his hometown. There he went to school with his two younger sisters until completing the 8th grade. Randolph attributes, in-part, the religious education from the understanding nuns and priests from both schools as well as his parents influence, as the foundation to his moral ideals that will guide him through his life. He attended Avondale High School and upon graduation receive a basketball scholarship to Davinport College in Grand Rapids, Mi. A reaccuring injury all but ended his desire to play basketball, and although Randolph could of stayed, he chose to free up a sport's scholarship for another and left the college. He attended Oakland Community College for the next two years before running out of money and entering the Beer Distributing Business full time as a driver.
[edit] Employment
Randolph worked & volunteered endless hours from 7th grade to the beginning of his senior year at the Auburn Heights Boy's Club. He would keep the clock for sporting games, coached sporting teams, supervised the kids during assortment of events, and serving as an umpire and referee. After high school, and while attending college, he entered the beer distributing industry unloading 160 pound 1/2 barrels stacked 3 high between sheets of plywood, a part-time for $2.00 an hour. He also taught religious education at Sacred Heart. Later worked as Auburn Heights Police Dispatcher, then back to beer distributer as driver for 9 1/2 years. He wrote part-time for over a year for a newspaper and was rewarded his own weekly column in the sports department. Then spent over three years turning around one of Bill Davidson's companies to profitability. Then two years as pre-salesman & on-premise manager for beer distributing company before moving on to California.
[edit] California & Writing
With my desire to become a full time writer since high school still burning inside me, I packed my bags and with $400, moved to sunny L.A. California to learn to write screenplays. My first work was a part time summer job with Anheiser Busch Beer Distributor in the mechendising department while I took writing and commercial acting classes and a few movie jobs as an extra. I also wrote my first movie screenplay, followed up with a novel perpaining to the screenplay. During that time, what I would learn later from doctors that I had MS, I experienced reaccuring physical problems that began when I lived in Michigan but ignored as signs of years playing sports and being in my late thirities. After finding myself unable to do the work in the beer industry, or getting past questions of my physical condition in all my job interviews, I found myself jobless and homeless.
After a few days living in my car, pennyless and waiting for a unemployment check to arrive in the mail, a life long friend I'd known since my grade school days when we rode the Beeline Bus to school, rescued me from the pouring rain. He put me up in a room within his art studio for almost a year, and until I found an apartment and got my finaces in order.
For over fifteen years, I've lived in the same two-bedroom apartment, writing movie screenplays, TV screenplays, another novel while taking writing classes, sending out scripts and networking, networking, and networking.
[edit] Screenplays, Movies
Senior Season, Ammietown, Hector & Hildy, Distributing Justice
[edit] Novels
Hector & Hildy, Senior Season, Powers Behind JFK Assassination
[edit] Volunteer Work
Covenant House, Hollywood, CA., (6 months on Saturdays) Catholic Charities Food Distribution, Glendale, CA., (5-plus years, 4 days a week) Sylmar Detention Center, Sylmar, CA., (7 years, 3 days a week) Brothers' Helpers, Montrose, CA., (14 months, 5 days a week)
