My summer job with the Wayland Street & Water Department was backbreaking, but even after days of mowing, ripping out broken sidewalks, and sweeping streets, I could enjoy the fruits of hard labor. I realized that I would never be an academic. I wrote my dad in desperation. We didn’t have much of a relationship until then, but the advice he sent back was sage. Learn to work with your hands. Get a skill. Think about trade school. It was…

The four of us, on a fleet of bright yellow, heavy-duty Schwinns with dual metal baskets, were the kings of the paper routes, making sure the Democrat and Chronicle Morning Edition arrived in front doors or newspaper boxes seven days a week. The Landino Boys delivered, and years later, our sister Lisa would carry on the tradition with routes of her own. In the 70s, our hamlet never topped 4,000 residents, but the economic and community health were tied to…