Gerald Fry, Many Lives in One Life

Gerald Fry

            THE LIFE JOURNEYS OF A MENSCH

There are two major themes of this short autobiographical essay.  One recounts the many failures in my life.  The second is that, for better or worse, I have had many lives in one.

Let’s start with the failures so that I can finish on a more positive note. I think we all remember in the pre-internet era those thin envelopes which nearly always signaled a rejection of some type. My first rejection letter (I have saved it.) came at a very young age, eight, when a magazine did not accept my submission. They did say that I had potential and wished that I had chosen to submit on a more peaceful topic, ironic now that I am such a committed pacifist.  My topic was the Korean War, with which I was infatuated. 

Also as a child, I was the only one of many Amish cousins who could not speak Amish. So I was the “black sheep” of the family. This inferiority complex may have inspired my interest in learning other languages.  I have now studied 14 languages and will start Burmese in July.

Then there are, of course, rejection letters from universities and colleges. Among U.S. institutions that rejected me were Colorado College, Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota. Later in life I was rejected by Leiden University in 2018.  Ironically they accepted me back in 2006 when I was much less qualified. I could not accept that fellowship because of a life-threatening bout with terrible anal/colon cancer. 

Because of my poor writing skills, as a freshman in college I was placed in “bonehead English.”  Also, I was a notoriously slow reader.

Then, as an academic I have had many article submissions rejected. In fact, I think some of my best pieces were rejected. I tend not to try to recycle articles not accepted.

Finally, in my sports life in the two World Senior Games in which I participated I failed to bring home any hardware, though in my last competition I came very close to getting a bronze medal in basketball. In both years that I competed, I choked badly.  My son, who is my coach and trainer, thinks for sure I will bring home some hardware this October. No longer will I have to compete with “young” 70 year-old’s.  Another great athletic claim to fame: I flunked out of the Yoga School of India.  As many of you may remember, I am not “plastic man” and never will be.

Now let me turn briefly to my many lives. 

My Amish Upbringing and My Pre-collegiate Education

My father grew up as an old order Amish farm boy who did not go to high school.  That had huge implications for my adult life.  My public high school was located in Wichita, Kansas, one of the most segregated cities in the USA.  My school served primarily the Black kids and the rich kids of Wichita.  I was obviously neither and benefited enormously from this diversity.

My Life as a Buddhist Monk

After serving in the Peace Corps in Thailand, I became a Buddhist monk, which was an experience like no other. I never touched any money during this period and took no food after noon. I was in a remote forest monastery teeming with lethal cobras and even more poisonous kraits.

My Life as An Athlete

I played basketball in Germany, Thailand (four years in the BBA), and Laos (Vientiane Dream Team). Out of my four years in the BBA, we were the champions of Bangkok three times, though I was a bench warmer. The pinnacle of my life as a “sports-nut” was working directly for Phil Knight, the CEO and co-founder of Nike. In the photo, I am playing basketball in the Philippines for the first time ever.

 

My Life as An Academic

As an extremely shy person in both high school and college, I never imagined myself becoming a teacher. It wasn’t even on my list of possible careers. Only because of my “Woody background,” I became a full professor in both political science and also in education. This year I am publishing three books giving me a total of 18 so far,  and I have only 11 more to go, some of which are nearly finished.  (Above, Professor Fry in Bangkok, where he has often taught and played basketball.)

There is not space here to talk about many of my other lives. 

One last positive note. In a WSJ article several years ago, my high school was ranked #1 in the USA in graduating and sending to college minority and low-income students.  That might be why I may be the only person in the world whose father did not go to high school, but who studied at Stanford, Yale, Princeton, and Harvard (Kennedy School). Not too shabby.

(The Wichita East Reunion 2022 mask at left shows Gerald’s 1960 senior photo. Identity of the red food smear is unknown.)

Personal Note from Gerald: As a Buddhist monk, I learned to appreciate failure and how much  we can learn from our failures and mistakes. Most of my failures these days relate to a lack of adequate mindfulness.

Editor’s Note:  Gerald has written several other stories about his experiences.  Click on these links to read more.

• Happy and Successful Aging
• Purpose, Flow, and Ikagai: Readings on Aging Healthily and Happily
• My Teaching Experiences
• My Life as a Sports Nut # 1: Student-Athlete
• My Life as a Sports Nut # 2: My Professional Life, 1976-2000
• My Life as a Sports Nut #3: The International Professor, 2000-2020
• My Life as a Sports Nut #4: Lessons Learned