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Biographical Stuff
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I was born in this city, Maceió, a coastal city in the State of Alagoas
in east-central Brazil.
My parents, both World War 2 veterans, had become missionaries to what was
then called "The Frontier", or The "Interior" of Amazonia for 8 years.
We lived in borrowed housing, each used for a couple of years, in
Garanhuns, Pernambuco and in the city of Belém, in the state of Pará.
We came to the USA in 1963 and spent one year in Hickory, North Carolina during the time, called furlough,
that missionaries are required to report on their work
to all supporting churches.
There were 4 children at that time and with my oldest brother,
about to enter High School, my parents decided not to go back to Brazil.
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You can take the boy out of the jungle,
but.....
We moved to Sautee-Nacoochee,Georgia where my father
decided to become a minister.
He went to Seminary in Atlanta, was away from home
3 days a week in a borowed car,
got his 3rd Master's Degree, and began his second career.
He preached at one church, fulltime, in this small town and
did an 8:30 Sunday service on the dock of a lake
where people would ride up in their boats
to attend his "second" church.
My mom, by now, was a hard working volunteer,
besides being a mother now with 5 kids.
It was a difficult experience, for me, being in Georgia during the time of desegregation. I didn't understand why whites and
blacks had been apart in the first place and
still don't understand why all can't repent from
inhumane speech and actions,
forgive each other, and do something constructive.
There are a few marvelous stories of brave souls
from that time. Perhaps, I will tell them later. _________________________________________________________________
After Dad was ordained, he agreed to take on 2 churches
and we moved to Piney Flats, Tennessee.
4 years later it was on to another 2 churches in
Fayetteville, North Carolina.
It was in "Fayettenam" that I attended my Alma Mater,
South View Senior High, a great school "class of 75".
I learned to play the guitar and made friends there
that have remained in my heart all these years.
Being at best a mediocre student in -Hi-Skool-,
I surprised everyone when I made the
Dean's List of Honor Students
and was the Army ROTC Freshman Cadet of the Year
during my first year of college at Lees McRae.
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Yes, I Could've finished school on an ARMY scholarship,
been an Officer and a gentleman, but noooooo. I was no gentleman!
I played the guitar and it was a rule back then
Guitar players have to have long hair, though the real
Rock and Roll Days were yet to come.
You can read all about that on the very funny
"they almost made it" FNRA band pages.
My parents again moved to a crossroads called Antioch,
between the towns of Red Springs and Raeford, North Carolina.
Once again in a borrowed home. Once again connections to make and lose.
No wonder Rock and Roll was so alluring when Tim and I met Johnny.
The 3 of us started a musical and personal friendship
that has endured these past decades.
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When the band dissolved, I went on to Miami, Florida,
seeking my fame and fortune.Instead, while working,
I fell backwards and down, 6 feet or so, and cracked
my skull on a concrete floor.
Then, while recovering, my custom modified Duster 340
street legal hot rod, got rammed and totaled.
Fool me had no insurance.
So of course my solution was to begin drinking too much,
go home at weird hours and chase inanimate objects.
Oh yeah, I rode a bus a lot.
One brain damaged year later, I came back to North Carolina,
giving up on the rock and roll dream.
I became assistant manager of a tiny department store
in a tiny town in South Carolina.
It was there that I saw Kay shopping,
having recognized her from college years before.
2 months and 6 days after our first date,
we were married.
We shared an apartment in Laurinburg, North Carolina,
Kay's hometown, and I became sales manager for a radio station
both there and in Southern Pines.
Somehow I just couldn't find my fit in there either.
Something always stirred in me and I would lose interest
in most things that I did.
I suppose I had to feel useful and,
after a couple of years at each position, it seemed I wasn't.
In fairness, it was probably because I wasn't
that good at what I was doing
but was raised to believe you had to get a job,
so I took what I could get.
God is merciful and my wife understanding, so
when opportunity knocked at a radio station in Asheville, N.C.,
we moved to Black Mountain.
It's a naturally beautiful and peaceful place
surrounded by blue-green mountains.
I love to ride around and see the sights, but I didn't like
stopping to sell something a dozen times a day.
I was coming to the end of my unhappy rope
and I went back into retail management.
It was 6 days a week, 8-5,
but at least work was close to home and I actually
didn't mind my job so much and it made me
an active part of our community.
Life is always a series of ups and downs and as we get older
we learn about ourselves and what really matters.
At various times in our marriage we wanted children.
We had, however, four miscarriages despite all suggested
efforts to prevent them.
We decided not to try again and focused our affection
on each other and our dogs.
From them I learned about unconditional love and healing.
I had evolved into a sales career by chance and,
my work no longer seemed that important
and certainly was not satisfying.
But then, that's a familiar tune to you by now.
A change without additional education was just not possible.
My wife and I decided I needed to go back to college
to have the freedom to choose a career besides sales.
In 1995, I got my BA in Spanish Literature and Language,
Cum Laude with Honors and Distinction, at UNCA
and certified to teach grades k-12.
I went on to teach High School (loved it),
and Elementary (never worked so hard in my life).
I rarely recall a student who let me down.
They were good to me and have always been
a good reason to come to work and I love them for it.
well 99.75 percent of them.
Now I have spent 12 years teaching and am under
the supportive umbrella of Buncombe County Schools.
I have been treated wonderfully and helped whenever I needed it.
I have found usefulness and a home in teaching, to be sure.
I also started teaching a night class in Spanish 8 years ago,
for the Community Services division of
Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College.
This too is a wonderful time to spend with eager people
of various ages as they work on their language skills
for a multitude of personal and professional reasons.
God bless'em!
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Fall 1999 in the night class I taught at
Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College
My former Principal, Barbara Lewis, who encouraged me when things got tough. She was my study buddy at the Teacher Academy seminar at Chowan College in June 1999.
To Send E-Mail, type this address using small letters without any spaces: pcansley@ att.net
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