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A Tale of Two Harold-s

Chapter One: I Am Born

I was born in Brunswick, Maine, May 28, 1851. My family was living in our family home on Ash Point in Harpswell at the time. We moved to Brunswick sometime before I reached school age.

Chapter Two: I Attend School

I attended Jordan Acres, Hawthorne, Union Street (now offices including that of the superintendent), Longfellow, the Junior High, and the High School. Somehow I missed Robert Peter Tristam Coffin Elementary. To make up for this, God decreed my children would spend much of their elementary years there. Perhaps you weren't aware of this, but she DOES have a sense of humor. Look how long she's tolerated the assumption that she's a male and asexual. I graduated with honors and a member of the National Honor Society.

Chapter Three: I Attend University

I started college at the University of Maine at Portland (UMP) in the fall semester 1969. While I was in attendance, the Portland and Gorham campuses, which had met and dated long before my arrival, finally tied the knot. Both parties took the hyphenated surname "Portland-Gorham;" had it been left to Ms Gorham, she would just have taken Mr. Portland's name, but Mr. Portland suffered severe exposure to Alan Alda as a child and preferred they both take the hyphenated name. I graduated in May 1973 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Chapter 4: My Protestant Work Ethic

I have worked as a paperboy, janitor (common areas of apartment buildings for Roy Real Estate, Brunswick, and about thirty-five years later for the Western Avenue, Augusta, Dunkin' Donuts, and then Clean Sweep (cleaners of businesses,) stock boy, spare (Pejepscot Paper Mill, Topsham,) bagger (Shaw's,) USAF (Airman Basic to Sergeant in one four year enlistment,) van driver (Operation Sea-ME, now Coastal Transportation,) Hungarian language translator (National Security Agency [NSA,]), office clerk (state of Maine,) Family Independence Specialist (AFDC [now TANF] and Food Stamp eligibility,) and cashier at the Big Apple.


Chapter 5: We Are Fam-i-ly

My siblings are all sisters [four, named Joyce Elaine Moody (now Lang,) Helen Estelle Moody (now Becker, although long divorced,) Dorothy Anne Moody (single,) and Lois Elisabeth Moody (Hancock, although long divorced.)] My father, Ralph Stone (“Upon this rock I shall build my church” Moody, died at 88 in January 2000, my mother, Elizabeth Edelma Ormsby Moody, was 85 this July; my nieces number five [three, Amanda Joanne Hancock Gil, Rachel Helene Hancock Hendsbee, and Merle Alma Hancock, my oldest sister's, and two, Melissa Sue Becker Yim (now back to Becker,) and Michelle Lynne Becker Brennan, my immediate predecessor's] and my nephews one, Michael Bernhardt Becker, Jr. [who has two sisters (figure it out.)] My great-nieces number two Alyssha Louise Gil and Annika Lois Gil (twins, daughters of the youngest of the three sibling niece all girl team, Amanda) and my great-nephews four (two, Eric Yim and Johnny Yim, Jr., born to one of the two sibling niece team, Melissa, one to the other two sibling niece team member, Michelle, and one, Gunnar Hendsbee to the middle daughter, Rachel, of the three sibling niece all girl team.) All but the oldest niece and nephew (one from each trio) live in Maine.

I was married from April 16, 1983 until August 2001 (ending not by my choice) and my ex-wife Sandra Jane Heath formerly of Monmouth, Maine is still my best friend. My beloved and I have two sons Connor, 17, now a senior and Gardiner Honor Student at Gardiner High School and Brendan, 20, the Class of 2004 salutatorian, now a junior at Brown University.

Chapter 7: I Slip the Surly Bonds of Earth

I served in the Air Force for four years, April 25, 1975 to April 24, 1979. I spent about two months at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas (site of the Alamo and a complex from a former Olympics,) for Basic Training (3707 BMS Flight 0446) and awaiting the start of my specialty training. I had selected Hungarian linguist and was stationed for about eleven months at the Defense Language Institute, West Coast, on the Presidio of Monterey, Monterey, California, near Point Lobos State Reserve, Big Sur, beautiful Carmel by the Sea (home of Clint Eastwood’s Hog’s Breath Inn [a restaurant,]) Pebble Beach, etc. I visited LA many times, Lion Country Safari, San Diego, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, among many places.

On the way to my next training, at Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo Texas (for USAF Security Service training, [most people in this specialty work in the Military Intelligence field,]) I visited what was then called the “Great Meteor Crater in Winslow, Arizona. After that two months training, on the way to my first (and only) permanent duty station, I used forty-five accumulated leave days to explore the West.


A few of the sites (and sights) I visited were: Boot Hill, Kansas City, Missouri; the Petrified Desert; Four Corners, the only place where four states meet (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona;) the Pueblo dwellings in New Mexico; Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona (where a lot of John Wayne’s and other westerns were filmed;) the Grand Canyon, Arizona, (including walking down the switchbacks all the way to the Colorado River, wading in it, and visiting both the south rim, where most tourists go, and the north rim, which looked just like Maine to me;) Bryce Canyon National Park, Arizona, much more beautiful limestone, sandstone, and mudstone, spires, fins, pinnacles, and mazes, than the drab red sandstone buttes, mesas and spires of Monument Valley; the Garden of the Gods, Colorado, the Air Force Academy, the Continental Divide at a peak of the Rocky Mountains; the Church of Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) headquarters grounds (the Tabernacle was closed;) Las Vegas, Nevada including the casinos and Nellis Air Force Base; Death Valley; Sequoia national Park; Pinnacles National Monument; Yosemite National Park;

I spent the last two years nine month at the National Security Agency (NSA) with Top Secret clearances. I even went on CIA grounds once (as a temp for a moving service.)

Chapter 7: I Gotta Be Me

I love many kinds of music. The only kinds I have a low tolerance for are, in increasing order of irritation, classical, disco, and rap. I'm a major folk music enthusiast. The music I love most is Irish and Scottish Folk and the performer I enjoy and admire most is Tommy Makem. He has written some of the most beautiful and moving lyrics and melodies extant.

Other genres I enjoy are: Rock and Roll, Alternative (mostly almost mainstream ones like R.E.M., Nirvana, Soul Asylum, Pearl Jam,) Original Cast Musicals, Gospel Quartets, Barbershop Quartets, Country (what can I say, I yam what I yam)

I love to read. My favorite author is Rex Stout, now unfortunately deceased, creator of the Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin private detective characters. I read many mystery and legal novels, many of them series characters. I think I favor mysteries and legal thrillers because I cut my eyeteeth on Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason and Bertha Cool-Donald Lam books while learning to read.

Movies: The two greatest movies of all time are Gentleman's Agreement and To Kill a Mockingbird. Some great ones: Ladybird, Ladybird


I'm a bleeding heart liberal and proud of it. I'm pro-choice, anti-death penalty, anti-discrimination (including sexual preference,) etc.; the only Republican I ever voted for I'm ashamed to say was Robert Monks in his successful primary bid to unseat the legendary Margaret Chase Smith. I believe Jeb Bush stole the election for his brother by his use of police on Election Day. I actually might have voted for John McCain had he succeeded in obtaining the Republican nomination (Al Gore's playing on voter's emotions with his son's accident, his "I invented the Internet" claim, and his last minute disavowal of tobacco really had me on the fence about him.)


Except for the four years in the Air Force and one as a civilian at NSA, I've lived in Maine. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather live and, although neither of my children lives with me, certainly wouldn't move before they are both out of college.

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