Some Information About
Michael P. Garofalo
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September 2004
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April 2007 |
February 2010 |
Our summer garden harvest in
Red Bluff, California. |
Bandon, Oregon, at
the Pacific seashore. |
McMinnville, Oregon, Willamette
Valley
wine country. |
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February 2012 |
November 2014 |
November
2013 |
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Somewhere in Oregon at the
oceanside. |
My daily walking path in Red Bluff,
California, from 1998-2017. |
Corning Elementary School ID Photo |
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I worked part-time as the
Technology and Media Services Supervisor or District Librarian, from
1999-2016, for this
K-8 elementary school district serving 2,200 students. |
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2018
At our home in Vancouver, WA |
Mike at the
Klickitat River,
Washington, 2019 |
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My wife, Karen, and I lived and worked from June of 1998 until April of 2017 in
a rural area south of the City of Red Bluff, Tehama County, in the North Sacramento Valley
of California. Since April of 2017 we have lived in the suburbs of
the City of Vancouver, Clark County, in the Columbia River Valley, Washington,
Northwest USA. I retired in July of 2016.
Karen and I have
been married since 1967. Karen retired in July, 2014, after working 16
years as a Special Education
Instructional Assistant for the Tehama County Department of Education. She
enjoys gardening, reading,
cooking, computer software, genealogy, and family activities. We have
two children: Alicia June and
Michael Delmer. Alicia and Sean Flinn live in the City of Vancouver, Salmon Creek
Area, of Washington State. Both
Alicia and Sean graduated from
California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. Alicia is a employee of
the school district, mom, homemaker, and active in community support groups.
Sean is employed in the insurance, bonding, and finance business. They have two
teenage daughters.
Michael and April also live in Vancouver, in the Minnehaha Hazel Dell area. Michael graduated from the Western Culinary Institute
in Portland; and, has worked
as a restaurant owner, chef, caterer, restaurant manager, bartender, cook and waiter.
He is now the restaurant manager, executive chef, at the Ferral Heathen in Vancouver. Michael
married
April Scott in 2005, who is a shift manager at a busy Starbucks coffee house in
downtown Main Street Vancouver, and is a Washington Master Gardener.
Alicia, Karen, April
Sean, Michael, Mick
2006
In the
past three decades, I have worked as a librarian, supervisor, grant writer,
webmaster, yoga and taijiquan
instructor,
blogger, teacher, public library administrator, workshop leader and lecturer,
and fitness trainer.
On
July 1, 2016, I retired from my employment as the Technology, Libraries, and
Media Services Supervisor for the
Corning
Union Elementary School District (K-8). I had worked part-time for this school district
for the previous 16 years. I also retired on July 1, 2016, from my employment with
the Tehama
Family Fitness Center in Red Bluff where I had worked since 2002 as a fitness
instructor teaching
yoga,
taijiquan,
qigong,
spin cycling, weight lifting, and mat pilates.
My personal
interests, spiritual path, and hobbies include: gardening and landscaping at our home, blogging,
internal martial arts, fitness
and sports activities, developing Internet web sites,
walking adventures, poetry,
Buddhism,
Taoism, research and writing, computer
software, qigong, natural
history, piano playing and listening to music,
taijiquan,
string figures,
travel and outings in the
Northwest, and enjoying activities with family and friends.
I was born in
1945
in Los Angeles, California. My mother, Bertha June, was born in Akron, Ohio, and her ancestors came from Germany to the
U.S.A., to Ohio, in 1854. My father was Michael James Garofalo. He was born in Los Angeles,
California, and his parents came from Sicily to the U.S.A., to Los Angeles, in 1905. My mother was a
homemaker, and my father worked as a mechanical engineer and manager for the Fluor Corporation. Our
parents, Karen's (Alice
and Delmer) and mine (June and Mike), have all passed away
and joined the Ancestors; and, we now have one sister and two brothers
remainding.
My genetic and racial
heritage, as per my 23 and Me DNA test results: Germanic/French/Northern European and Greek, Baltic, Sicilian, North African,
and Southern European. Also, due to a good healthy upbringing,
and good fortune in America, this gave me a strong and healthy body. I am now 6'6" tall and weight 245
pounds. Up until I retired in July of 2016, I still exercised daily and had the energy for working three
part-time jobs, walking, weightlifting, teaching yoga, and lots of gardening.
Karen and I are fortunate to have
had very good health care options in Los Angeles, Red Bluff, and
Vancouver, and use them regularly. In June of 2017, I had a
Pacemaker implanted at Peace Health in Vancouver to help correct my severe Barycardia.
In 2020, I walk daily, garden, and practice Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong at home.
My brothers, Paul
and Philip, and I grew up in unincorporated East Los Angeles - in the Bandini
neighborhood (barrio). Karen and I lived in Biloxi, Mississippi, from 1969-1973; Bell Gardens,
California, from 1973-1983; in Hacienda Heights, California, from 1983-1998; in
Red Bluff, California,
from 1998-2017; and in Vancouver, Washington, since April of 2017.
I graduated from
St. Alphonsus Catholic Grammar School, Cantwell Catholic High School,
California State University at Los Angeles (B.A. Philosophy), and the
University of Southern California (M.S. in Library Science). I have also studied
part-time for a
Master's Degree in Philosophy (1974-1978) at CSULA; studied for a Elementary
Teaching Credential at CSU Chico (1999-2004); and, have participated in scores
of classes, workshops and training sessions
about business
administration,
supervision and management, education, computer software applications,
health, Zen, yoga, qigong,
fitness, and T'ai Chi Ch'uan. I minored in business management at Gulf
Coast Community College in Gulfport, Mississippi.
I first read
classical and modern Western and Eastern philosophers when I was fifteen, and
have
since considered myself a "Philosopher." I am a person with a humanistic, pragmatic, secular and
philosophical outlook on most matters. I have been content
to use reasoning, reading, science, technology, practical skills, effort,
advice from experts, groups, common sense and luck to understand my world, survive for 74 years, and help me
solve most of my problems. I am an Independent voter. Like most people, I make room for
mystical, mythical, poetic, and symbolic viewpoints when dealing with many
artistic, psychological, humorous, symbolic, fictional, and spiritual issues.
My "spiritual" interests are biological, scientific, mystical, and
Mind-Body Movement
Arts; and being an independent and solitary seeker. I have little
interest in and
negative views about the value of most institutionalized religions.
Mike Garofalo in 1993
Hacienda Heights, California
In 1998, I retired
as a Library Administrator for the
County of Los Angeles Public
Library, after thirty two years of public library service in Los Angeles
County. I
was a leader in the introduction of new audio-visual media, library automation, and management information systems for one of the
three largest
public library systems in the United States.
I wrote many grants during my long career, e.g., the Chicano Resource Center and the
La Verne Library Building. I was the Regional Administrator for
22
very busy libraries in the East San Gabriel Valley
of Los Angeles County.
From 1963-1969
I worked as a Library Services Supervisor and then Technical Services Librarian
for the City of Commerce Public Library.
From 1999 - 2003, I worked three days each week as the
District
Librarian, Library Media Teacher, for the Corning Union Elementary School District (K-8). I have also taught other classes in Tehama County (e.g.,
string figures, webpage design, Internet for writers, GATE classes, and
substitute teaching work).
During this time I completed all coursework at California
State University at Chico for a multiple subject teaching credential.
In September, 2003, I began part-time work
(24 hours each week) as the Technology and Media Services Supervisor for the
Corning Union Elementary School District. I
managed five school libraries;
coordinated textbooks, workbooks, and consumables; acted as the first webmaster for the District;
provided educational software media support; and wrote and managed many grants.
I was the project manager for four Enhancing Education Through Technology
grants at the Corning Union Elementary School District. I have
successfully written many grants that have brought in $4.3 million in grants to
our school district from 2003 to 2013.
As of
July, 2016, I had worked in
public (city and county), college, or school libraries for 49 years.
Since moving to northern
California in 1998, my community service efforts have been concentrated in the
educational field. I have taught adults to read in adult
literacy programs at the Tehama County Library; and, have taught in public schools in grades K-12 as a
substitute
teacher. I was
elected by the voters to serve as a Trustee on
the Gerber Union Elementary School District Board in Red Bluff, California; and, served from
January, 2000 until November, 2004. From
2005 until 2009, I served on the Tehama
County Commission on Aging,
as a TCCA representative at large, the webmaster, secretary, and for two years
as the TCCA chairperson; and also served on the general board and executive
board of the Area 3 Agency on Aging (PASSAGES)
in Chico.
In the past, my community
service efforts have included working in public libraries, volunteering to serve in the United States Air Force (1969-1973:
honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant, E-5), Friends of the Library fundraising and volunteer efforts, AYSO soccer refereeing, and providing
free information to millions on the Internet.
I have been
interested in
gardening since
1954 after my parents purchased "the ranch" - two acres in Hacienda Heights, California, nestled in avocado and orange
groves. I raised bonsai in the 1960's. Karen and I have cultivated vegetable gardens since
the early 1970's. I have enjoyed landscaping and gardening around all of the five houses I have called
home. We gardened extensively in the North Sacramento Valley, and owned 5 acres
of land. We cultivated both winter and summer vegetable gardens, had a 100
tree orchard and specialty gardens, relaxed in a sacred circle garden, and
enjoyed two small ponds fed by a solar powered pump in a 125 foot deep well.
On April 10, 2017, Karen
and I moved to the City of Vancouver, Washington, Northwest USA. We now
live in a respectable looking fifty year old suburban neighborhood, in a very
nice one level 1700 square foot home. We are now 600 miles north of where
we lived in Red Bluff; and across the Columbia River from Portland. It is
noisier here in Vancouver as contrasted with rural Red Bluff, but much cooler
with more clouds and rain. Vancouver is
the largest northern suburb of the Portland Metropolitan area, and Vancouver has a big port along the
Columbia. Native Americans have lived along the Columbia River here for
10,000 years (e.g, Cowlitz), and Europeans established Fort Vancouver in the
1820's.
Since
1992, I have
greatly enjoyed sharing my interests with others and meeting others with
similar interests via the Internet.
My Internet activities have
been diversified:
Pulling
Onions
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Homepage
This webpage
was last updated on September 9, 2020.
Mike Garofalo at the Klickitat River,
Southwestern Washington, 2019
Cloud Hands Blog of
Michael P. Garofalo
Facebook of
Michael P. Garofalo
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the Alphabetical Index of Mike Garofalo's Hypertext Documents
Green Way
Research