Article 1): NOBLE CAUSES IN THE WORKFORCE (Long Version)
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Sept. 1981 to October 2022.
By W.E.B. Claus (William Edwin Baxter)
EARLY SCHOOL DAYS:
William Edwin Baxter, 1955
I was born with birth injuries on October 11, 1954; which made it difficult to impossible for me to multi-task when I grew up and entered the workforce during High School. Through most of my work years following College Graduation in August 1979, I was only able to do single task blue collar jobs which were very low paying jobs, some even close to minimum wage. Despite Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD), my family, particularly my mother, tired to mainstream me in normal educational and social settings. I did end up in Special Education Classes during my Second and Third Grade Years at Loara Elementary School in Anaheim, California from 1963 to 1965. I began regular classes (Not Special Education) during my Fourth Grade Year at Francis Scott Key Elementary School (Anaheim, CA.) in 1965. I stayed in mainstream regular classes for the rest of Elementary School clear on into Junior High/Middle School. When I got into Middle School, I began to excel a little academically and was placed on the Honorable Mention List at Trident Junior High School (Anaheim, CA.). Being I was in a mainstream setting and excelling at it, I was not in touch with who and what I was and felt like I was normal for the most part like other kids. Other classmates, however, knew I was different, and wasn’t normal. A lot of them felt I didn’t belong and resented me. I became a social outcast and was harassed and bullied a great deal of the time. Entering High School, seeds were beginning to be planted in my life.
HIGH SCHOOL DAYS:
William Baxter–High School Senior Picture 1973-74;.
During my Freshman Year at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, CA (Sacramento Area); I was still pretty much an outcast. Then I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and my life began to change. But, I was still not fully in touch with who and what I really was. My family moved to the Washington DC Area in the Fall of 1971 where I attended Northwood High School in Silver Spring, MD. I went through a period of Mal-adjustment because the family packed up from Fair Oaks where I was finally making friends and moved to the East Coast. I found myself struggling academically at Northwood and ended up back in Special Education part time. I was still in regular classes part of the time. The first seeds of me not being able to multi-task in the workforce occurred in the Fall of 1971 when I was hired to work part-time at McDonald’s in Wheaton, MD. Most of the work in Fast Food behind the counter was very much multi-task and I proved to be unable to carry out my duties. I was close to losing my job, when the manager found the spot I could perform and perform well doing clean-up out in the main lobby. Now Lobby and Parking Lot Clean-up was very much a single task job. So, I managed to remain employed a couple of years until my Senior Year when I was attending Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, MD. I resigned my job as a Part-Time Lobby-Lot Clean-up Attendant at McDonald’s in November 1973. I had transferred from Northwood High School during my Sophomore Year to Wootton High School during the beginning of my Junior Year in 1972. I continued in Special Education part time throughout my Junior Year. During my Senior Year at Wootton High School in 1973-74, I was back in regular classes full time. My next seed of my being unable to multi-task was planted during my years at Thomas S. Wootton High School. When I first began attending Wootton, I wanted to excel as a High School Basketball player. Now Basketball is a very multi-task game which I proved I was unable to do during Basketball tryouts. So, I was cut from both the Varsity Basketball Team and the Junior Varsity Team. I did however excel in High School Sports in another way which I took great pride in doing. My Reading Teacher at Wootton was the Coach of the High School Wrestling Team. He knew that I wanted to be active in my school, and he asked me to be the Varsity Manager of the Wrestling Team. Being a Team Manager in High School Sports is single task work which is mostly managing equipment, being a water boy, and being the “Shower Towel Person” when the athletes hit the showers. The more I did this, the more I took pride in it, and the better I got. The Teacher of Driver’s Ed, who was also the Varsity Football Coach and the Track Coach saw the work I was doing as Varsity Manager of the Wrestling Team, and grew to like me, and he asked me to be the Track Manager and the Varsity Football Manager. I accepted both times. Being a Team Manager (Which is more of a humble servant position) enabled me to just be myself, and not something I’m not–namely a star athlete. The coaches grew to like me a lot for the hard work I was doing, and the athletes who looked up to these coaches followed suit, and my life was never the same as I was no longer the “Social Outcast” I once was. However, I was a long way from discovering what God’s calling in my life really was. I was voted the Most Improved Student in the Thomas S. Wootton High School Class of 1974.
COLLEGE AND EARLY ADULT YEARS:
Despite counsel from a High School Advisor, I decided to give College a try. It was predicted that I wouldn’t last very long in school; but as it turned out, I proved that these predictions were wrong, although I had to study a lot longer than the normal college student. I attended college in the Bay Area in Northern California. I graduated from Ohlone College (Fremont, CA.) with an Associate in Arts Degree in June 1977, and from California State University Hayward (Now “East Bay”) in August 1979. During most of my college years, I worked part time for Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor in Fremont, CA. I seemed to hold my own as a Dishwasher and sometime excelled as this job was mostly single task. When I worked as a Fast Food Cook, that was not single task but very much multi-task, and I did not do very well. So, more seeds were planted. I lasted a year and a half as a Fast Food Cook before I was removed and went back to Dish- washing until I graduated from college. I still hadn’t discovered my limitations in the workforce and wouldn’t fully understand until after the year, 2010. After I graduated, I began to pursue Full Time Work. For a little over a year after College Graduation I worked as a Janitor at Ardan’s Jeweler’s and Distributors in Fremont, CA. I moved back to the Orange County Area where I grew up the first fifteen years of my life in winter of 1981 and worked a a Graveyard Custodian for the Statek Corporation in Orange, CA. The job was single task so I excelled at the job. Later, due to lack of Government Contracts however, I was laid off by Statek. After that I embarked on adventures as a Single Task Manual Laborer in the workforce, but I was working for employers which served “Noble Causes” in the community and in “God’s Kingdom.”
WORLD VISION INC. – November 1981 to September 1983 (Age 27).
In 1850, the Reverent Robert Pierce founded a Christian Missionary Organization which helped o provide relief to impoverished people in many countries throughout the world while spreading the Gospel of Christ worldwide.. World Vision Inc. also helps to provide worldwide emergency relief to very places in the world following disaster. In November of 1981, after I was laid off from Statek Corporation, I was referred to World Vision Inc. by a friend who work as an executive at World Vision in Monrovia, CA; which is in the San Gabriel Valley. I was hired as a “Mail Handler” to work in the Printing and Mailing Department Building, where I helped to send out bulk mailings to World Vision Members throughout the United States. The job was very much single task and right up my alley although the hours were quite long at times which involved working on the weekends. Even as a Mail Handler I knew I was helping a company which was helping to spread the Gospel and the Love of Christ to troubled and impoverished areas throughout the world which gave me great satisfaction in what I was doing despite the low status of the job. Chapel Services were held every Wednesday morning. I became part of a Men’s Quartet which at various times sang special music during the Chapel Services. I sang the Baritone Part. One time, I sang a solo during a Chapel Service which went over well. We had daily Bible Devotions every morning when we didn’t have Chapel. Working with other Believers in Christ and using my gift of singing at times were so much a blessing to me, I felt content despite the low status and low pay. So it was, that my success in the workforce would always be based on working for companies and organizations which served noble causes in the communities and God’s Kingdom. During the last few months, the company executives discovered that they would be able to send more money and resources overseas to people in need, if the organization became entirely white collar, and all the blue collar work went to outside vendors. I resented that at first, but later realized the company was right in what they did. God now had another plan for my life. In September of 1983, just shy of my 29th Birthday, I was laid off. Eventually, World Vision became a White Collar Organization, where there were no more Blue Collar Jobs. But I was only unemployed for a short time.
Wycliffe Bible Translators – October 1983 to June 1985 (Age 29).
Wycliffe Bible Translators is a non-profit Christian Missionary Organization which was founded by Cameron “Uncle Cam” Townsend in 1942. This organization was named after John Wycliffe who translated the Holy Bible into the English Language during the Mid 14th Century. When I started working for Wycliffe in October of 1983 (Age 29), the Headquarters for Wycliffe Bible Translators was in Huntington Beach California. People who worked for Wycliffe in Huntington Beach, and out in the field, helped the organization in its noble cause to translate the Holy Bible into very remote languages in remote places throughout the world and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The people who worked at Wycliffe were either Missionaries who worked in Huntington Beach, as well as other satellites throughout the country (and out in the field in remote places throughout the world) or, they worked as Paid Employees of Wycliffe Bible Translators. I had the privilege of working at the Huntington Beach Headquarters as an employee, first as a Receiving Clerk, and later as a Clerk in the Book-room. I had a serious accident while I was working as the Receiving Clerk. While a fellow worker and I were trying to fold a lift gate back up under the company truck, it slipped out of our hands and came down on my left foot breaking four of my toes. I had to have surgery to pin my foot back together again. While I was home recovering for several weeks, I learned that the company was going to get a forklift which the company felt I should not operate it in light of my accident, so when I returned to work, I was transferred to the Book-room. In the Wycliffe Book-room, I got to fill Mail and UPS orders for books and literature put out by Wycliffe. The Book-room was more less a “Warehouse” for Wycliffe Books and Literature, and I packaged them and shipped them out all over the country. I worked a total of one and a half years for Wycliffe Bible Translators. Wycliffe had Chapel Services twice a week. Like the Services at World Vision, I often got to use my gift of vocal music. In the Spring of 1985, a decision was made to make my job in the Book-room more of a Sales Position, and my Supervisor knew Sales was not my cup of tea. I was laid off in June of 1985 and I spent the Summer of 1985 looking for an even better job in Shipping and Mailing where I gained most of my single-task work experience from working at World Vision and Wycliffe. That job came 3 to 4 months later in October of 1985.
Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International – October 1985 to January 1991 (Age 31).
Over 70 years ago, a Christian Rancher, Demos Shakarian, owner of Reliant Dairies had a vision of businessmen gathering together for prayer. Moved by his vision, Demos Shakarian founded a Non-Profit Christian Organization known the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI). The organization grew worldwide. One of the noble causes for this organization was that it provide opportunities for businessmen could come together for prayer and Christian Fellowship. Today, there are many “Chapters” of this organization where businessmen come together. In 1975, Shakarian wrote the book, “The Happiest People on Earth.” Like World Vision and Wycliffe Bible Translators, another noble cause of Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship was teaching and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world which is a noble cause I soon became part of. In October 1985, I joined the FGBMFI Team as a “Warehouse Clerk.” This was a single task job which combined all the blue collar skills I learned from World Vision and Wycliffe, plus I learned new blue collar skills as well. All of them were single-task and right up my alley. These included warehousing, light courier work, making daily company bank deposits at the Bank of America, preparing foreign mail shipments (Like Direct Sacks) and preparing document shipments for Federal Express and DHL Worldwide. Like World Vision and Wycliffe, FGBMFI had weekly chapel services, where again, I was able to use my musical gifts of singing. One time in Chapel, I even got to share my Christian Testimony which turned out to be a blessing to a lot of people. FGBMFI puts out a monthly magazine publication entitled: “VOICE Magazine” which publishes a lot of inspiring Christian Testimonies. My testimony which I gave in chapel was transcribed and published in the September 1987 Edition of VOICE Magazine. I became a published author for the first time in 1987 just prior to my 33rd Birthday. The title of my testimony was “There’s Weirdo!” which in later years would be published again in my book, “W.E.B. Tales” in May 2018. Later, it was also published into a Children’s Book.
Later, I became Co-Author of: 1) “Old Testament Bible Puzzles,” 2) New Testament Bible Puzzles, and 3) Life of Jesus Bible Puzzles, which were published by Rainbow Publishers in San Diego, CA. Today, it is “Rose Publishing.” I had received help from the FGBMFI Publications Dept. in this. In the ladder part of the 1980’s, the nation and the world were rocked by the Christian TV Evangelist Scandals. The most infamous one was that of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker of the PTL Club (Praise The Lord). Christian organizations became scrutinized by the TV Scandals, including FGBMFI. In January 1991, FGBMFI had lost a lot of money. Several workers, including myself were laid off due to lack of funds. FGBMFI had a beautiful Headquarters Building in Costa Mesa where I had worked. The company was no longer able to afford to stay there and moved to a lot smaller complex in Irvine, CA. I was only unemployed for a month this time, however.
WMG – MMC – MedPartners — February 1991 to April 1998 (Age 36).
One month after I was laid off by Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International, I was ired as a Medical Courier for Westminster Medical Group (WMG) which was headquartered in Westminster, California. This Medical Group had medical office satellites in Westminster (2), Stanton (1), Garden Grove (2), and Huntington Beach. These were all Orange County Cities. My Single Task Job was to deliver interoffice mail from satellite to satellite which included not just interoffice mail, but medical charts, X-rays, and lab tests/specimens. While working at WMG, I had to use my own car. A few months later, WMG merged with Mullikin Medical Center (MMC) which is headquartered in Artesia, CA. Pioneer Hospital was part of MMC Headquarters. Later, the Burbank Medical Group and Hawthorne Medical Group also merged with MMC. Sometimes, the hours became long ones with a lot of overtime. I was now driving an MMC Cargo Van, and not my own car. This is the highest paid job I ever held down, and it lasted almost eight years throughout the 1990’s. In 1995 one day, I was experiencing some acute “Motor Tics/Nervous Behavior” while I was on my route. A fellow employee at the Stanton Satellite noticed , and soon I was put on leave so I could be checked out by a Neurologist. I was examined by Dr. Thackran at one of the Westminster Clinics, and she diagnosed me with Tourette’s Syndrome (TS). I realized for a fact that I was not a normal individual and was more in tune with my disabilities than I was before I diagnosed with TS. Dr. Thackran assured me that my safety and ability to drive a company cargo van was not affected, but that TS did affect Job Performance which made it an “Occupational Disability.” I was soon cleared to return to work. In later years, MMC merged with MedPartners which is headquartered in Long Beach, CA. near the Long Beach Airport. Later on, MedPartners also merged with two other big medical groups: 1) Friendly Hills Medical Group and 2) Talbert Medical Group. The company expanded too quickly and unforeseen company expenses came out of the woodwork, and eventually MedPartners-Mullikin collapsed financially and was no more. I was laid off in April 1998. By that time, electronic medical records were starting to take over and there was less and less need for Medical Couriers.
REMAINING YEARS LIVING IN ORANGE COUNTY, CA. – April 1998 to August 2010
(Ages 43 to 55).
Now it turned out that my disabilities went far beyond my having Tourette Syndrome, but I would never learn the full extent of my limitations until after I moved to Colorado Springs, CO. in August 2010. After being laid off as a Medical Records Courier, I was already in my mid-forties, and it was harder for me to find work in single-task manual laborer as employers preferred workers a whole lot younger. I began to explore White Collar Positions. White Collar are a lot more “Multi-task positions” which I have an extremely difficult time with because of my disabilities and birth injuries. The first white collar job I got was with Westec Corporation in Southern Orange County. I got that job through the AppleOne Temporary Employment Agency. I was a file clerk there for a few months. I didn’t have too hard a time with that job; however, being it was through AppleOne, there were no benefits. Eventually, I would have to find a a full time job with benefits. I was hired by the St. Jude Heritage Medical Group (Fullerton, CA.) in March 1999, first as a File Clerk in Occupational medicine, and later as a Medical Records Clerk in Oncology. St. Jude Heritage Medical Group was affiliated and run by the Sisters of St. Joseph. As I am not able to multi task, this was my worst job. My accomplishment from working for St. Jude Heritage was that despite my struggles, I lasted almost 8 years at it. In fact, I worked at St. Jude doing mostly multi task work longer than I worked at Med-partners/Mullikin. Eventually (September 2007) they had to let me go. A little while after I lost my job at St. Jude, I was hired by MV Transit in Irvine California where I learned to drive a bus and I got my California Class B Commercial Drivers License. For a few months, I drove for the Irvine Shuttle. I enjoyed that immensely, but because of a slight hernia problem, I lost that position even after I had outpatient surgery. Later, I got a chance to return to MV Transit in Whittier, California; where I would work in Para-transit, but that didn’t work out. In 2008, I enlisted with Goodwill in Orange County. Goodwill is a Nationwide Organization which helps people with Special Needs. Goodwill helped my to get a part time position with a contract company called All City Management which hires people to work as Crossing Guards. One of the places All City Management was contracted to was the Santa Ana Police Department. For over a year, I got to work as a Crossing Guard helping children attending Andrew Jackson Elementary School in the City of Santa Ana, CA. I worked as a crossing guard until near the time I moved from Orange County, California; to Colorado Springs, Colorado; in August 2010. After I moved to Colorado Springs, I worked another year a Crossing Guard for School District 11 in Colorado Springs. After I resigned as a Crossing Guard, I decided it was time for Early Retirement On Social Security Disability at age 56; however, that fell through.
Colorado Springs and Service Source Inc. — Major Turning Point (Age 55 to Present).
President’s Team Award – August 21, 2015.
After moving to Colorado Springs to be closer to family, the family finally divulged family secrets about me. One of the secrets was that I was a Forceps Baby when I was born, which did extensive damage to my central nervous which made me Intellectually/Developmentally Disabled (I/DD). Before that, I thought Tourette Syndrome was the extent of my problems. My family, particularly my mother, kept that a secret from me so that I could have a shot to as close to a normal life as I could. That did give me the edge I needed to get through life, but as I was looking to retire on Social Security Disability, I needed to know the truth. In the Spring of 2012, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Now, I was totally in touch with who and what I was–a man who is Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled. My family found a social worker for me who helped me to get a job as a volunteer working at The Arc of the Pikes Peak Region Thrift Store. The Arc PPR helps people with I/DD. As a back-up plan to Early Retirement, the social worker helped me to sign up with Colorado Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). I was assigned to Jennifer Baily and Carol Collins, who formed a Job Coach Partnership. It was Carol Collins who pointed me in the direction of Service Source Inc. – Colorado Springs.
Civilian Decorations from Service Source.
I belong to a family tree of U.S Veterans. There were times I felt that I missed out by not serving in any of the U.S. Armed Forces. At times I even wished I would have served as a Civilian Contract Worker on a Military Installation like my mother (Enid W. Baxter) did prior to WWII. I was about to get my wish. When I arrived in Colorado Springs from Orange County, CA; all I wanted was to enjoy an Early Retirement. After Carol Collins pointed me towards Service Source Inc; and I was told that I would be working out at the U.S. Army Mountain Post at Fort Carson, Colorado; I wanted to do that more than anything. I know longer wanted a Early Retirement on Social Security Disability. The Rehab Manager (John Wilson) saw how much I wanted this and I was hired. As a Civilian Contract Worker, I was helping young U.S. Soldiers who were putting a lot on the line to preserve our Freedom And Democracy in America. That was the noble cause I was part of working for Service Source Inc.–Colorado Springs, and for the next 10 years, I took great pride in that which showed up in my work performance. On August 21, 2015 (Age 60), I received the President’s Team Award for Service Excellence. As dedicated as I was towards working at Service Source, the company was dedicated to helping all of its employees with special needs and disabilities. On July 9th, 2016 (Age 61); I suffered a Massive Pulmonary Embolism which nearly ended my life. The doctors at Colorado Springs Memorial Hospital pulled me through, however. Just as I was about to get out of the Intensive Care Unit, I talked with the Rehab Manager on the phone and he told me that I had a job waiting for me after I got well. Most companies would not have let ANYONE come back back after an ordeal like that. Almost a month later, I returned to working out at Fort Carson with accommodations. On August 18, 2018; I received the Employee of the Year Award. I worked full time out at Fort Carson for a few more years. I retired on Social Security Retirement on my 66th Birthday which was October 11, 2020. This was during the COVID-19 Pandemic. I had never worked for a company for 10 years before, and I wanted to stay on Part Time for 2 more years, and that’s what I did.
RETIREMENT YEARS (Age 66) & Epilogue.
So I could go down as having worked out at Fort Carson for 10 years, I stayed on Part Time for the first two years of my Retirement. Now Service Source is a Nationwide Organization which in turn is part of the Ability One Program, which in turn is part of Source America. Source America as a whole aids people who have Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (And other disabilities) in getting profitable employment and surviving. In April 2021, a conference was held in Washington DC, where people with disabilities who were part of the Ability One Program were
asked to speak to the offices of U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators about the Ability One Program, what it had done for them, and what it could do for others with disabilities, in hopes that Members of U.S. Congress would support Source America and the Ability One Program. I was asked to represent Service Source in Colorado Springs. As the Pandemic was still going on, I didn’t get to travel to Washington DC. I spoke to the Offices of U.S. Representatives and Senators virtually through ZOOM from the Colorado Springs Service Source Office. I didn’t speak to the U.S. Representatives and Senators directly, but through their assistants. The assistants took everything back to the U.S. Representatives and Senators. All in all it was an awesome experience. During my last two years at Service Source following Retirement on Oct. 11, 2020; I only worked for two days a week. The last few months before I fully retired, I worked only one day per week. My 10 year anniversary was Patriot Day (September 11, 2022) so I had fulfilled my goal. I fully retired on October 8, 2022, three days before my 68th Birthday. Working for Service Source Inc. and helping young U.S. Soldiers who were putting a lot on the line for our Freedom and Democracy in America, gave me great Satisfaction during my 10 years as a Civilian Contract Worker. There was not a better way I could have “Ridden off into the sunset” than finishing my work years out at Service Source-Fort Carson. Today, I can proudly look back at all the noble causes I was a part of during my years with World Vision Inc; Wycliffe Bible Translators, Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International, working in Health Care, and working for Service Source out at Fort Carson with no regrets. I am now enjoying a Happy Retirement.
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Article 2): STAY AWAY FROM FACEBOOK DATING
I have had beautiful women on Facebook tell me how interested they are in getting to know me from over 1000 miles away. I am disabled and have been unable to get to first base with any women who live close to me. A lot of these women I am talking about are drop dead gorgeous. They can’t find someone who lives close by? They have to search clear across the country or overseas to find somebody? really? I do not recommend Facebook Dating, PERIOD!
W.E.B. Claus (William Edwin Baxter), Author.
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Article 3):
Men Who are the Real Losers in Sports.
“Men who are able to compete in Major Men’s Sports, and give it their very best even though they don’t win are STILL WINNERS by any definition. Male athletes who try to win by doing transgender and then competing in Women’s Sports (Where they have an unfair advantage) are the only REAL LOSERS.“
–William Edwin Baxter, Author.
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“I stand with Riley Gaines and her efforts to clean up Women’s Sports.”
William Edwin Baxter, Author.
DISCLAIMER: The memes on this article page are not my creation, but memes which have been passed around on Social Media. These memes and photos which are not of my own creation can only be published on an Online Website Book, and never in a regular published book through a book publisher.
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W.E.B. Blog. 