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Category Archives: General
Political Baptism II
1987 was a busy year for me in politics. Not only was I the Secretary-Treasurer of the UFCW Iowa Branch and the Secretary-Treasurer of the local union, UFCW Local 440, I was the Chair of the Crawford County Democratic Party. … Continue reading
Posted in General
Tagged Congressperson Gephardt, Crawford County Democrats, Dale Cochran, Denny Colvin, Elaine Baxter, Governor Babbitt, Iowa Caucuses, Jo Ann Zimmerman, Louie DeFriese, Michael Dukakis, Paul Simon, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Senator Al Gore, Senator Joe Biden, UFCW, United Food & Commercial Workers
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Political Baptism
Naivety has always been one of my strong traits. Almost forty years ago, I was elected as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Iowa Branch for the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW). I was also the recently elected Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW … Continue reading
Sneak Peek
There was no better rite of passage from childhood innocence to arrogant adolescence in the 1960s than to see how many kids you could stuff into the trunk of a car and sneak into the drive-in movies. Bub had a … Continue reading
Everyone’s Best Friend – Jim Malloy
June 3rd is a significant date in my life. My parents, Francis Martin Ryan and Rhea Madonna Fritz were married in Breda, Iowa, on this date in 1941. Twelve years later on the same date, my brother Kevin (“Cub”) was … Continue reading
Posted in General
Tagged Boyer River, Iowa Veterans Home, Jim Malloy, June 3rd, King Creek
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The fine art of negotiating
The recent negotiations between the White House and Republicans in the House brought back some fond memories. During the 1980s, I participated in several union negotiations. Most of the corporate negotiators were mid to upper management employees. However, when negotiating … Continue reading
Draft Day 1970, Part II
Continued from Draft Day 1970, Part I On May 4, 1970, just four days after my decision to decline enlistment into the Navy, I walked downtown to get the mail for my mom. I was about halfway home when I … Continue reading