By JOSEPH E. RAY
At the age of 12, I started helping a 15 year old with his afternoon paper route. The name of the paper was The Knickerbocker News. His route was 105 papers, six days a week. Each paper cost 42 cents. You had to collect each week from the customers, mostly on Saturdays. If you were lucky, sometimes a customer would give you 50 cents; some would only give you 40 cents.
The way to get a paper route in those days was to start off helping an older kid with their route. When they turned 16, they would find other jobs. I got the route when I was almost 14 and a guy named George Nugent, now an Albany police officer, was my helper.
I worked the paper route for almost two years. When I became a freshman in high school (Cardinal McCloskey High School), I tried out and made the freshman baseball team. George got the route for himself.
After the baseball season ended, I needed to find a job. My father was a hard-working man with three children. My older sister went to Vincentian Institute. My grandfather paid for her tuition.
When my baby sister came along, my dad was saving for a house to get out of a small two-bedroom flat. He told me I had to pay half of my tuition at Cardinal McCloskey. The tuition was $8 a month — my dad would pay $4 and I would pay $4. The other option was I could transfer to Albany High School. I could go for free and play sports. I was pretty good in basketball and baseball. Yet, all my grade school friends were at Cardinal McCloskey. I decided to come up with half of my tuition. I knew my dad did not have any money to give me to go out. I already had odd jobs shoveling snow, cutting grass and would do anything else for spending money, i.e. setting pins at bowling allies or working at VFW Bingo setting up tables and selling hot dogs. Bingo was a big deal in the early ‘60s.
Looking back now, I should have gone to Albany High School. Life would have been easier and when I met my future wife at 19, she graduated from Albany High School the same year that I graduated from Cardinal McCloskey. After I graduated from Cardinal McCloskey, I got a job at General Electric in Albany. I got married, had a little boy and bought a two-family house. Things changed in a big way.
General Electric told me I had to go on nights when I was married for just two years. Neither my wife or I wanted that, so I changed jobs.
I got a job at LaSalle School for Boys, which dealt with troubled kids from the state. LaSalle was run by the Christian Brothers, a great group of people. My daughter came along soon after.
After some time, the Brothers encouraged me to go to college. They said they would help pay if I agreed to commit to stay with them for several years. Little did I know at the time, I would stay for over 30 years. I got my associate’s degree from Empire State College, followed by my bachelor’s in arts going to Saint Rose and SUNY. My wonderful wife helped me type my term papers and corrected my spelling. NO computer back then — typewriter only — and no spell check either.
Throughout my life, I feel I have helped people in the City of Albany. I served as a board member of the YMCA for 10 years; a Democratic Committee man for 20 years and served on the Albany Zoning Board 18 years. I was also an Albany County legislator for 10 months, filling in for one of the members who had to step down for health reasons. Howard Joyce, the chairman, told me I achieved more in 10 months than some of the guys who had been there for 10 years. For political reasons, my seat was vacated. I also served six years in the National Guard.
After working 31 years and helping a lot of young boys at LaSalle School, I was forced to retire by the new administration, a retirement caused by health issues. The Brothers were down to just a few and the new people in charge were business first with the welfare of the boys, second and even third.
I started a handyman business, which lasted six years. I realized at 65 years old that it was too dangerous for me to be climbing on roofs, cutting down trees, etc.
Again, God took care of me. My sister-in-law was working in sales for a newspaper that is now called, The Spot 518. I got a job at first delivering monthly magazines. Then, because delivery people were leaving, I now have a weekly route in Albany and two magazine routes. Again, the money delivering papers helps me with family obligations.
At the age of 75, I’m lucky to be with my wonderful family. My wife keeps me happy and enjoying life. My granddaughter just graduated, with honors, from Ohio State University. She is going on for her master’s degree to become a registered nurse, or an RN. My grandson is a freshman in high school and has been on the honor roll since elementary school. I also have another part-time job as supervisor of the City of Albany Crossings Guards in the northern part of Albany.
Life the title of this story, “Once a paper person, always a paper person.” It helped me pay bills when I was 14 and it’s still helping me now. I keep on working. No retirement from LaSalle, but I did leave with health benefits and knowing I helped a lot of boys go on to better lives. I still see some of them occasionally; a lot are now married with families of their own. When I’m out and about and they see me, they immediately walk over. Sometimes it’s hard for me to recognize them at first, as they have changed from boys to men. Once we connect, the memories come back. They always thank me and that is worth more to me than anything.
“God has been good to me.”