In the 28 years I’ve worked at The Press I’ve written more than 1,000 columns and interviewed a few thousand people. My favorite columns are the ones in which someone finds the courage, passion or determination to overcome an unexpected challenge, such as the 74-year-old grandmother who turned detective to help solve her daughter’s murder, or the young Polish-American boy who outran the Nazis.

I’ve written a couple hundred of these columns about your neighbors and friends, common people who have faced uncommon challenges and I’ve picked 50 of them to reprint in a book aptly titled Common People, Uncommon Challenges.

The people in these 50 stories are young and old, male and female. Their accomplishments are not for the history books; they are personal. But, their courage, passion, and determination can inspire us to reach beyond comfort and expectation to achieve what is important to each of us as we write our own personal histories.

Take Jodi Harrington, for example. The Oregon woman walked nearly 5,000 miles across America to raise funds for a friend afflicted with a rare disease. The sight of her pushing a baby carriage through the Nevada desert stopped traffic, what little traffic there was.

Some in these pages have fought inner animals, or in the case of two men, bears who attacked them. Some have fought the system with spunk and righteous anger, and prevailed.

Others have put family first, like Duane Rutkowski, the Licensed Practical Nurse, who, after his wife died at age 37 from an aneurism, continued to provide a home for four special-needs children while working full-time.

Some have been wronged and fought back, like Lawrence and Rita Helle, the cabbage farmer and his wife, who came a step away from the Ohio Supreme Court in their pro se case seeking compensation from a state that took their farm for Maumee Bay State Park.

Some have changed their lives, like Jeff Nelson, the man, who at age 37 quit a three-pack a day cigarette habit, lost 87 pounds, left his job, went back to college and married his high-school sweetheart.

There are times in life when we struggle to meet these common challenges--quitting smoking, losing weight or paying down debt. But, it is in meeting these challenges we prepare ourselves to overcome the more difficult ones we will inevitably face in our lives. This is how Jeff Nelson saw his challenges: “Those little victories all built up to where I could look in the past and say, `Well, I did all this. I stopped smoking. I lost weight. And, I know things don’t just get done by sitting around wishing things will get done.”

Jeff Nelson inspires us by overcoming common challenges we all face. But, I’ve also included columns about local heroes who have overcome challenges none of us want to face. Like Myron Wagoner, the 82-year-old Northwood man, who, when confronted by an armed robber, beat him back with the 16-inch rod he used to hold up his car’s tailgate. Or, Dr. John Wukie, the hunter who moments after surviving an attack by a grizzly bear, had the presence of mind to fell the bull elk he was stalking.

Cliff and Bernice Miller of Elmore faced a different challenge. The two senior citizens, who met at the Cleveland Clinic while recuperating from hip surgeries, loved to travel. They were determine not to let anything stop them even though Bernice had both legs amputated below the knee, and Cliff was recuperating from his ninth hip operation. So, they packed up their crutches and walkers and strapped their motorized carts to the front and back bumpers of their 1968 Mercury with 393,000 miles on it and hit the road. Again.

We all experience significant emotional events in our lives—those moments when adrenalin meets crisis and we are forced to make a choice—live with the situation or change it. The people in these 50 stories found the courage to change their situation. You can, too. I hope these stories will inspire you on your journey and help you overcome the inevitable challenges you will face.

Comment at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it To read a few excerpts, go to presspublications.com and click on the book’s cover. You can order Common People, Uncommon Challenges by sending $15, plus $3 for shipping and handling to The Press, Box 169-J, Millbury, OH 43447 or by calling 419-836-2221.

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