One Step Beyond

Alex "Sonny Boy" Bellehumeur

Description

This journal and the accompanying summary utilize the author’s challenges and successes along with key mindsets to help young readers and those who cannot break away from their uncertain mind, realize their full potential.

Alex (Sonny Boy) Bellehumeur, author, herein dedicates this journal to Dr. Stuart Farber, dean of students and professor at the College of Business Administration at California State University, who encouraged Alex to publish a book about his life.

Cal State Long Beach (CSULB), held special events with hundreds of current and former students each year. Alex Bellehumeur, past president of the Port of Long Beach and then Governor appointee and chairman of the World Trade Commission, was asked by Dr. Farber to be the keynote speaker at one of these affairs in front of over six hundred attendees aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.
We met early and began “The Walk”, during which time Dean Farber extracted details of my youth, and believed the audience should know the challenges I was able to overcome. This had nothing to do with my planned speech.
Thoughts from Dr. Farber: • “In all my years of hosting this special event, I have never had such an incredible response from the audience.” • “You have changed the lives of many attendees.” • “A book of your past challenges and how they were overcome by taking that ‘one step beyond’ would have a life-changing effect on those whose life’s growth potential would not otherwise be met.”

It has been 16 years from when Dr. Farber made such a request, that Alex began the process in the hope of encouraging the readers to take that “One Step Beyond”.

Sujets

• Personal Memoirs
• Determination
• Biography
• Self-help
• Success
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 22 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665735230
• Langue: English

Extrait

ONE STEP BEYOND
HELPING THE UNCERTAIN MIND REACH ITS FULL POTENTIAL.
 
 
 
ALEX “SONNY BOY” BELLEHUMEUR
 
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2023 Alex “Sonny Boy” Bellehumeur.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
 
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3524-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3522-3 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3523-0 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022923150
 
 
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 2/13/2023
CONTENTS
A Bit of the Past
Catalyst
Author’s Note
Preface
Chapter 1     Bear Hill
Chapter 2     Alcoholism and Abuse
Chapter 3     A Real Home
Chapter 4     Moving to California
Chapter 5     Learning Not to Prejudge
Chapter 6     The Gift of Giving
Chapter 7     A Building Block of Character
Chapter 8     A Real Home—A Life-Changing Event
Chapter 9     Entering College
Chapter 10   Sports
Chapter 11   Cal State Long Beach
A n Exampl e o f Prejudice
Chapter 12   Postcollege
Chapter 13   More Ventures with Roy
Chapter 14   A Reluctant Opportunity
Chapter 15   A New Direction
Chapter 16   Bill Lear—Lear Reno
Chapter 17   Greed—Personal Examples
Chapter 18   Post–State-Wide Developers Retirement
Internationa l Footbal l League
Internationa l Rolle r Hocke y League
Collectio n Agency
Equestria n Center
Lon g Beac h Tra m System
Collapsibl e Shippin g Container
Environmenta l Projects
Convert-a-Bell e (CB)—Innovativ e Affordabl e Housing
Othe r Inventions
Chapter 19   A Call from the Editor
Chapter 20   Civic and Political Involvement
Mayor’ s Tas k Force
Presiden t Emeritus—Por t o f Lon g Beach
Savin g th e Quee n Mary
Alamed a Corridor
COSC O SHIPPIN G Lines:
Vietnam
Kobe , Japan—Earthquake
Governor-Appointe d Worl d Trad e Commissioner
Internationa l Cit y Theatr e i n Trouble
CSULB—Keynot e Speaker
Lon g Beac h Memoria l Medica l Center
Chapter 21   The Passing of Mom and Dad
Chapter 22   My First Love
Ou r Marriage
Elvi s an d th e Craz y Eight
Epilogue
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This journal and the accompanying summary utilize the author’s challenges and successes along with key mindsets to help young readers realize their full potential.
A BIT OF THE PAST
Alex (“Sonny Boy”) Bellehumeur has statewide (and beyond) recognition due to his civic and board memberships over the decades. He has served as president of a political assembly, president of an airport advisory commission, president emeritus of the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission (then number one in North America, Alex traveled on port business to many parts of the world, including Asia), and a governor-appointed member of the World Trade Commission (of which he was also president). Alex is also the founder of two international professional sports leagues televised by ESPN.
Over the years, Alex was included in a top Long Beach magazine as one of the city’s most innovative minds (article and photo in book). He was also featured in the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of their top “eight over eighty” achievers, which also included Norman Lear and Marion Ross (article and photo also in book).
Here’s what readers are saying about Alex’s memoir One Step Beyond (reader responses have been edited for style and clarity):
What a wonder man! Congratulations, Alex Bellehumeur, on a magnificent, amazing, exciting, enriching, and inspiring One Step Beyond . You are remarkable! You’ve set the bar in persisting, persevering, and enduring in many unique and extraordinary segments of worth, overcoming colossal amounts of early obstacles and later [creating] so many diverse businesses and inventions through daunting missteps, leaning on your latitude of leadership. Wow!
Your spirit, dynamism, leadership skills, and mind-over-matter organizational skills are so entrenched. I am gripped with the depths of the execution that was appropriated to maintain the colossal amounts of demands on so many levels in your life’s work and entanglements. (Mari Hooper, one of the most admired, successful, and well-known people in the county of Los Angeles)
“The message in your book is empowering because everyone, no matter how successful, experiences depressive times in their lives and needs to know there is a way out. Your college professor (dean of students) was right to encourage you to speak about your story so others could be lifted up by your message. I wish you all the best with your book and getting it out to the people who can appreciate and benefit from it.” —Debi Vilander, branch supervisor of Long Beach Public Library
“What an incredible life you have lived. I had no idea you were born in such humble beginnings and experienced such tragic abuse. It’s amazing the details you remember. As someone fourteen years your junior, I have nowhere near the specific memories of my boyhood as you do. Your book makes me want to try and do the same for my life, even though it’s nowhere near as interesting as yours. I very much enjoyed reading it, as I only knew a few of these stories. I’m so impressed with your incredible memory and writing talents. I can’t wait to get a personally autographed book.” —Randy Gordan, president of Long Beach Chamber of Commerce
“‘Life well lived’ is an appealing concept for all of us, and we all would love to have others say that about our lives. After reading Alex Bellehumeur’s memoir, I came away thinking he really has lived life well. What drew me in was how one principle popped up again and again to unify the different parts of Alex’s life. When Alex seemingly did everything he could do, he consistently pushed himself to take one step beyond. One Step Beyond is an excellent title for the book because this expression resonates well with Alex’s approach to what life throws at each of us. Alex also shows the reader how ‘one step beyond’ is engrained in his character and personality. It is an engaging book, surprisingly effective and implementable.” —Michael Solt, dean of the College of Business Administration and Professor of Finance at California State University, Long Beach)
CATALYST
Dr. Stuart Farber, dean of students and professor at the College of Business Administration at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), held special events with hundreds of current and former students each year. Alex Bellehumeur, past president of the Port of Long Beach and then chairman of the World Trade Commission, was asked by Dr. Farber to be the keynote speaker at one of these affairs in front of over six hundred attendees aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.
Thoughts from Dr. Farber:
• “In all my years of hosting this special event, I have never had such an incredible response from the audience.”
• “You have changed the lives of many attendees.”
• “A book of your past challenges and how they were overcome by taking that ‘one step beyond’ would have a life-changing effect on those whose life’s growth potential would not otherwise be met.”
• “This book is a wonderful example of human effort and balance and provides readers with both the history and drama of a young man growing up in a poor family and all that such a life entails.”
• “The author writes about plain issues, behavior, and the genesis of a boy determined to make the best of his given world.”
Some of the preparation for this book was developed on and about the Queen Mary. Dr. Farber and Mr. Bellehumeur met and spoke prior to his keynote speech. What took place over the course of two hours that day has come to be known as “the walk.” Dr. Farber engaged Mr. Bellehumeur in a conversation regarding the substance of his lecture. As they began their “walk” about the grounds of the Queen, Dr. Farber suggested that the mostly business-student audience from CSULB might find Alex’s personal feelings about his writings most interesting and suggested he speak directly to them.
As “the walk” progressed, Alex brought up more personal and human feelings that he had about his journal, which ultimately became One Step Bey ond . Subsequently, during his speech, the audience became captivated with Mr. Bellehumeur, his life, and his writings. The presentation led to a lengthy and energized applause at the closure of his speech. Thus, the book and all the special feelings that go along with it were the direct result of the university’s student audience.
The text talks about the hard times in life, t