...from fame...

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Andrew Boggs, BA

Andrew Boggs(born July 27, 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a writer, webmaster and radio reporter.

Boggs covered stories as a stringer for ABC, CBS, NBC, Mutual radio networks and covered stories for AP and UPI wire services in the 1970's and 1980's. He also did sound design work for plays at the State Theater on Cleveland's famed Playhouse Square, Beck Center and Lakewood Little Theater including theatrical productions at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Currently, Andrew is webmaster for Mall 727 and working on new site called "House & Cottage" to be introduced in summer 2007.

^{EARLY YEARS}

Andrew was born at Deaconess Hospital (same as Drew Carey)in Old Brooklyn, Ohio. He grew up with two brothers, Dan(deceased) and Mark. Andrew and brothers were physically and mentally-battered by father, but pretty much survived intact. Andrew started in show business side by appearing in elementary school stage productions. In junior high school he ran camera and board for intra-school television station at Charles A. Mooney Junior High School. Andrew also spent period running school's planatarium as well helped grind two 10" telescope lenses as a class science project. Boggs wrote feature stories for both his junior high and Rhodes High School newspapers. In junior high, Andrew did an inpromtu broadcast for some friends who cut class. What he didn't know was two classes were expecting to see a math program - instead they saw Playboy foldouts smuggled in by friends and a spitball fight. The math teacher in a rage walked in beating Andrew up with a science teacher pulling the math teacher off of him. Thankfully the science instructor had a sense of humor and impressed with Andrew's production ended-up giving him two periods in the television lab.

During his junior and high school years, Andrew spent a lot of his time at Cleveland's WVIZ TV's broadcast studio rubbing elbows with author Don Robertson, television personality Fred Griffith, high school sportscaster Mike Massa and station manager, Betty Cope. Later, Andrew moved on to ABC affiliate, WEWS TV 5 in Cleveland, learning broadcast journalism from John Hambrick, Dave Patterson, Gib Shanley and Don Webster, lunching once-in-a-while with Dorothy Fuldheim.

Andrew would have a stint writing several feature stories for an urban Ohio City newspaper called the Penny Post, published by then-senator, Charles Butts.

At the end of his high school years finishing up at Lincoln-West High School, Andrew received a scholarship to study journalism at Bowling Green State University in the early 1970's. He did college sportscasting at BGSU's WFAL-AM and short pieces for WBGU FM. Afterwards Andrew returned to Cleveland, Ohio to freelance radio documentaries for WSUM, WZAK and WBOE(now WCPN) FM. Perhaps the most celebrated was "The Forgotten Child - A Look at Child Abuse" on WSUM AM. In doing TFC, Andrew drew a lot of fire from the news director for pre-writing the script and questions. Andrew told the ND that it is a documentary and not a five-minute on-the-air newscast, therefore Andrew could make it a more intelligent three hour documentary with open lines following the taped segment. News Director Lou Kishkunas would remember Andrew for an opening at WERE NewsRadio 1300 AM a few years later.

Andrew came on-board at GCC Communications in April 1977 to update its traffic reporting operations working initially with Vietnam-era helicopter pilots/traffic reporters Art Fantroy and Walt Harris, then Dave Baron whom he knew from his TV 25 and Channel 5 days. Andrew was brought in to innovate the ground operations of the division and would work with the journalists in the field communicating with the studios. Later, Andrew would run board on Mutual's "Larry King" radio talk show. On the broadcast one evening, Andrew was running the board when the teletype alarms went off in the newsroom. He checked the wires, grabbed the information, broke into the broadcast to report the murder of former Beatles musician, John Lennon outside his New York City apartment building and segued into ABC news for the details for the Cleveland audience, getting the information on the air, first. Then before the reporters came in for putting together the morning drive package, Boggs did an interview with Plain Dealer newspaper columnist Jane Scott who spent time with the Beatles in their first Cleveland appearance. Andrew would work in getting ONN's (formerly WJW TV 8's reporter) Eleanor Hayes to some news stories and acting as liason between location and studio. Boggs progressed into weekend desk assistant working with personalities such as Casey Coleman(now with WTAM AM), Cleveland Indians Pitcher Mudcat Grant, and former famed Westinghouse night time talk show host Bud Wendall of PM. Andrew would also be out in the field getting tape or seting up interviews with personalities like Jesse Jackson or covering a race riot, bank hostage situation for Mutual, an impending surgery of a Saudi prince for CBS radio news and stories for ABC and NBC news services, including an on-location burning of a major downtown Cleveland building. Andrew also did stringer work for AP and UPI wire services. During that time, Andrew pulled a weeknight radio anchor shift at WOBL AM in Oberlin, Ohio. On Friday nights when Andy didn't have to rush back to Cleveland, he would record comedy bits along with disc jockey, Paul Stoneman. Andrew would also prepare and do late night weather forecasts on WGCL(now WNCX) 98.5 FM. While there, Andrew was putting together a feature pilot called "WEEKEND" interviewing such celebrities as Helen Reddy. He also produced the East Ohio Gas Sports Report. Andrew had additional duties writing, producing and providing voice talent for commercials and PSA's. On one occasion, Andrew was assigned to write and produce spots for a circus fundraiser for the MetroGeneral Hospital Burn Unit. While Andrew wrote the spot, he really didn't feel right voicing them. So he brought down his two young daughters (4yrs and 5yrs at the time) to record the PSA's, Andrew had divided the script equally between the two girls and with the help of their mom, coached the lines of the youngest. In April of 1984, Andrew left GCC Communications over a salary dispute. Andrew is also a member of AFTRA/SAG and holds a commercial FCC license.

After leaving GCC Communications, Andrew joined the team at Baron Aviation who produced and voiced traffic reports for several Cleveland area radio stations. While there, Andrew was featured in a Westinghouse-produced PM Magazine television show. Andrew inbetween shifts as a producer would clean the windows on fixed-wing aircraft and attempted to study in getting his own pilots license. After an ongoing conflict with two jealous co-workers over Andrew's working relationship with Dave Baron as well television appearances, he left (he resigned two times before it was accepted), tired of the bickering over what was supposed to be a team effort.

Andrew has restored an 1866 house in Ohio City and worked as a team member in building a Habitat For Humanity house in Berea, Ohio in 1994. He has also co-chaired a Friendly Town fundraiser as well did a stint as head of a local SHHH hearing-impaired group in Rocky River, Ohio.

Eventually, Andrew went back to college at Baldwin-Wallace in Berea, Ohio and received a BA in Communications in June 1992. While there, he involved himself in Work/Study by shelving books at Ritter Library on campus. Andrew became involved in writing, producing and narrating a feature for the college radio station called NewsPulse 88. He also did newscasts for WBWC FM as well.

After graduation, Andrew did marketing research and a one year stint for General Electric. The division ceased operations as Andrew developed a serious interest in internet content. Andrew's first site was called "andrew727.com", followed by the renaming of the site as "MALL 727 @ andrew727.com and later in its current incarnation, "MALL 727." The site is an information site featuring a graphic storm map as well local forecast access courtesy The Weather Channel. Among product links is an indepth linking to the nations' newspapers and international radio stations and networks as well commentary by Andrew. Currently, Andrew is developing a new site called "House & Cottage" which is targeted to young middle and lower incomed individuals. Its planned for an online launch in Summer 2007. In "andrew727.com's" first year in 2000, the site had over 350,000 hits. However, as more internet sites came online, the yearly average has dropped to a fraction of that high.

^CURRENT

Andrew enjoys reading non-fiction books and biography, holds a General Class FCC Amateur Radio License, writes prose and dabbles in amateur astronomy. Andrew has two adult daughters and a son.

...to living in a car...

I felt that even if I lost everything (I did!) left behind, I was still in one piece and would start all over. I had no desire to be a roommate for anyone ever (wishful thinking) again, unless it was with a close female friend, of course! After a few hours Mark and Mary pulled into the drive around one in the morning - and there I was snoring away in my 1989 Mercury Tracer four door hatchback. Mark tapped on the glass, having no idea why I was there as Mary joined him. I told Mark that Kenny in a drunken rage had made a mess at his place, blacking out and damaging his stuff as well mine. Had I been there before he passed-out, Mark and Mary would be visiting me at the hospital or the funeral home. I explained that it would have been dangerous for me to stay there any longer! Mark agreed and asked me if I would be comfortable sleeping in the library at his house. I couldn't safely do steps anymore - so I declined, asking him if I could sleep in his meadow instead. He agreed, and I pulled my car onto the grass on the far end of the oval and went back to sleep.

The following morning I was awaken by crunching of gravel of Mark and Mary's Dodge Caravan as it headed out the driveway. I was smelling really bad now, and knew the first thing I had to do is head to Target to pick up some soap, mineral water, washcloth, towel, toothpaste, toothbrush and a couple other needed grooming items before I went into work. Thankfully, I did have a clean set of clothes I could get into after I cleaned up. When I got back from Target, I pulled in front of the garage and washed-down, freezing from the cold April morning air and the cold mineral water. Dressed, then shaved. I knew I couldn't keep this up and while it washed away much of the smell, I actually needed a hot shower to care for the rest. Then I headed to a Laundromat-Deli in Berea and washed my clothes. My car was my home, and I'm glad I had it.

I went into work looking more normal than I had the day before, but tried to stay away from others until I could find a place to really get washed-up! My mind was on everything I needed to do - change mailing address to a box number, have the phone disconnected, buy dry and canned food that could be made in a car - including the purchase of the much-needed can opener. And to think where I could bathe at least once a week! A long time ago, John Webster, an on-air newsman and part owner of the production company, Reel-To-Reel, called me a survivor - the term really applied now!

Two days after becoming homeless I decided to find a church where I could pray. I really love Berea and felt most comfortable living and going to college there. So, it stood to reason that I would find a chapel to pray in and talk to a pastor. Most clergy have social worker skills, but are hopefully less inclined to have you fill out all sorts of applications and are usually better listeners. United Church of Christ First Church at Seminary and Church Street seemed the place to stop. When I first started regular church services, it was as a child living on York Road in Parma, so our parents took us to St. Paul UCC on York. When we first moved to there, the church was in a small stone century structure that had already been too small to hold its growing congregation. After a year, they bought the elementary school which became too small for Parma City Schools and was replaced with a larger building nearby. The church then built a large beautiful chapel that connected to the school which became a church school and clergy offices. The school was the same I walked out of a year before when I had been teased as a small child. Okay, so you now know I had a very early history with UCC. At First Church I parked my car on Seminary and on crutches entered the building and went up the steps and walked into the chapel where I planned to pray. Two men were setting on a front bench in coversation. Naturally when I walked in, they wondered why I was there. So I told them I came to pray. One man was the church deacon and the other was Pastor Kurt Katzmar. What I may have walked-in on was a casual meeting about a mutual exit as the church's pastor, although I didn't know it at the time. Both stopped their discussion and concentrated on why I was there. I told them I suddenly found myself homeless and explained the circumstances. The pastor then stood with me along with the deacon and we held hands and prayed. Afterward, the pastor led me to his office and we talked. I told him I was working part-time, but just lost my disability on a technicality and I needed a place to shower once a week to continue working. I explained I was living in my car. Thankfully the pastor was receptive and told me I could use the shower in the church boiler room. He then took me down there and showed me the shower. I asked him if it would be okay at my expense to install a hand shower with a hose so I could reach and control the spray. He told me yes, and the maintenance man would install it. So at WalMart that evening, I picked-up the item and the next day at the church we talked about a schedule. I was working in the evenings from Friday thru Monday and asked if I could use it on Thursday evenings. He agreed. The basement was used as a pre-school until it closed at six p.m. I was to get there before closing to pick up a key to use a wheelchair lift to take me to the basement boiler room. After I was finished, I would leave, making sure the doors were locked and secured. It was a life saver.

Sometimes after I finished, I would go into the darkened chapel and pray. When I say prayers, I'd address them to God, Christ, Holy Spirit and Mother Mary. I wanted to make sure it reached someone and honored them all. Many times I do pray is for someone else - a friend, a relative or a stranger whom I heard about on radio or tv news who suffered a tragic event. Belonging to a church, I get regular e/mails and when someone who passes away or is facing an illness or life crisis, I would also pray for those individuals, their family and friends. Tell you where I used to pray for those I directly knew. I would go to Pier W in Lakewood, Ohio onto the deck of the restaurant at Winton Place, the closest point to Lake Erie and say a prayer. I wanted God to easily see me...what better place to be? Have not lost a soul yet in doing that! Everyone would come out of their travails, no matter what the situation.

As to my days before work or on my day off, one would generally find me at Baldwin and Wallace lakes in Berea. I'd usually start the day by Baldwin Lake where I would get my wheelchair out on the picnic area parking lot, pop open the hatch on the car, pour some water into a cup, using it to brush my teeth, shave, then grab the mouthwash and use the cap as a cup to rinse my teeth out. Next, I made sure no one was around and poured the urine from my gallon jug on the grass - hey, animals piss on the ground all the time - and in this circumstance, I had very little choice. Then I would read a book or magazine I had picked-up, watch a little color tv on my Icom R3 combination tv-scanner LCD, or listen to the radio on my Magnavox 789 Multiband portable radio. When got bored would go to the library to read my e/mail or go to the South Park Mall, and wander around Sears, a pet shop, Radio Shack, Waldon Books or just grab lunch or dinner at McDonalds or a Chinese Restaurant in the dining area. Sometimes I'd eat at Johnny Rockets! There really was little else I could do.

As to getting fresh air - I was really getting it now! WalMart continued to be a necessity affair, and yes, with all the college and broadcast experience I had, it was depressing to be a part-time Greeter at minimum wage who happened to be homeless as well. I'd had taken a great fall, but I would muddle through it. And I knew it could be much worse had I not kept my head together. Understand, WalMart has stores all over the place and hires for the least bucks, ergo, there are only so many good managers they can hire before scraping the bottom of the barrel. Naturally we had some okay people in the business, but they were overshadowed by the worst possible people to put in charge of others. Here are some of the things I had to deal with in the following passages I'd submitted to Wally World website to give you an idea...

ON UNIONS...

I hear these complaints about how bad unions are...come on, grow-up! Unions came into existence precisely because workers were mistreated by their employers. The reason WalMart offers 'any' benefits is because its a hedge against employees forming a union. Had there been no unions, the treatment of a WalMart 'rank-and-file' would be much worse. Granted, it was pretty bad in my time. First, most employees pay for their own health insurance as a deduction from their paycheck, and its WalMart who decides the carriers you can choose from. And those 10% employee discount cards that only apply to regular retail and not sales items - its a way to encourage a worker to buy at WalMart rather than somewhere else. The stock option plan provides funds from meager paychecks to the company in building new stores - remember, you don't have any voter rights with that stock! And if you follow the news, the corporation benefits from poor people by having them use their Medicare or Medicaid rather then payout from the insurance companies. My guess is that the plans WalMart offers is based on how much of a kickback they get from plan enrollments. They really don't like "third-party" insurers that they can't collect a fee from.

Now lets tackle the issue of domestic auto manufacturers and unions. Sad to say, American manufacturers have for decades built crappy cars when it comes to reliability. That's why Toyota is expected to be the largest worldwide auto maker - their deserved reputation for building quality cars. Its not the union shop workers fault - they are told what to build by their bosses at the top of the food chain - the CEO and its board. They know that when recent models breakdown, they can make lots of money selling replacement parts - sometimes to the original cost of the car itself - they really don't want to give up that market. Interesting that Honda, Toyota and now Hyunda are building cars in the USA. As to buyers, they are not buying into the fact they should be loyal in buying American-made cars when the manufacturer hasn't been loyal to them in building dependable cars. Pick-up a Consumer Reports Auto Buying Guide sometime, look at how many recalls there are for domestic automobiles and that coming out of Asia. The designer and engineers and the workers are told what to build!

Thank-You for your compliment - its nice to be appreciated. By the way, get a kick out of the Burger King vs. The Clown! Its a little gross, kinda wonder if the two actors who did the parts in their respective commercials or for the ad agency got together for a little fun in shooting the piece, oh well, gross but funny

Getting back to business, noticing cities and states raising minimum wage - something WalMart can't fight or allegedly pay off a politician to prevent. Hopefully, this will achieve a long needed goal of bringing wages up for retail workers in general, although I really feel a union should be an ultimate step.

ON CAREER CHOICES...

You're right, it is a comfort zone - and I'd say in some cases for older individuals who worked blue collar jobs in the 1970's who found themselves dismissed because their company decided to outsource - possibly the only work they can find. On JibJab there is a really great parody called "Big Box Store" that nails such a situation right on the head. Rather than working on somebody else's dream and making another individual rich, I really think someone who is young needs to look inside and list their talents, coming-up with things that are of interest, and then find ways they can make it a legitimate business. If one can't attend college or vocational school - self-study is a great way to start. Walmart will never go into the Pizzaria business, except sell frozen pizza or slices in their Sam's Club stores - therefore running a local pizzaria(s) could produce a comfortable living. I have three grown children - one who is an accountant, another training to be a nurse and one in college studying computer programming - each trying to stand on their own two feet in making their dreams a reality. And I've know many individuals who didn't have educational opportunities make it - sometimes as a teenager. One friend had parents who let him turn their basement into an electronics lab and custom manufactured audio boards for bands - he now creates custom circuit boards for companies involved in specialized technologies - and has forty people working for him - including his parents. The problem with comfort zones is they eventually smother someone. God gave one a brain and the world around gave experiences - good and bad. One can only make excuses for not trying for so long, before it becomes empty air. In this world there is no longer a thing called security - one can put twenty years in with a single company, only to find at the end of the twenty-first year leads to unemployment. I've basically told my kids not to count on job security working for someone else and feel pretty good when they come up with things on their own. Is failure possible? Of course! But so is success. The richest man in the world is Bill Gates - and Microsoft was started in his parent's garage...that should tell one something. Anyone who reads this, if and when or are parents, encourage your kids in hobbies, don't block them - seriously, you never know where they'll lead. I'm now a grandfather a couple times over. One of my grandsons wants to be a vet and work with pets - I encourage his dreams every chance I get. My background is broadcast news, before some injuries I covered stories for a radio group and did stringer work for radio networks. Didn't get any encouragement from my parents on college or career - I just kick-started myself as a kid and had other friends with a dream - it allowed me in time to rub elbows with celebrities locally and nationally. Now, I write feature articles online in my retirement - I'm pretty happy doing it. Even when I found myself as a lowly greeter, if I saw a kid or teenager who seemed to have their head together, I would encourage them to go to college or vocational school - to be an individual - neither following or leading a pack. So that is the reason for the earlier entry. Glad you understand the gist I was trying to convey. Well, I'll fold it here. Again, thanks for your comments.

ON BAD CSM'S (Customer Service Managers)...

Well, I wouldn't use the Can Of Fart on an innocent customer, but hey, it's open season on CSM's. One time I joked about all of us "associates" get together and hog-tie a certain blond-towfaced smuck to a freeway fence bare-assed, smear him with honey and douse him with chicken feathers. But here is an idea for shithead CSM's (there are some good CSM's and I'd wish them no harm), is to pour honey into the vents of their car - that'll raise a buzz!

It seems WalMart thrives on hiring incompetent CSM's - cause they are usually just out of high school and lack management and people skills. Most feel once beyond "rank-n-file" that they can stand around and give others orders, but not pitch-in when needed. We had one guy who would clock-in, then go outside with his skateboard or spend up to an hour or so, hanging with his girlfriend in the photo studio - most thought he was rude - in his own mind he was cool. He knew how to kiss-up to managers, so he got away with his activities. Eventually a new manager came in who wouldn't allow his antics and demoted him down to clerk level. What an asshole - doubt he has any real asperations in life beyond screwing cashiers and riding his skateboard in the parking lot. Another CSM fresh out of high school with blond hair looked like a fag - basically he enjoyed hassling people trying to work. Interesting that his father worked there - guy had a fixed facial expression that looked like he sat on a pile of shit! He worked in paints - really didn't want to associate with him. Ah, then there was the CSM who was white and wore corn rows with beads in her hair and wore glasses - real plain ugly-looking thing. And very stupid! We never really got along. One day she walked up to me and "demanded" I sign the bottom of a blank piece of paper. I asked her why I should sign a paper with nothing on it. She got persistent and I got suspicious and told her I won't sign something that I hadn't read yet. I then told her to bring her (in a nice way of course) piece of paper and have her ass follow mine to the manager's office. I knew I'd better take control of things quick before she made her pitch to the manager. I asked him "Would you sign something you have not had a chance to read, let alone a blank piece of paper - is that a wise idea? The manager said "no" sheepishly. I said "good, we're on the same page. Your CSM wants me to autograph something without an explanation! Sorry, I'm not that ignorant, like to talk with an attourney on this matter? At that point I left, the CSM steered clear of me - never pulled that piece of bullshit again. The moral of the story is never sign a blank piece of paper or one you are not allowed to read - if you do, you have pre-acknowledged anything they may write later! Realize CSM's are a firewall between the manager and you - ignorant to the fact if they screw-up legally with a worker - its their ass that get's kicked in court while their boss denies any involvement! Inexperienced CSM's simply don't think!

WALMART'S POLICY FOR ASSOCIATE RETURNS...

During the Christmas season I received my annual bonus 10% on top of my regular 10% for a purchase of "one" item equaling 20%. I bought a 27" Philips color tv set. Got it home and it wouldn't work. I wanted to bring it in for an exchange, but was told by the store manager, that I should get it repaired under warranty - okay, I can understand that. So I call Philips to arrange service. They tell me I should go back to the store and get the exchange and they would credit WalMart...you know where this is going!-( At this point I decided that Philips should call the manager directly and let them work it out. Philips did, and came away scratching their heads. Manager wouldn't budge with them either. So Philips did the honorable thing by making an exchange with me directly - hey, the set I bought from WalMart was nearly a year-old, the exchange I got from Philips that left the factory was only two weeks old! Later I talked further on the subject with the manager and he told me that they discourage returns from employees in a somewhat sinister tone - meaning if you work for them and what you buy does not work - screw-you! Don't make waves...

CUSTOMER & EMPLOYEE SAFETY...

I once worked for a store in Strongsville. It was a cookie-cutter style that didn't take in account the prevailing winds that come from a westerly direction. On windy days everytime a door opened, ceiling tiles would rattle and some large pieces would fly across the entranceway - its a wonder in all my time there that a customer or worker didn't get hit. In any case, most managers, csm's and assistant managers don't know where people should go in the event of a code black - ask them and see how many different answers you get. I've seen stockman ordered to get carts with lightning flashing over them. As to having a weatheradio with S.A.M.E. technology to warn a staff of an impending weather event at the service desk - forget it! Most (not all) CSM's are so caught up in their "mini" authorities (this may be the only status they achieve in life) that they don't really care their ignorance may cause harm to someone else! Lets face it, most managers are ordered to ignore code black unless a twister walks in the door - even then, they can pretty much go undetected by CSM's. Realize when tornadic winds roar - you don't want to be anywhere near plate glass - the stuff shatters - you've got a very sharp heavy duty missile headed in your direction. Second, you really don't want to be under a large unsupported ceiling if it buckles under the pressure of the winds. Best bet, when skies turn black, head for the john or duck under a desk - you can bet this is where the manager will be, that and when he's screwing the CSM on top of it!

...yep, I've made a lot of remarks from my own experiences and there are plenty more I could make...

First Church Pastor Kurt baptized me (i never knew if I'd even been baptized soon after birth) and I was encouraged to do readings in front of the congregation in one of his last times as pastor. The pastor made the announcement that he would be leaving our congregation as he explained he had a breakdown and needed to go on to other things. Eventually he moved to Oregon to teach theology at a local college out there. Before he left, he vowed to help me get a house built via Habitat For Humanity - nothing happened on that score, but it lifted my spirit a little.

For at least a month, I was allowed to set up my computer in a small room on the other side of the chapel by the pastor, but when he left, the deacon asked me to remove my stuff. Oh well, easy come, easy go! The church would go through a few interim pastors - one woman who's personality was like that of the Church Lady "...isn't that special" character on NBC's Saturday Night Live, another was a retired pastor who filled-in after he left. Next up was Pastor Richard Hardy who has authored two books as of this writing. The first book is "Heaven's Climbing Tower & Seven Keys" which delves on Commitment, Healing, Forgiveness, Acceptance, Love, Faith and Prayer. Richard only hung around about two years, then decided he would retire - he was divorced and had two adult daughters. He would visit me in the Berea Aristocrat Nursing Home a few times before he left the church. I was a little depressed that his stay was too brief. Next would come another twp pastors who would fill-in before Pastor Margaret Chenault (still there as of this writing) would take the pulpit.