…The year was… :
…The year was… A lot was happening that year….
Walt Disney World opened…
The Pittsburgh Pirates won the World SeriesIntel released the world’s first microprocessor, the 4004… America was being introduced to a new TV family called “The Bunkers”, and a bigot named “Archie”, was soon to become a household name. All in the Family premieres
None of that mattered to me though, I was too busy “experiencing life” and at 11 years old, life wasn’t all that good Little did I know, that something was about to happen, something my Father did, without him realizing it that would change my life forever….
Every kid is born with an innate sense of confidence and self esteem… then he goes to school and quickly learns about “differences" and is quickly put into a category.
That category is your “brand” your “mark.”
The kids took one look at me, took out a rubber stamp, and put “geek” on my forehead. Once you’ve got a mark like that put on you, it’s pretty hard to wash it off. 1971
Slide 21:
just like many times before, I had gotten beat up, but THIS time it was different.
This Time I took my beating like a man, standing up for myself, instead of cowering in fear. Dad showed me that although someone ELSE “put a mark on you” it didn’t have to STAY on you. You had the choice whether to keep it on or fight to pull it off. It felt much more satisfying to pull it off.
I went on from that day forward to seriously study the martial arts. That same year I started studying Hung Gar Gung Fu, that eventually led to Goju Karate, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Filipino stick/knife fighting, and even Bruce Lee’s JKD system. For the next 20 years I used the martial arts as a vehicle to help me grow as a person. Through my practice, I met great people, gained self confidence, and especially learned how to fight WITHOUT getting my glasses broken. All of that started from one simple book that a Father shared with his son. My Dad taught me that I didn’t HAVE to be a victim. For that I would be eternally grateful.
Dad I wrote/draw this for you on Father’s day, just to let you know that I appreciate what you did, it was something that really helped me. Once Again,
Slide 22:
Elgin Bolling Is a NYC Professional Caricature Artist, Character Designer, Editorial Artist, and Storyteller. He has done work professionally for BET, Snidetv.com Manga.com, Toys R Us, Kraft Foods, Wiremonkey Films and Sardi’s Restaurant just to name a few.
His sequential art can be viewed at
extremelifedrawing.blogspot.com
Elgin loves to collaborate! If you have any question and desire more comics, contact him at
Cartoons4u2@aol.com
This story was drawn for my Father, on Father’s Day.
Who says that comics cant reach family members?
This story said more to my dad than any letter ever could.