Foothills Faces - People and Places of the Carolina Foothills
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Foothills Faces

People & Places of the Carolina Foothills

At age 93, Garland Goodwin is still at it.

3/26/2023

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Garland Goodwin has led a life filled with accomplishments. One of my favorite stories was how as a young child he hand-lettered programs for a music performance by Eunice Waymon. Only a few years later, Eunice changed her name to Nina Simone. Garland has helped designed fighter jets and commercial aircraft. He's still writing a local column for The Tryon Daily Bulletin. He's a living legend.
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The daughter is the boss in this daughter-daddy duo!

3/6/2023

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Check out Big Guns Coffee. This business in downtown Tryon, NC was the brainchild of...well, a child. Her dad, Marine veteran TShane Johnson is a bonafide hero. But to TShane, it's his daughter that is the hero.
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Joseph's Book Signing

4/23/2018

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It was just about a month ago when I published a story about Joseph Letterio, an amazing person who has strengths we can only imagine. Joseph's first book had just been published. You can read that original post by clicking here.

Tonight Joseph had the first local book signing and it was my pleasure to be there. And of course, I got my personal copy signed.

A crowd was on hand at the Copper Penny Grill in Forest City and Joseph was beaming with pride as he signed cherished copies.

Joseph's Musings of a Wannabe Renaissance Man is available through Amazon.
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Joseph Letterio IS a Renaissance Man!

3/22/2018

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It’s not often one gets the opportunity to be around someone who has faced hardships most of us can’t even imagine. And then sit in awe as this person sparkles with enthusiasm when talking about the life he lives. It’s a life that Joseph sees as a challenging current situation that he has learned to enjoy with a positive outlook. “My life as a whole is quite good.”

​Joseph Letterio, known by lifelong friends and associates as Joseph Maimone, has just had his first book published. That’s a goal most would-be authors dream of but never see happen. Joseph has been beaming with pride ever since the book rolled off the printing press. The title might give you a hint of the sense of humor Joseph exudes. Musings of a Wannabe Renaissance Man is a collection of writings dating back to his tenth grade year, through his college days when he was struggling to find the new Joseph, and his current life experiences.
 
You should know that Joseph’s life turned upside down during his second semester of his freshman year at NC State University. He and some college buddies decided to try one more ski trail, a double black-diamond run at Snowshoe in West Virginia. Joseph, one who to this day doesn’t turn down a challenge, took on this trail and it was a bit more than his ski skills were ready for. He ran into a tree going 35 miles an hour and the end result left him a C5 quadriplegic. Life as he knew it could have ended right there. But for Joseph, he made this the beginning.
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With the help and love of his parents, six siblings, friends, and his faith – Joseph moved ahead. Nothing is easy as I observed how everything we don’t even think about becomes a challenge for Joseph. Finding a way to support a fork, drinking coffee through a straw, needing a bit of help here and there. He takes it in stride. His humor helps. He is amazing.
 
Joseph was able to go back to college and finish his bachelor’s degree at Belmont Abbey and just recently was awarded his master’s in data analytics from Southern New Hampshire University.
 
 Joseph puts things in perspective this way, “Every single person has at least one big cross that they carry through their life. Most of these crosses are invisible and no one notices and they carry it alone.  For me, it’s visible. It’s one of those things that you allow to either make you or break you. It’s not in my nature to give up or sit idle.”
 
Writing has been an interest of Joseph’s for much of his life. He grew up with a literary family (both of his parents are educators) and they encouraged him to write along with teachers. Joseph sees J.R.R. Tolkien’s work as another inspiration and he gets a lot of positive feedback from social media. In fact, Facebook friends started commenting on his occasional literary posts wanting more. So finally Joseph posed the question, “Who would actually buy a book of my writings?” The answers started flowing in and that was enough of a rush to get Joseph Letterio to finally make it happen.
 
“I hear a lot of people say they would like to write. I say what’s holding you back? You have to recognize that nothing is ever going to be perfect in this world. And if you wait for something to be perfect, you’re never going to do anything. You need to brace a little bit of humility, say I have something to offer, and share it because that’s what the world needs.”
 
Well, Joseph is about as perfect of a man as I’ve ever met. He is an inspiring person to be around and should offer hope to anyone struggling with writing or with life.
 
More to know:
 Musings of a Wannabe Renaissance Man by Joseph Letterio can be ordered from Amazon. Joseph is developing a YouTube channel to highlight read-alouds and through this and his writings, he hopes to inspire others. Joseph is already at work on his second book. Letterio, is his pen name, which also happens to be his middle name. There’s a good story there, but we’re out of room. ​
Listen and watch as Joseph reads a couple of selections from
​Musings of a Wannabe Renaissance Man.

Joseph Letterio - The Daily News from Mark Levin on Vimeo.

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    Mark Levin

    ...retired in 2017 from a life of work, mostly in education. I decided it was time to stop commuting and stay at home a while. Foothills Faces is meant to bring you short snippets of life through photography, videography, and audio recordings of some of the wonderful people and places of the Carolina Foothills..

    And for something new:
    Check out Mark's new YouTube Channel, The Country Life with ColumbusMark. It's a lighthearted look at life in the country.

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