Two weeks were all that was needed to produce a lifesaving moment. That moment came in the mid-1990s, after I met a business acquaintance.

I estimate that I was no older than four when Jack came into our home and into my life. I can’t clearly remember a time that he wasn’t there. When he was drunk, Jack was violent and abusive.

Having our four grandkids spend the weekend is all fun and games until someone needs a paramedic at midnight. That someone was Paige, a huggable little first-grader only two weeks past her sixth birthday.

The radio broadcast beamed from a low-powered AM station, and the words reached my ears. They have played in my mind for nearly forty years. The words I heard that day came from the pen of a lonely prison inmate and resounded with enough conviction to penetrate my soul.

Toledo actress/filmmaker, Vanessa Leonard (daughter of CDE toolmaker, Jeff Ferris) has written and produced her own feature-length, fictional movie on the topic of mental health, in which she also plays female lead.

Terminated! Yep, true story. I was fired from my job. There was little consolation in knowing the occurrence was unjust; the result was the same. With a jolt to my senses and an undeniable dent in my career, I was put out of work. And God was okay with it. In fact, it was His idea.

When I heard Mary’s voice echo in my ears, “God bless you and keep you!” I knew immediately that an unseen hand had nudged me because of those words.

In August 2006, current Dundee Engine Plant South Head Line team member, Jeff Ferris, found himself out of work as a tool & die maker. Twenty-four hours later, he began pursuing his longtime interest in writing and achieved publishing success almost immediately.

Contributing writer December 2010 - present

Article published by Forth Worth Star-Telegram December 2007

Multiple published articles by The Blade

Article published by MITA Tech Journal April - June 2007

Published by NASCAR Cup Scene