Lucky [?] John

About the Book

LUCKY [?] JOHN describes the hectic 20th century and my experiences in it.  Because I began in poverty and eventually improved my life significantly I have been called lucky John, which belittles my hard work and dedication to improving myself--and why I question that appendage.

Just after I was born in New York City on November 27, 1919 Prohibition initiated by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, made distilling and selling liquor a crime.  My parents circumvented that law to satisfy financial needs, and as a child I participated in that effort.  Also as a child I contributed to family income by shining shoes and selling newspapers in the Broadway area of the city; where I first saw the affluent society enjoying themselves unaware that the Depression existed.

During these hard times my mother was the glue that held the family together, while my father having lost the money accumulated through bootlegging and also disheartened by the early death of his first son, Joe, drank himself to death.  However, with her loving care I was unaware of our poverty and enjoyed a happy, active childhood in the tenements and streets of New York City.

My teen years were spent in various menial jobs during which I realized that these were  dead ends, that education could be the means for escaping life’s bottom level.  Funds not being available for day school I began 32 years of working days and attending night school at Stewart Tech. in Manhattan, New York [for an aircraft and engine mechanics certificate], Baltimore Tech. in Maryland [for drafting], Brooklyn Polytech. in New York [for engineering], U.S. Army Okinawa University [for law and business], Columbia University in Manhattan, New York [for engineering], Hofstra College in Hempstead, New York [there awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Administration], and C.W. Post College in Brookville, New York [there awarded a Master of Science Degree in Management Engineering].

When I finished my course in aircraft and engine mechanics at Stewart Tech. in 1939, at the age of 19, and aircraft jobs were not available in the New York area, I went to work at Glenn L. Martin in Maryland.  This began my life’s work in aerospace, which included Martin [as assembly mechanic], Republic Aviation, Farmingdale, N.Y. [as assembly mechanic, foreman, then draftsman], Arma Corp., Brooklyn, N.Y. [as draftsman], and Grumman Corp., Bethpage, N.Y. [as draftsman, engineer, then as program manager].  This steady climb into management justified my continuous night schooling.

During World War II believing that my work was essential to the war effort and would therefore keep me from induction into the armed forces, I married Eleanor Kapchen on June 13, 1943.  Our marriage was interrupted on May 15, 1944 when I was stunned to be inducted into the Army.  My service which lasted two long years was interesting, but at times nerve wracking.  I was trained at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland in ordnance and clerk-general, then shipped out to Hawaii for a few months awaiting an assignment.  From there I was sent to the mayhem on Okinawa during our invasion of that island and was assigned to the 1914th Aviation Engineers as a draftsman.  The war ended on August 14, 1945 just as I was assigned to forces being assembled for the invasion of the Japanese mainland.

After discharge from the Army I returned to work at Republic Aviation, left to seek better opportunities, worked for Arma Corp. and left that firm for the same reason.  I was hired by Grumman Corp. where I worked under the most considerate management for thirty-and-a-half years, finishing my career as a Program Manager in the Advanced Development Department.  My work in engineering was most interesting and never boring since it required the use of my   education, experience and capabilities, to produce satisfactory solutions to the most complicated

About the Author

Born of Lithuanian immigrant’s in New York City in the early 1900s, John Mikals Sr.’s story describes determination and perseverance in overcoming poverty, and includes interesting childhood experiences while working to contribute to family needs. Realizing that education could help in escaping poverty, he began a 32 year routine of working days and attending night college wherever possible, and obtained degrees of Bachelor and Master of Science. This accomplished his goal of a better life through promotions from mechanic to foreman to engineer to corporate management. The story covers experiences during the Great Depression, Prohibition, U.S. Army World War II service and the Space Age. Now in his 80th year he is still married to Eleanor after 57 years, with a son and three daughters plus seven grandchildren. He is retired and living comfortably in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.