Chapters
Life is lived in chapters:
Each dramatically ending as the new emerges.

Becoming for 35 Years

Chapter 1 Farm Life (Ages 1 to 20 -- 1941 to 1961)
I was born fifth of six children on the porch of a farmhouse, on a farm growing hay and grain fed to livestock. We really did walk a mile and half to a one-room rural public school until "Consolidated" schools were built. I remember WWII, the Korean and Cold Wars - we had a family bomb shelter. In 1959 I was awarded a scholarship to attend The University of Illinois.

Ideal parents' role-modelled responsible family life. They valued and made school and civic education a priority, we never did more than livestock chores on Sunday and we faithfully attended church in the nearby village of Bonfield. Chapter 1 included good basic religious foundations, education and a safe harbor from which to explore life.

Chapter 2 Exploring (Ages 20 to 30 -- 1960 to 1970)
Humiliated by loss of my scholarship church was no longer my refuge but was probably unneeded after decades of having lived within that culture-- it was engrained.

Instead of responding to my failure with anger and retribution my father and brother let me spend a year helping them shut down the livestock component of our farm, Out of options I enlisted in the United States Navy.

Serving in the United States Navy and Marines in California, Okinawa, Vietnam and Hawaii, followed by return to the University of Illinois to complete a baccalaureate degree, introduced me to an expanded world of opportunities.

Chapter 3 Preparing (Ages 30 to 35 -- 1971 to 1976)
Having lived typical male farm and military life I knew male lifestyle. Marrying Marylyn Patton made me whole. While male and female voices are similar there are differences in perception that enrich the life of anyone who listens.

University administrators and professors respected my military service and provided safe venues like being "House Father" of a men's dormitory. Later a very old school World War II veteran professor, and a very humanistic and I later learned Gay professor, mentored me into joining and eventually leading a professional fraternity, seeking election to and holding student government offices and being the graduate student representative to the Faculty Senate. All the above culminated in me becoming a father and post-doctorate administrator for a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill organizational leadership project. 

Performing for 38 Years

Chapter 4 Activism (Ages 35 to 50 -- 1977 to 1992)
Being married to an extremely competent woman, who did the hard jobs of raising children and managing the financial and administrative details of modern life, left me free to pursue the life of a political operative. Raising children called us back to church where we became totally emersed. Initially we taught Sunday School, later Marylyn was on the Executive Council. I was scoutmaster, confirmation class instructor and church youth group leader.

Called to Arizona by a protégé of my mentors I helped organize and lead 501c3 professional associations that supported promotion of high school to college to university health science education across Arizona. Accomplished by 1984, with modern science based allied health and nursing programs established across the state, the Maricopa Community Colleges hired me to help implement the new dual high school - college enrolment statutes.

Upon retirement of the District Director of Occupational Education, I was on a team that modernized computer and business instruction and lead creation of the District-wide Organizational Leadership program.

Chapter 4 culminated with travel across America promoting what The Maricopa Community Colleges had accomplished. Respite from the conference speaking tour came when hired to help launch Estrella Mountain Community College.

Chapter 5 Professing (Ages 50 to 73 -- 1993 to 2014)
Launching a new college was extremely time-consuming requiring me being at work 12 to 14 hour six days a week. Marylyn cared for our two adolescent children, two throw-away girls and eventually a toddler grandchild. She did this while completing a master's degree at Arizona State University, launching a career AND being responsible for household administration.

Regular church attendance and participation in those reliably consistent rituals, and Christian missions, was our therapeutic refuge from chaos.

After two intense years of extreme stress I became full-time Residential Faculty. Establishment and maturation of the Organizational Leadership program at Estrella Mountain Community College, and District-wide, helped thousands of men and women make their dreams come true.

Marylyn's health declined to where she could no longer work full-time. Able to work part-time for fifteen years she was Phi Theta Kappa Advisor at Estrella Mountain Community College where she and her mentees earned a myriad of awards as one of the most successful chapters in America.

All the above included simultaneous college student club creation, church youth group leadership and teaching confirmation classes.

Golden Years

Chapter 6 w/Marylyn (Ages 73 to 84 -- 2014 to 2025
Upon retirement Church became our reliable companion. Like-minded people bond by working together towards attainment of common goals. We always said "We're missionaries, not the kind that prays for you; the kind that sees what needs done, gathers help and then does it".

Having been welcomed warmly when no one knew us we decided to do what had been done for us. Going out for snacks after Saturday evening with fellow parishioners and clergy freed us to provide hospitality after Sunday morning services.

Personally, the campus always needs grooming and things fixed. Working on campus with good-hearted capable old men creates friendships.

Travel and grandchildren initially enriched our lives. That slowed as navigation of the health care system culminated in Marylyn's peaceful death at home. Worried about how I would cope she recommended I get to know a single "church lady" after she passed.

Chapter 7 w/Maura (till death do we part)
Once again our church is the consistent in my life. Marrying a beautiful age-appropriate church lady named Maura Kathleen Guyer Bradley, who was pointed out to me by Marylyn, opened an entirely new world view.

John L. Bradley, PhD
Summer 2026