My Dad

He thought maybe he'd be a priest.  He was a pretty religious fellow and it seemed like a good idea at the time:

But then he got his Irish up, and apparently brawling is frowned upon by the monsignors of the seminary.  He of course has his own side of the story, but I'll share that another day.

Next up was the army.  He wanted to become an electrician, (citing his proficiency in "changing lightbulbs") and the army offered training in the field.  Unfortunately, he never received that training, but the man can scrub a latrine like no other. 

His tour with the Chicago Police Department lasted longer.  After barely surviving the Chicago riots of the 1960s, he began attending night classes at DePaul University. He secured both a Bachelors and Masters degree and went on to work many years in another "public sector" job.  As a kid, I was never sure what exactly he did.  He told us he was a garbage man.  A garbage man with a gun and super-secret credentials. 

I think my dad knows who really killed Kennedy.

Apparently, the CPD used to hire 12 year olds.

He retired about 15 years ago.  Sort of.  He has spent most of the time since teaching classes in finance and criminology.  He has taken other side gigs and consulting assignments as well.  When he was about 65 years old, he decided he should finally take the CPA.  It took him a few tries, but he passed.  Because he's stubborn and maybe just a little crazy.

My husband throws around the word "eccentric" a lot when describing him.

My dad is glad he didn't become a priest, because he really liked having kids:

And I think he enjoys the grandkids, too:

So Happy Father's Day to my eccentric father who taught me everything I know about marching to the beat of my own drum. 

I love you!