"Oskaloosa Moon" recaptures beauty, pain and adolescent struggles in a mid-American farm village. Fender skirts, corn
fields, a shocking new music called Rock and Roll, white bread and Velveeta, and older kids
'making out'
punctuate the coming of age for the young boy they call "Moon".
He's illegitimate. Disfigured. And Oskaloosa's civic leaders are embarrassed by his presence.
Surviving bullies, making and losing friends, stumbling between jobs, and traversing the country in early adulthood,
Moon eventually leaves town, gets educated and finally scratches out his own path.
In the spirit of Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" and movies like "Forrest Gump", OSKALOOSA MOON reveals the adventures
of an outcast boy who was unwilling to be invisible.
From the Inside Flap
It's a farming village in Iowa, just before TV. The boy's got no known father. Worse yet, he's deformed. Town elders
are embarrassed by his existence. The village promotes Korn Kastle Days with two billboards on the paved road that
passes near their town. The Nazarene, Methodist, Congregational and Lutheran service times are also posted. Catholic
signs stand next to the billboards, listing five weekly Masses. He survives bullies and makes friends. Under pressure
the youth leaves town, gets educated and struggles, finally scratching out a career and marries. But his eventual
return goes rough.
The AHS Alumni Association recieved very sad news that Gary E. Sutton passed away on
July 12, 2015, one day shy of his 73rd birthday. I never formally met Gary, but
we walked the same hallways at Ames High School. I walked those same halls at
Central Junior High from 1969 to 1972 and Gary walked those
same halls from 1957 to 1960 because Ames High School became Central Junior High
in 1962.
Gary was very kind and patient in his coorespondence with the AHSAA
and with me. Gary wrote to me about becoming an Author and what it takes
to be a successful author. The AHSAA does not normally post obituaries, because we have 28,000
Alumni, but since Gary had previously been so kind to keep in contact with us,
and I had posted the letter to the editor above, clear back in 2006, I included
Gary's' obituary below as he made an impact on me, and still does,
as I'm sure he did with so many others
-- Ed Hendrickson 1974 AHS and AHSAA Website manager volunteer.
Gary Edwin Sutton was a troublemaker and a man full of integrity, class clown and a brilliant
businessman, ruthless when crossed and a generous advisor to everyone who leaned on him, a risk-taking adventurer
and a mushy family man, a C student and a lifelong learner, a healthy fitness buff and a wine lover, a small town
farm boy and a big city sophisticate. In short, Gary was truly one of a kind and this world will never
know another like him.
Gary was born to Kay and Gene Sutton in Montezuma, Iowa, on July 13,
1942. His childhood was bucolic and involved enough shenanigans that he could entertain a crowd for hours with old
stories. He held several interesting jobs during high school and college, including male model, working at a nuclear
cyclotron, and driving cross country as the advance public relations man for race cars and a hot air balloon.
A Journalism major at Iowa State University, Gary spent more time with his fraternity brothers at Sigma Phi Epsilon
than he did in class (in fact, he barely graduated). Sophomore year, he had a blind date with
Nancy Ruth Winberg where they played drinking games. The two were married on September 19, 1964.
Gary’s career started with writing ad copy for Lennox furnaces and air conditioners. He worked his way up the career
ladder with stops at Learjet, Honeywell (where he helped invent autofocus), Fisher Price
Toys, and a variety of printing, burglar alarm and technology companies where he was CEO. The last 20 years of
Gary’s career were spent as a turnaround artist, where he would make unprofitable companies successful. He never
failed to turn a company around.
Along the way, Gary exaggerated his graduate studies, saying he “slipped
through Harvard Business thanks to their OPM program, allowing some ivy to rub off on lesser intellects,” and that
he took graduate studies at Oxford “without the tiniest shred of distinction.”
Always a writer at heart, Gary authored numerous business and fiction books, some of which were
actually published by legitimate publishing houses (all are available on Amazon, but buyer beware!). He also ran
many columns and Op-Ed pieces in publications ranging from the local fish wrapper to the Wall Street Journal and New
York Times. One column helped a judge decide to overturn a jury verdict. Another caused a CIA operative to show up
on his doorstop. Death threats and nasty letters to the editor followed several pieces. At least that’s what he
claimed – Gary was never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Gary was the busiest “retired” person ever known. In addition to his writing, he served on several boards, was an
inventor holding multiple patents, spoke publicly, and generously gave of his time to small
business owners.
In addition to his wife of 50 years, Nancy, Gary’s true pride and joy were his children and grandchildren. Daughter
Stacy of Atlanta is the mother of granddaughters Cody (20) and Katy (17). Daughter Lindsay of Moraga, California is
the mother of grandsons Ryan (16) and Sam (15). Gary regaled his descendants with stupid magic tricks, told the same
jokes over and over, acted in an embarrassing fashion whenever possible, and consistently served as an inspiring and
adored role model.
Beloved by everyone, Gary left us too soon, due to an aortic aneurysm that the doctors thought was small enough to
not be a danger. He died one day shy of his 73rd birthday, on July 12, 2015. He will be missed
terribly, and never, ever forgotten.
Despite loving being the center of attention, Gary did not want to have a funeral or memorial service. We are
debating about looking skyward, saying “You are not the boss of us!” and going against his wishes, but plans are
still to be determined. Gary was suspicious of most charities, so there’s no need to make a donation in his name. If
you wish to honor him, please spend time with your precious families and realize that you may not have as many
tomorrows as you’d like.
P.S. A casual, tropical themed open house to celebrate Gary's life will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2015, 4 -
7 pm at the La Jolla Alta Clubhouse, 1570 Alta La Jolla Dr. La Jolla, CA 92037.
