George Arthur Lareau

George Arthur Lareau's workdays began at age eight as a shoeshine boy in Athol, MA. As a high school senior, he was president of seven organizations. He was a licensed Methodist minister at age 16. He was a Boston beatnik poet at age 19 and sold his first book, The Hunting Poise, on the sidewalks. He had several short-lived jobs during his beatnik years: He sold a lot of encyclopedias door-to-door and bought his first new car. He was director of advertising for United Trading Stamp Company in...See more

George Arthur Lareau's workdays began at age eight as a shoeshine boy in Athol, MA. As a high school senior, he was president of seven organizations. He was a licensed Methodist minister at age 16. He was a Boston beatnik poet at age 19 and sold his first book, The Hunting Poise, on the sidewalks. He had several short-lived jobs during his beatnik years: He sold a lot of encyclopedias door-to-door and bought his first new car. He was director of advertising for United Trading Stamp Company in Boston at age 20. He was a dispatcher for Gaghan & Shaw appliance repair company in Washington, D.C. while living with a family from India. He then rode a bicycle back to Boston in eleven days. He finished studies for his Bachelor's degree in English and philosophy at McKendree University and married at age 23 in Amboy, IL. In Amboy, he operated a small printing shop, and then was a child welfare social worker in Rockford, Illinois. He acted in and directed plays and theatres in Lebanon, Amboy and Freeport, IL. He edited the company magazine for Burgess Battery Company in Freeport, IL, and then moved to Champaign, IL. In Champaign-Urbana he built an ad agency that produced and directed films and TV commercials, a radio show, an audio-visual in Delhi, India; he was a city beat news reporter, edited two trade magazines, owned a print and silkscreen shop, published a photography trade magazine, and was president of the Chicago chapter of ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers). He was also an Urbana city department commissioner. He was next an estate and financial planner with American Express and authored financial planning software. In other moves around the country, he sang classical music professionally in St. Petersburg, FL, El Paso, TX, and Boston, MA. He was a systems analyst for the Mass. Dept. of Public Health in Boston, also for McDonnell-Douglas Helicopter Co. in Mesa, AZ, and worked nine telemarketing jobs in between writing books. For two years he taught English and managed a foreigners guesthouse in Tokyo. Later, he taught English for six years in Beijing and managed the largest English school in China. Returning to Arizona, he worked once again as a child protective services worker, and built a substantial eBay camera business. He authored several books, built a popular web site, taught classes, made radio and television appearances and gave speeches. He is now the Head Teacher of American Zen Monastery in Phoenix AZ. See less