One American Dreamer
by
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Don and Shirley arrived back in
Don readily agreed, and within days they began to erect a two-bedroom country house, right next to where the windmill once stood. Rudy and his son kept up the farm chores together, just like in the early days, and went into Lone Rock to service and set up machinery when time permitted. The house went up quickly, and was finished within Don’s budget. This was the first time Donny owned his own house, free and clear, with no mortgage.
Shirley began teaching at the
Attractive and roomy, but cozy enough for a young family, their new house quickly drew attention from the residents in the area. When he got an offer of sixty-five hundred dollars for the house, plus the contract to move it into Lone Rock and build an addition on it, Donny couldn’t refuse, and began to build himself and Shirley a new home in Burt. Instead of the four thousand dollars Don had begun with a short time ago, he now had eighty-five hundred to work with.
When he began construction in Burt, Ed Fredrickson, a neighbor, came up and asked who this new house was for. Don said it was for him and Shirley. The man nodded, and asked Don if he would consider building a house for him and his own wife Lil, close by. Don readily agreed, very pleased that his work was not only appreciated, but in demand.
Don agreed to go over and meet with the couple that evening, to discuss their plans with them. They wanted to build their dream house for their golden years, and had a design already in mind. Ed, an older bald-headed and frail gentleman, brought out a sketch he’d made and told Donny about the kind of home they were thinking of building. Don went home and stayed up until after
On the way to work the next morning, Don stopped at the Burt Lumber Yard and talked to Roger Chaffee, the Manager. He explained about the new house, showed Roger the drawings, and said he had to build it for someone else, and didn’t know what to tell Fredrickson it would cost. Roger said twelve dollars a square foot would be a good general price, and it sounded feasible.
Don had no experience of negotiation or building for others. The communications center in the Tampa Police Headquarters had literally come with a blank check for construction. They called it ‘appropriations,’ and Don was simply told to use a red pencil if budgets were overdrawn. Here in the real world, he wanted to be sure he’d cover his own expenses for the building, and come out with some profit for his work.
He had another appointment with the Fredrickson’s that evening, and came prepared with his drawings. Ed was excited and pleased by Don’s design, but worried over the cost. Don promptly gave him the figure of twelve dollars per square foot, and Ed multiplied to arrive at the total cost. He showed the paper to his wife, and said that was about what they’d already expected. Don was relieved, and hoped he could produce the finished product under the figure quoted.
Next came a series of questions Donny hadn’t anticipated, but the Fredrickson’s had obviously thought deeply about. Don quickly learned the art of negotiation through body language and verbal clues. When Ed said, ‘This includes the garage, doesn’t it?’ Don answered yes. But when the older man said, ‘It probably doesn’t include painting though,’ Don agreed that it did not.
Don said yes to several of the ‘does it include’ questions, and no to as many as he felt he could get away with in good conscience and good business. After ten minutes or so of him answering no more than yes, he saw a bead of sweat break out on Ed’s forehead and begin to roll down his face. Don knew he’d better bring the negotiations to an end.
That little bead of sweat was a sure indicator that he was not going to get any more money for t
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About the Book
One American Dreamer, a Biographical Novel based on the life and times of
Young Donny’s mother struggles to give birth as we join the story, a heart grabbing read right from the beginning. We’re given glimpses into the honorable thoughts and stalwart soul of Rudy Tietz, Donald’s father, and sideways glances at the disturbed balance of his wife Clara, daughter of the enormous and rowdy Leininger clan.
Some genetic magic between Rudy and Clara Tietz distilled into a young boy driven by a brilliant mind, one who could envision things that had never been done before, and tell himself he could do them. A little man, always striving to please the father that he loved to the depths of his being.
A simple farmer’s existence was not enough for young Donny; he dreamed of flying his own airplane very early in life, and accomplished that dream by the age of sixteen. At twenty, too young to carry a gun to defend his own life, Don became a Police Officer, first in Algona
Courage, strength, accomplishment, daring, and success are all a huge part of the life of Donald R. Tietz, One American Dreamer. Accompanied by heartache and loss, enough to balance the scale of wealth and privilege. A man who seems to have won this human race, but a man who hurts inside his shy smile. A man to reflect his century as only a Dreamer can.
Excitement and close calls, drama in real life, love and loss, they’re all within the pages of One American Dreamer. Your whole family will enjoy the heart warming story of Donald R. Tietz.
About the Author
Just when we think we have her figured out, know just what kind of writer she really is, Canadian author Alice C. Bateman surprises us again.
aOne American Dreamer, her latest offering, is a Biographical Novel reflecting the life and times of American Donald R. Tietz.
We couldn’t possibly know Rudy’s thoughts with historical accuracy, so the word novel fits. But this is also an excellent story, not a dry biography with a series of ‘he did this on that date’ facts. One American Dreamer is a warm, human, down to earth, God-fearing portrayal of American life in the Twentieth Century, with all its ups and downs.
Donald R. Tietz has billing as co-author on One American Dreamer because he provided a great deal of information about his own life, and read each chapter as it was created to give his stamp of authenticity. Sometimes his words fit seamlessly into Ms. Bateman’s.
As
And it is – the partnering of Alice C. Bateman and Donald R. Tietz to create and present One American Dreamer is something we’ve all waited for, but didn’t know until it was put in front of us.
Read this book yourself, then read it to your kids and grandkids, you’ll be glad you did.