Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1135153
4 UCW JUNE 26-JULY 2, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STEPHANIE CRIDER, Associate Publisher. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. HIGH 94 LOW 72 HIGH 96 LOW 71 HIGH 94 HIGH 95 HIGH 96 LOW 73 LOW 73 LOW 74 JULY 1 JUNE 30 JUNE 28 JUNE 29 JULY 2 Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy PM Showers JUNE 27 HIGH 94 LOW 71 STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ EDITOR Stephanie Crider editor@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly. com ASSISTANT EDITOR Leslie Pyo leslie@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR Earl Vaughan Jr. EarlUCWSports@gmail.com REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elizabeth Long art@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/ SALES ADMINISTRATOR Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com INTERNS Avery Powers Deidre Somdah CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, Karl Merritt, John Hood, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Prudence Mainor, Avery Powers, Elizabeth Blevins ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: 910-484-6200 FAX: 910-484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the pub- lisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. © 2019 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Various ads with art graphics designed with elements from: vecteezy.com and freepik.com. America is built on the dreams and sacrifices of many. Let freedom ring by STEPHANIE CRIDER PUBLISHER'S PEN Editor's note: is piece first ran in Up & Coming Weekly on June 26, 2017. As we approach Independence Day, it's fitting to recognize those who have embraced the liberties we have here. Gregory Gorecki was a young boy living in Poland when the Germans invaded in 1939. Even as his country was ravaged and the unspeakable became his reality, young Gregory's spirit yearned for freedom. By the time he was a teen, the Russians ruth - lessly ruled his homeland, quelling ambi- tions and crushing dreams in the name of socialism. He was bright and ambitious: a trapped bird ensnared in a world void of freedom and personal choice. And freedom was all Gregory wanted, really — freedom to be the very best version of himself. Gregory's days were filled with hard work and drudgery. At night, he and his brother plotted their escape and dreamed of better days. ey quietly planned for every pos - sible scenario, vowing that one would not leave without the other. ey knew their de- parture would mean hardship and govern- ment retribution for their loved ones and that consequences would be harsh should they be found out. e years passed, and Gregory became a physical therapist. Freedom presented herself to the Gorecki brothers in 1960 at the Summer Olympics in Rome. ey'd been approved to travel to the Olympics with the Russian competitors. Gregory and his brother were in their 40s now and well-established pro - fessionals. Without a whisper to their col- leagues or even a parting message for their loved ones, they reached for Lady Liberty's hand and never looked back. e two hopped a train to Vienna and made their way to America only to learn their Soviet training and credentials were meaningless. Gregory had to start over. And he did. With great success. Only this time, it was on his terms. He built his physical therapy practice to his standards and settled in the San Francisco Bay area. He not only helped those in need; he also brought jobs to his community. He trav - eled. His kitchen was filled with the fresh- est produce, the choicest cuts of meat, the finest liquors. He embraced and embod- ied everything great about the American dream. He came with nothing and worked hard. He never said no to an opportunity — even the exhausting and ugly ones. He faced adversity, fought the odds that were so greatly stacked against him and found success. Happiness. Freedom. Gregory's daughter is my best friend. We've spent countless hours pondering what makes him tick. What drove him to reject everything he knew — even success behind the Iron Curtain — in favor of chasing a dream? Why was he willing to risk everything he'd built to embrace the unknown? How could he have been sure that freedom would taste so sweet? Gregory and millions like him remain a powerful example of the very best of this experiment we call America and of all she has to offer. His passion for personal freedom and his drive to succeed and give back to the country that removed his shackles are what fuel the American Dream. He heeded the call to freedom and took seriously the responsibility that comes with it. is great country is filled with people like Gregory. As we prepare to celebrate America's birthday, this seems the perfect time to give a nod of deep respect and ap - preciation to them — those who invested in a dream and did the hard work to make their lives and our country better. To the rebels, the risk-takers, the entre- preneurs, the dream-chasers, the labor- ers, the scholars and everyone else who loves and has loved this country enough to give beyond themselves to keep the American Dream alive, and to those who fought and died defending it, thank you.