Springfield, OHÂ (BlackNews.com) — Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Clayton Arline, a longtime educator at Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, grew up in Louisiana under an abusive, alcoholic father and a devoted mother who supported her son unconditionally.
Living in a two-bedroom home, Arline and his 11 siblings grew up poor and often witnessed their father physically abusing their mother until she developed the strength to stand up to him. ArlineÂ’s ability to relate to students today, especially ones who struggle with difficult home lives or challenges on the streets, stems from his taking responsibility as a youth for his own troubles – including multiple arrests – and translating that to good.
Arline has chronicled his life story in a new memoir titled, Grew Up in the Deep South and Saved by Many Angels: Mother Stood By Her Troubled Son’s Side, published by Outskirts Press. Despite some of the difficult subject matter, he calls the book a story of hope and redemption.
“When you face so much adversity growing up, you can go one of two ways. I started out in a bad way but with the support of my mother and other strong people in my life, I changed and want to help others who face hard times,” the Springfield resident said.
After living through neighborhood violence and several near-death experiences, including a car accident while he was driving under the influence of alcohol in Italy, Arline has become a competitive racquetball player, earned college degrees, reached the rank of Master Sargent in the U.S. Air Force and served as an instructor for the past 17 years at PutnamÂ’s Senior Aerospace Science program.
In the past five years, Arline, on his own time every Saturday morning, supervises children and young adults playing basketball at Putnam as a way to keep them active and off the streets. Players must follow ArlineÂ’s strict rules of good sportsmanship.
His book is available online through Amazon and Barnes and Noble and at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore.
