The Ruining of Lemus Daniel

The early sixties in Springdale, Arkansas, were colorful to young Larry Daniel in spite of the all-white upbringing the town had provided him. He'd thought he was rich growing up. He had his own pool table, his dad flew him around in his personal airplane to resort locations, a ski boat, tickets on the fifty yard line at Razorback Stadium, and a membership at the country club were some of the benefits of his childhood.His father, Lemus Daniel, was a successful businessman, and famous musicians were a part of his inner circle. He was fun-loving, popular, and generous, but deeply lacking in impulse control and far too trusting for his own good. For the son, turning eleven brought an introduction to women that weren't his mother, and alcohol, a coming-of-age ritual. The fast lane and his growing ego blinded his father which set him up for a big fall from someone that he'd considered a friend.When everything went down it was without a soft landing. People didn't like to talk about their problems back then, so they didn't. After word had been passed down from the top, Lemus had suddenly drawn the ire of a rogue cop with a grudge. His reputation was smeared and he was eventually run out of town. Set adrift, the boy was doomed to fail.At fifteen, Larry was kicked out of school, roughed up by his dad , and ran away from home. Walking the streets of a neighboring town among other runaways and returning war veterans, he experimented with substances and panhandled for spare change. Months later, he was retrieved by his notorious father and brought home. After father and son had reunited, a life of crime followed. It would be another decade before Larry Daniel took an honest breath and began the road to redemption. Ugly truths reveal a young man who struggles greatly, but survives and contributes to society in a big way. Meanwhile, the father writes a tell-all about his downfall and the Feds get involved. Parts of his manuscript are included in this memoir.