User:Jointhefog/sandbox/Michael Merrett

Michael Merrett is a former insurance professional but his passion for creative outlets led him to part time positions as a newspaper columnist and marching percussion instructor/arranger. He also served as a member of the Massachusetts Judges Association for marching bands and drum corps from 1979-1984.

He hails from Gary, Indiana but has lived the majority of his life in Massachusetts. Some of his newspaper columns have been reprinted for inspirational use by teacher’s unions and parents groups throughout the North Shore of Massachusetts. He has traveled extensively, including recent trips to Hong Kong, Germany, Canada, Thailand, and Ireland and these experiences have greatly enriched his views on international affairs.

The marching musical units he has been involved with such as the North Star and Malden Diplomats have enjoyed tremendous competitive success throughout North America in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

He is a current member of the Knights of Columbus and Lions International. He served on the Board of Directors with the Wyoma Lions of Lynn, Massachusetts where he was the recipient of the prestigious Charles Kostro Fellowship Award. He was also the recipient of the Melvin Jones Award in 2017. His literary works have been featured in Lions International Magazine, the Lynn Item, the Haverhill Gazette, the Lakelamd Ledger and Sci-Fi Magazine. He also works to support national organizations such as the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

His first book is a memoir which chronicles the experiences of Mike and his brothers as they forge ahead while contending with the myriad of emotional and physical difficulties associated with vision loss. His failing vision has resulted from conditions known as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Macular Degeneration. His second offering, “The F.O.G.” represents his first journey into fiction. It is an ambitious story of a man bent on forcing humanity to change its course. His third offering is a venture into the mystifying world of sci-fi. "Klaatu's Return" was inspired by the 1951 script to the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still." His fourth book ‘Musings for the Common Man’ marks a return to his roots as an op/ed columnist.

In 2009 he began his career as a songwriter at the age of 55. He released his first CD "Calling on Everyone" in 2011. Michael was inducted into the Mass. Drum Corps and Music Educators Hall of Fame in 2015. He currently resides in Lynn, Mass. where he continues to pursue his passion for music and the literary arts.

New article name goes here new article content ...