FOR A GOOD CAUSE }}} IN HIS OWN {{{ WOMEN WHOWORDS INSPIRE
LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF... BY RAY MAYOLIZ
“Let me tell you a little bit about myself that some may not know.”Ray Mayoliz Born in 1968 in the Bronx NY to a teen mother and teen father. A pair of youngsters that would not stay together not long after I was born. Although my dad did not play an active role in my upbringing I knew who my father was and he made attempts throughout the years to connect. I did gain a step-father who was good to me and my mother for the most part as a provider but lacked in many areas. My mother did the best with everything that was thrown at her and has taught me many valuable lessons in life. Some things my brother and I were exposed to may not have been great choices but they were all lessons learned. We owe her for an upbringing that was full of many great memories and just like all families there were some dark moments, however we have prevailed. I learned what poverty and fear was growing up in the 70’s in the Bronx. Dilapidated buildings and rubble everywhere as we went through some scary times with the drug epidemic, 48
ROCHESTER WOMAN ONLINE :: MEN’S EDITION 2020
buildings being burned down by arsonist and living in fear in 1977 because of a serial killer the Son of Sam – David Berkowitz. I remember these moments as if they happened yesterday. Although all this was happening I still had friends on the block that I
will always remember. Transitioning to Upstate NY a place that was called the “Flower City”, I use to visit Rochester NY before moving here. Not having cars in NY City, we always traveled by train, the trip to Rochester was no different – an 8 hour trip on Amtrak was a highlight
for me as a youngster as we would leave tall buildings, cement parks and no greenery to passing farms while staring out the window of the train and seeing animals, trees and fall foliage, a greenery that I was not exposed to growing up. Upon getting to Rochester to visit my dad , my thought was everyone in Rochester is rich as they all had or lived in private family homes – there was no real projects or buildings that I was accustomed to living in. I wasn’t the greatest kid in NYC and picked up some bad street habits, moving to Rochester was like a new beginning for me and my family. I didn’t have to fight every day, I could be nice and people would say thank you – this was all new to me but I embraced it and was able to establish myself with a new look at life. I never drank and I never smoked and always stood my ground and sometimes still find myself saying no to people offering. I attended Catholic school for 7th and 8th Grade in a predominantly Italian neighborhood in the 80’s and enjoyed those years at St. Anthony’s of Padua and off to RCSD Edison Tech from 1982-1986.
