Wow....listen to this homeless guy.... (1 Viewer)

[Cliff Clavin]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

 

[EasyMorningRebel]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

Really? Do they deserve it more than this guy for some reason?

 

[Cliff Clavin]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

Really? Do they deserve it more than this guy for some reason?

Why does this guy deserve it?

 

[Dr. Awesome]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

Really? Do they deserve it more than this guy for some reason?

Why does this guy deserve it?

Because everything else being equal, this guy has publicity on his side.

 

[eoMMan]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

Really? Do they deserve it more than this guy for some reason?

Why does this guy deserve it?

Because he's got a great voice and a story. Think about how much attention his story will bring to whatever company hires him. That translates to $$$ for the company.Besides, aren't you Canadian? What do you care if he gets the job over another unemployed voice over guy in the US?

 

[joffer]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

i've never met anyone with a voice like that.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

Really? Do they deserve it more than this guy for some reason?

Why does this guy deserve it?

Because he's got a great voice and a story. Think about how much attention his story will bring to whatever company hires him. That translates to $$$ for the company.Besides, aren't you Canadian? What do you care if he gets the job over another unemployed voice over guy in the US?

I'm not sure why 'I got hooked on drugs and alcohol and became a bum' is a great story.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

i've never met anyone with a voice like that.

Chocolate rain down?

 

[Shaft41]

Dude looks like Obama

In the original video, dude's a cross between Obama and Andrew Jackson.

 

[Sand]

Dude looks like Obama

In the original video, dude's a cross between Obama and Andrew Jackson.

Spot on.I hope the dude gets his shot.

 

[SimonMoon]

I'm not sure why 'I got hooked on drugs and alcohol and became a bum' is a great story.

Because that's not the story.But I think you probably know that.

 

[mr. furley]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against itgood for this guy. he has a talent.. no reason it should go unused.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

I'm not sure why 'I got hooked on drugs and alcohol and became a bum' is a great story.

Because that's not the story.But I think you probably know that.

What is the story then?

 

[joffer]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

i've never met anyone with a voice like that.

Chocolate rain down?

 

[dennis.moore]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against itgood for this guy. he has a talent.. no reason it should go unused.

And as I stated earlier, what about the other people that have the voice talent (and could be better), is not homeless and out of a job?

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against itgood for this guy. he has a talent.. no reason it should go unused.

And as I stated earlier, what about the other people that have the voice talent (and could be better), is not homeless and out of a job?

What about them? What do they have to do with this story?

 

[SimonMoon]

I'm not sure why 'I got hooked on drugs and alcohol and became a bum' is a great story.

Because that's not the story.But I think you probably know that.

What is the story then?

You're being purposely obtuse. I can smell it.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

What about the other voice over talents that aren't homeless that are out of work?

Not sure why this guy should get all the offers when there are plenty of hardworking people with great voices who are unemployed.

i've never met anyone with a voice like that.

Chocolate rain down?

 

[gianmarco]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against itgood for this guy. he has a talent.. no reason it should go unused.

And as I stated earlier, what about the other people that have the voice talent (and could be better), is not homeless and out of a job?

What about them? Unfortunately, this isn't an equal society. Some people have better education than others. Some people have better people skills than others. Some people have, gasp, better talent than others. There isn't a "line" that everyone has to wait for in order to get their shot. Some people have things that vault them to the forefront. If you can't recognize why this guy just jumped to the front of that line then probably no answer is going to satisfy your question. Some people happen to be at the right place at the right time and Ted Williams just had that happen to him. Why should we complain about others not getting the same opportunity when this sort of thing happens on a smaller scale on a daily basis all over the world?

 

[bigbottom]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against itgood for this guy. he has a talent.. no reason it should go unused.

And as I stated earlier, what about the other people that have the voice talent (and could be better), is not homeless and out of a job?

I hope they get work too.

 

[bigbottom]

I'm not sure why 'I got hooked on drugs and alcohol and became a bum' is a great story.

Because that's not the story.But I think you probably know that.

What is the story then?

Redemption.

 

[cstu]

Link

The tough past has emerged of the homeless beggar who became an overnight sensation after his golden voice was discovered by chance.

Ted Williams was inundated with job offers yesterday after a film of him roadside begging in Columbus, Ohio – and displaying his impossibly smooth radio tones – went viral.

However, it was revealed today that the 53-year-old had fallen on hard times after becoming involved in a series of criminal activities and has been arrested many times… as his collection of mug shots show.

Now the man who has become the poster boy for hard-up America has a second chance at life.

Williams, who was married with five daughters before his life spiralled out of control, has a charge sheet which stretches back more than 20 years.

He was addicted to crack cocaine and has been arrested for robbery, theft, escape, forgery and drug possession, according to police records.

Most recently, he was arrested on May 14 and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour theft charge, having given his address as the 'streets of Colombus'.

The local paper, the Colombus Dispatch, reports that he spent three months in prison in 1990 and two months behind bars in 2004.

And his rise to fame has irked one local businessman who said that he felt ‘aggravated’ by Williams’s new-found success.

The manager of National Tire & Battery, identified only as Dan, accused Brookyn-born Williams – a sporadic resident of a homeless camp behind an abandoned petrol station – of ‘refusing to leave the business property’ and pimping out a woman last summer. He called the police on the pair, and records show that it had become an ‘ongoing problem’.

Dan said that while Williams begged customers for money, his female companion ‘gets picked up and dropped off in the parking lot by various and numerous males in different vehicles’, according to website thesmokinggun.com.

‘The management had repeatedly asked the two suspects to stay off the property and have been cussed and yelled at by the suspects for their effort,’ he continued, and said that he had seen Williams stealing from client’s cars and urinating in front of his shop.

‘He’s basically been a thief for the past two years,’ Dan added.

These are allegations which may hamper his chances of making a new life for himself.

Sympathy for his cause his high currently in the States and he even appeared on NBC's Today Show this morning.

Williams was 'discovered' begging at the side of an interstate with a sign saying that he had a God-given gift but had fallen on hard times. For a donation, he would share his gift.

His spiel was caught on a 90-second video by Doral Chenoweth of the Columbus Dispatch, and it is this that has launched him to fame.

He admits on camera: 'I went to school [to study radio announcement] and then alcohol and drugs and a few other things became part of my life.

'But I'm two years clean and I'm trying hard to get it back and hopefully, one of these TV or radio stations will say, "Hey, I need a voiceover" or something.’

Williams had a promising radio career in the 1980s – first as an overnight DJ in Johnstown, Ohio, and later on a morning show in Columbus, where he nicknamed himself Teddy Bear.

It gained popularity after a link to it was posted on microblogging site Twitter by sports radio station 1310 The Ticket Radio and it soon went viral. Now Williams has received offers of work from the likes of MTV, NFL and ESPN.

'My boss said to me: "If you don't get him hired, you're fired",' said Kevin McLoughlin, director of post-production films for the National Football League. 'I can't make any guarantees, but I'd love to get him some work.'

The Cleveland Cavaliers are poised to offer Williams a job as stadium announcer. And club spokesman Tad Carper said details were being finalised to make him an offer as soon as possible.

Ken Andrews, a volunteer for Mount Carmel Outreach who knows Williams, said, 'He's a good guy. But we never knew he had "the voice".'

Los Angeles agent Shane Cormier, whose clients have done voice-over work for Ford and Western Union, said Williams will need to find someone to help him navigate the offers ahead. 'We could make him a millionaire,' said Cormier.

Williams is set to complete his stunning turnaround with a reunion with his 92-year-old mother, Julia Williams, who he has not seen in over a decade. Yesterday, a tearful Williams told CBS' The Early Show the best gift of his new-found fame was the chance to visit his mother.

She lives in New York and he claimed he hadn't been able to afford the train fare but is now in the city for television interviews. Tearfully, he said: 'I apologise, I'm getting a little emotional. I haven't seen my mom in a great deal of time.

'One of my biggest prayers that I sent out was that she would live long enough for me to see me rebound or whatever, and I guess God kept her around and kept my pipes around to maybe just have one more shot.’

Williams’s ex-wife, Patricia Kirtley, told the Daily News she had already called his mother to explain her son's stunning reversal of fortune. 'She didn't believe it until I called her,’ said the 58-year-old. ‘She is so overwhelmed. I think she does not want him to mess it up. She said this is an opportunity and a second chance.'

Kirtley met Williams when he was 18 – and even then he had dreams of becoming a radio personality. 'I was about to melt,' she said of first hearing his voice. 'He does have a God-given gift. He was always the entertainer. He always played music.'

Aside from his radio gigs, Williams would act as an emcee for entertainers who came through Columbus. Kirtley said her ex didn't handle fame well and got caught up with women, booze and drugs.

'He started messing up,' she said. 'He had a lot of groupies. I think it was a whole lot for him to try and handle that. A lot of things were going wrong in his life.'

Williams told the Early Show he hoped someone might spot his talents, but he never expected the outpouring of job offers and media attention. 'It's like almost winning the Mega Ball lottery or something,’ he said. ‘It's just phenomenal.'

 

[oneohh]

I'm not sure why 'I got hooked on drugs and alcohol and became a bum' is a great story.

Because that's not the story.But I think you probably know that.

What is the story then?

Redemption.

Filed right under Vick comma Michael. Jeebus, people, grow up.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Link

The tough past has emerged of the homeless beggar who became an overnight sensation after his golden voice was discovered by chance.

Ted Williams was inundated with job offers yesterday after a film of him roadside begging in Columbus, Ohio – and displaying his impossibly smooth radio tones – went viral.

However, it was revealed today that the 53-year-old had fallen on hard times after becoming involved in a series of criminal activities and has been arrested many times… as his collection of mug shots show.

Now the man who has become the poster boy for hard-up America has a second chance at life.

Williams, who was married with five daughters before his life spiralled out of control, has a charge sheet which stretches back more than 20 years.

He was addicted to crack cocaine and has been arrested for robbery, theft, escape, forgery and drug possession, according to police records.

Most recently, he was arrested on May 14 and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour theft charge, having given his address as the 'streets of Colombus'.

The local paper, the Colombus Dispatch, reports that he spent three months in prison in 1990 and two months behind bars in 2004.

And his rise to fame has irked one local businessman who said that he felt ‘aggravated’ by Williams’s new-found success.

The manager of National Tire & Battery, identified only as Dan, accused Brookyn-born Williams – a sporadic resident of a homeless camp behind an abandoned petrol station – of ‘refusing to leave the business property’ and pimping out a woman last summer. He called the police on the pair, and records show that it had become an ‘ongoing problem’.

Dan said that while Williams begged customers for money, his female companion ‘gets picked up and dropped off in the parking lot by various and numerous males in different vehicles’, according to website thesmokinggun.com.

‘The management had repeatedly asked the two suspects to stay off the property and have been cussed and yelled at by the suspects for their effort,’ he continued, and said that he had seen Williams stealing from client’s cars and urinating in front of his shop.

‘He’s basically been a thief for the past two years,’ Dan added.

These are allegations which may hamper his chances of making a new life for himself.

Sympathy for his cause his high currently in the States and he even appeared on NBC's Today Show this morning.

Williams was 'discovered' begging at the side of an interstate with a sign saying that he had a God-given gift but had fallen on hard times. For a donation, he would share his gift.

His spiel was caught on a 90-second video by Doral Chenoweth of the Columbus Dispatch, and it is this that has launched him to fame.

He admits on camera: 'I went to school [to study radio announcement] and then alcohol and drugs and a few other things became part of my life.

'But I'm two years clean and I'm trying hard to get it back and hopefully, one of these TV or radio stations will say, "Hey, I need a voiceover" or something.’

Williams had a promising radio career in the 1980s – first as an overnight DJ in Johnstown, Ohio, and later on a morning show in Columbus, where he nicknamed himself Teddy Bear.

It gained popularity after a link to it was posted on microblogging site Twitter by sports radio station 1310 The Ticket Radio and it soon went viral. Now Williams has received offers of work from the likes of MTV, NFL and ESPN.

'My boss said to me: "If you don't get him hired, you're fired",' said Kevin McLoughlin, director of post-production films for the National Football League. 'I can't make any guarantees, but I'd love to get him some work.'

The Cleveland Cavaliers are poised to offer Williams a job as stadium announcer. And club spokesman Tad Carper said details were being finalised to make him an offer as soon as possible.

Ken Andrews, a volunteer for Mount Carmel Outreach who knows Williams, said, 'He's a good guy. But we never knew he had "the voice".'

Los Angeles agent Shane Cormier, whose clients have done voice-over work for Ford and Western Union, said Williams will need to find someone to help him navigate the offers ahead. 'We could make him a millionaire,' said Cormier.

Williams is set to complete his stunning turnaround with a reunion with his 92-year-old mother, Julia Williams, who he has not seen in over a decade. Yesterday, a tearful Williams told CBS' The Early Show the best gift of his new-found fame was the chance to visit his mother.

She lives in New York and he claimed he hadn't been able to afford the train fare but is now in the city for television interviews. Tearfully, he said: 'I apologise, I'm getting a little emotional. I haven't seen my mom in a great deal of time.

'One of my biggest prayers that I sent out was that she would live long enough for me to see me rebound or whatever, and I guess God kept her around and kept my pipes around to maybe just have one more shot.’

Williams’s ex-wife, Patricia Kirtley, told the Daily News she had already called his mother to explain her son's stunning reversal of fortune. 'She didn't believe it until I called her,’ said the 58-year-old. ‘She is so overwhelmed. I think she does not want him to mess it up. She said this is an opportunity and a second chance.'

Kirtley met Williams when he was 18 – and even then he had dreams of becoming a radio personality. 'I was about to melt,' she said of first hearing his voice. 'He does have a God-given gift. He was always the entertainer. He always played music.'

Aside from his radio gigs, Williams would act as an emcee for entertainers who came through Columbus. Kirtley said her ex didn't handle fame well and got caught up with women, booze and drugs.

'He started messing up,' she said. 'He had a lot of groupies. I think it was a whole lot for him to try and handle that. A lot of things were going wrong in his life.'

Williams told the Early Show he hoped someone might spot his talents, but he never expected the outpouring of job offers and media attention. 'It's like almost winning the Mega Ball lottery or something,’ he said. ‘It's just phenomenal.'

What a deserving guy :(

 

[cr8f]

Very impressive.

I wonder how many other qualified people are homeless now.

 

[joffer]

i've never met anyone with a voice like that.

Chocolate rain down?

:(

what makes you think i've met him?

 

[Dr. Awesome]

i've never met anyone with a voice like that.

Chocolate rain down?

He's a regular at fbg cornholes.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

 

[Joe Bryant]

So I tuned in for a few seconds before they went to the music. He got an offer to host one show in NY, some other commercial deal for $10k and one offer that we all would love, an all expenses paid trip to Hilo, Hawaii to do a commercial. Not too shabby. Nice little turnaround for the guy.

I love it - a guy throws his life away to drugs and alcohol and now he's got people throwing praise and money at him for "saying" he's clean now. Don't get me wrong, I wish him the best but it does annoy me that people that destroy their own lives get cheered while there's no accolades for the millions of average joes just chugging along with their lives doing the right thing.

This story is at least a couple of thousand years old...

But you know what cstu, I can't criticize. Lots of people (myself included) can easily fall into that "older brother" role.

If I could offer a bit of advice: Resist it. The older brother in the story is not a good place to be. Be happy for the guy that winds up at the right place.

Peace.

J

The father was wrong to treat the younger son that way. Of course he should have welcomed him back but he shouldn't not have treated him like returning hero. The older brother had every right to feel disrespected by his father, but he also should have been happy to see his brother come home.

I know that's the conventional wisdom, ctsu. I'm just saying I don't think that's the best way. I think it's better to put away the jealousy / bitter / what about me? / when am I going to get mine? angle and just be thrilled the brother you thought was lost is now home.J

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against it

I don't think so GB. :( I'm starting to think this whole thing is some sort of scam though.

 

[Das Boot]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against it

I don't think so GB. I'm starting to think this whole thing is some sort of scam though.

Why?... I'm generally pretty good at sensing a scam and this story doesn't feel like one at all.Did you read today's story about the guy who filmed the original video?... the story of the guy behind the camera is very interesting and inspiring as well.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/06/golden.vo...dex.html?hpt=C1

How faith helped uncover a 'golden voice'

By John Blake, CNN

January 6, 2011 12:09 p.m. EST

(CNN) -- By now, millions of Americans have heard from Ted Williams.

He's "the homeless man with the golden voice," a panhandler whose stunning vocal skills were recorded for an impromptu video that's netted at least 4 million views on YouTube.

But what about the good Samaritan with the video camera?

What made him stop for Williams on a dreary, overcast day when scores of people ignored the African-American homeless man during the peak of the Christmas season?

It turns out that Doral Chenoweth III, the man who filmed Williams, has a story of his own.

Videographer has played this part before

Five weeks ago, Chenoweth was returning home from Lowe's with his wife, Robin, when he spotted a thin man with wild, unruly hair at an intersection. The man held a cardboard sign that read, "I have a God-given gift of voice. ..."

"Hey, I'm going to make you work for your dollar," Chenoweth said as he rolled down his window and took out his flip camera. "Let me hear you say something."

What comes out of Williams' mouth is startling. It's a rich, baritone that doesn't match his craggy exterior at all. His enunciation is crisp, his tone smooth as suede.

Williams isn't holding that cardboard sign anymore.

After Chenoweth posted the video, it went viral. Williams did interviews on national television and radio. He's received several jobs offers, including one that comes with a home. A reunion with his 92-year-old mother is being arranged.

But the other character in this contemporary parable had played this part before.

"The first time we dated, he stopped and gave a blanket from the back of his car to a man who was homeless," said Robin Chenoweth. "I thought to myself, if he has this kind of compassion for a man on the street, he's going to make a great husband and father."

Chenoweth is paid to notice people. He's a multimedia producer for The Columbus Dispatch newspaper in Ohio. He said he stopped because he thought Williams might make a good video.

Still, he wasn't so sure after the filming. He said he sat on the video for five weeks until he finally decided to use it because it was a slow news week. Then he watched the video take off.

"I never anticipated this," he said. "A week ago, he was living in a tent behind a station in the middle of December, and now he's being flown to New York and his video is everywhere."

Looking through the lens of faith

But the reason Chenoweth stopped goes deeper than his job.

It's "standard operating procedure" for him, he said, to stop and talk to people who are homeless, whether he's carrying a camera or not.

"It's part of my faith," he said after some prodding about his motivations. "You may not be able to help someone with money, but you can at least say hello, how you doing, and look at them."

About 14 years ago, Chenoweth said he was assigned to photograph a homeless ministry at New Life United Methodist Church in downtown Columbus. He was so impressed by the ability of the 50-member congregation to help the homeless that he and his wife joined.

The church's pastor said that Chenoweth routinely invites people who are homeless to the church for meals and medical attention. He's also photographed people on the street and displayed their photographs to emphasize their humanity, said the Rev. Jennifer Kimball Casto, New Life's pastor.

When asked if she was surprised by Chenoweth's action, Casto said: "Absolutely not. Doral has a special heart for people who are homeless and in need."

Chenoweth's concern for people goes beyond Columbus, and even the United States. His wife said they are regular Habitat for Humanity volunteers. They've also taken seven trips to Africa with their two children, Cassie, 12, and Kurtis, 10, to serve impoverished communities. Chenoweth has documented many of the trips on his website.

"He's taken me all over the world," Robin Chenoweth said. "He's a fabulous husband. It's the best decision of my life to be with him."

Chenoweth sounds thrilled to see where the new-found fame will take Williams.

He had a reunion with Williams after their video went viral. A local radio station interviewed Williams, and Chenoweth was there for the interview.

"We had a big hug and shook hands," Chenoweth said. "He almost cried when he saw me."

Chenoweth was watching a local radio station interview Williams when he saw something that touched him.

"He still has my business card," Chenoweth said. "He's been carrying it the whole five weeks since I gave it to him. He was carrying it right in his fingertips."

Filming a visual parable

The Rev. Tom Long, a professor of preaching at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, watched the video of Chenoweth's encounter and saw a visual parable unfold. It reminded him of Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan.

In the parable, a Samaritan, a group of people hated by many first-century Jews, stops to help an helpless man wounded by robbers after two Jewish religious leaders -- a Levite and a priest -- pass the man by. The story was shocking because the hero was a villain (imagine the parable of the Good Crack Dealer).

Chenoweth didn't see Williams as "visual white noise" to tune out, Long said. "He sees possibilities others don't see and acts on them and, wow, here we go," Long said.

Long said there's more to the story than the importance of treating people in need with compassion because miracles may happen. "His (Chenoweth) experiences expose what is already true about people, that even an homeless person who doesn't have a golden throat is nonetheless a child of God."

Casto, Chenoweth's pastor at New Life, said Chenoweth taught another lesson with his encounter with a panhandler.

"We are all broken in some way, but we are also gifted in some way," she said. "Mr. Williams is a perfect example of that."

 

[Dr. Awesome]

He sounds just like I remember it. Dude has one helluva voice.

 

[Fennis]

I wonder what Ted Williams' head thinks of this guy.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

His vocal skills are pretty minimal. He has a curious voice, but that's about it.

 

[dickey moe]

Not to take away from this guy's story (which is great), but they're interviewing his mom right now on the Today Show and she sounds EXACTLY like Mr. Herbert on The Family Guy.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against it

I don't think so GB. I'm starting to think this whole thing is some sort of scam though.

Why?... I'm generally pretty good at sensing a scam and this story doesn't feel like one at all.

I don't know. Just jaded I guess.

 

[cstu]

The real hero:

A viral video vaulted Ted Williams and his golden voice to fame, but the real hero of this story is the woman he left behind.

Patricia Kirtley raised four daughters alone after Williams split 23 years ago and dove down the rabbit hole of drugs.

Not only that, Kirtley took in the baby boy the radioman had with another woman and raised him as her own.

Oh, and by the way, she's partially blind.

"We survived," Kirtley said Thursday in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. "My children are survivors. They know if we get a little bit that God provides, we make it into a lot. I'm a soup maker. I make potato soup and throw in a lot of vegetables and a little meat. We always ate."

Except that Williams, who seems to be a nice guy, just wasn't strong, wasn't around and wasn't contributing financially.

Kirtley had to go on the dole. "I still remember my case number," she says ruefully. She eventually went to school and got licensed as a blind vendor.

"My mother and sisters pitched in and drove me because I can't see to drive," said Kirtley, now 58, over a din of some of her 16 grandchildren playing.

As if that weren't enough, Kirtley said two of her sisters and a cousin each took in a child Williams and his druggie girlfriend couldn't, or wouldn't, care for.

"I didn't want to see those children in no foster home," she said.

Exactly. It's an all-too-familiar story to the strong members of poor communities - usually women. They are the ones who must provide the backbone, as well as the hugs, for children whose parents get hooked on drugs.

Williams called once in a while, and Kirtley would hear that baritone voice she fell in love with at first sound. They stayed friendly, and he might come for Thanksgiving dinner, but otherwise, he would remain AWOL.

Daughter Julia Pullien, 30, said she was 7 when Williams left.

"He wasn't involved," she said. "Our mom was our sole provider. She is a more than phenomenal person. My father is a nice guy, but he fell victim to the streets. We prayed for him and we worried about him, but we became accustomed to the fact that he just wasn't there."

Kirtley said the kids felt some resentment.

"They didn't understand why he was never there for their school functions, or just to help with their homework," she said.

"That's when I really could have used help, because I couldn't see their pages. My kids are really good readers, though, because I made them read everything to me out loud."

They're grown now, with jobs and kids of their own.

Maybe Williams can redeem himself personally as well as professionally.

Maybe he can be there for his grandchildren in ways he could not for his kids.

Still, all the credit must go to Kirtley, the woman who truly deserves the fame her ex has been getting the past few days.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2...l#ixzz1APtwzSOI

 

[Das Boot]

The real heroatricia Kirtley

I agree 100% - she sounds amazing.I get the feeling from her interviews that his mom is a really good person as well and raised a great family, with one notable exception.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against it

I don't think so GB. I'm starting to think this whole thing is some sort of scam though.

Why?... I'm generally pretty good at sensing a scam and this story doesn't feel like one at all.

I don't know. Just jaded I guess.

Have you seen the interview with his Mom? If it's a scam, she gets the Oscar.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

Wow, Tay.

 

[sports_fan]

So has he accepted any job offers yet?

 

[cstu]

So has he accepted any job offers yet?

 

[desert rose]

So many people who win the lottery soon find themselves broke again if not dead. They don't get to stay rich for long because they don't know what it takes to manage their money, make the sacrifices, work hard. They get calls from every leech out there trying to get in on some free. And in some cases they are targeted by someone even more sinister who ends up murdering them.

This isn't the lottery, but kind of a similiar situation where fame and money just fall in his lap. I wouldn't be surprised to hear in a year that Ted Williams is back living under a bridge.

 

[The Kerminator]

So many people who win the lottery soon find themselves broke again if not dead. They don't get to stay rich for long because they don't know what it takes to manage their money, make the sacrifices, work hard. They get calls from every leech out there trying to get in on some free. And in some cases they are targeted by someone even more sinister who ends up murdering them. This isn't the lottery, but kind of a similiar situation where fame and money just fall in his lap. I wouldn't be surprised to hear in a year that Ted Williams is back living under a bridge.

Why do I keep thinking of the house-party scene from Trading Places? Only I don't know if Ted Williams will throw everybody out when the house starts getting trashed.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

The real hero:

Oh, and by the way, she's partially blind.

She'd pretty much have to be.

 

[Das Boot]

The real hero:

Oh, and by the way, she's partially blind.

She'd pretty much have to be.

In her defense, I think we can now understand how Ted was able to sweet talk her.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

The real hero:

Patricia Kirtley raised four daughters alone after Williams split 23 years ago and dove down the rabbit hole of drugs.

Can we stop praising this loser now?

 

[Tbone]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against itgood for this guy. he has a talent.. no reason it should go unused.

And as I stated earlier, what about the other people that have the voice talent (and could be better), is not homeless and out of a job?

What about them? Unfortunately, this isn't an equal society. Some people have better education than others. Some people have better people skills than others. Some people have, gasp, better talent than others. There isn't a "line" that everyone has to wait for in order to get their shot. Some people have things that vault them to the forefront. If you can't recognize why this guy just jumped to the front of that line then probably no answer is going to satisfy your question. Some people happen to be at the right place at the right time and Ted Williams just had that happen to him. Why should we complain about others not getting the same opportunity when this sort of thing happens on a smaller scale on a daily basis all over the world?

 

[Das Boot]

The real hero:

Patricia Kirtley raised four daughters alone after Williams split 23 years ago and dove down the rabbit hole of drugs.

Can we stop praising this loser now?

You're right and everyone else is wrong.Congrats for being on the forefront!

 

[mr. furley]

Homelessness, addiction and mental illness mires many in a vicious cycle from which breaking free can be a nearly insurmountable task without outside help and support.

i was thinking of off the pier that is this post but decided against it

I don't think so GB. :(

mis-interpretation. i'm right with you on mental illness being a serious problem that can be nearly impossible to overcome.i was expecting a barrage of "homeless people deserve whatever terrible things happen to them! mental illness is no excuse!" postings and thought, briefly, about derailing the thread.

i see that some of the "if you fall on hard times, it's all your fault and you should be dead rather than allowed the chance to turn your life around" sentiment has started to pop up. that's always a fun direction.