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Andrew J. Arbuckle
Andrew Arbuckle was born in Brooklyn N.Y. and even before he could read, he was fascinated by books.Frustrated, he would stare at a picture trying to figure out what was happening. This frustration...view moreAndrew Arbuckle was born in Brooklyn N.Y. and even before he could read, he was fascinated by books.Frustrated, he would stare at a picture trying to figure out what was happening. This frustration became a driving force throughout his life. Unable to finish high school, because he had to get a job and help support his family, he knows firsthand the hardships of missing an early education. Eventually he graduated evening High School and immediately began nighttime college classes.
At age 18, he wrote his first instruction manual while in the U.S. Navy in the Philippine’s during WWII. Discharged from the Navy, he joined the RCA Corporation and moved about the country training Air Force Servicemen how to keep their airborne electronics working. He was part of the team who installed the first Atlas Launch site at Vandenberg A. F. B. Retiring from RCA in 1979 he joined the Raytheon Company as Publications Quality Assurance Manager, responsible for the technical and grammatical wording of the Patriot Missile System technical manuals.
Retiring from Raytheon in 1989 he and his wife Marilyn moved to Indialantic, Florida. A volunteer at the Brevard Zoo during their construction phases he later became one of their first docents in early 1994. As Assistant Docent Coordinator he wrote the Docent Training Manual and Docent Guide Book. In addition he trained new docents. It was here that hundreds of youngsters Brevard County met“Mr. Andy” who took them on tours, showed them the animals, explaining their habitats and how they lived. In doing so, he introduced them to the word environment, and how important it is to protect our world.
In the summer of 2001, again as a volunteer, he joined the Space Coast Rolling Readers and now spends time each week inthe schools reading to children to help raise their reading abilities. The opening of each session is devoted to a fun game he invented called Words/Words/Words. This game challenges students by asking ‘what do you see in your mind’ or ‘what do you think this means or ‘can you define’ this word’ when introducing a word they will hear later in the story.
“After all,” says Mr. Andy, “reading is nothing more than understanding the words in front of you and visualizing in your own mind what the author is telling you.”
Marilyn Arbuckle has been painting watercolors since she and her husband retired to Florida in 1989. She is a signature member of three watercolor societies and has been presented with a number of prestigious awards. Marilyn remains active in the local art community, displays her works through the Brevard Cultural Society, and conducts semi-private lessons in her home studio.view less