POST 2: Who I am interviewing and questions to ask

I decided (with the help of Jessica P.) to interview my friend's father, Bob Gallagher.  I plan to tell the story of his battle with drug addiction, the experiences he had hitting rock bottom and his recent ascent back to happiness leading a normal life.  I think this will be an interesting piece because his story has so many ups and downs.  Additionally, I think people will be able to relate to a story that hits so close to home.  He is a family man, former head hockey coach at Oliver Ames High School (from my hometown), hard worker and a generally great guy with a great sense of humor.

Not only do I think the general public would be able to relate to this story, I also know that many people from my hometown would be excited to read it.  I have flirted with the idea of trying to get it published in the Easton Journal if I get his approval, and if I really love the outcome.

Possible Questions:

1.) How were you introduced to drugs?  Specifically, what did you use?
2.) When did you realize it was time to seek help?
3.) Tell me what it was like when you were asked to step down as OAHS Head Coach.
4.) How hard was it to recover?  What did you take away from the recovery process?
5.) How have you learned to cope with addiction on a day-to-day basis?  What helps?

First Post: Possible Profile Personalities

I have thought quite a bit about the profile assignment we are supposed to do and a few candidates have come to mind.  One thought keeps irking me, however.  I feel like this is meant to be a powerful piece so I feel obligated to find someone completely interesting and from from, I feel the pressure.  Anyway, here are my possible candidates and why I might choose him or her.

1.)  My boss:
I work for Bertucci's in Mansfield and the General Manager (Travis Foster) of the restaurant is a very interesting individual.  He is large, African American, loud at times, somewhat militant and one of the hardest workers I have ever met.  Although he is sometimes intimidating, I am intrigued by his work ethic and how he achieved the success that he has.  Profiling Travis Foster would certainly be a learning experience.

2.)  Peter Narsasian
Peter is the owner of a prominent landscaping (PA Narsasian Landscaping) company in my hometown, Easton, Massachusetts.  He is only a few years older than I am but has achieved great success in a short period of time.  I am the owner of a landscaping company from the same town, but on a much, much smaller scale because I am still in college.  I knew Peter well in high school and it has been enjoyable watching his company grow to be what it is today.  Profiling Peter would help me with me endeavors and would also be an interesting piece about hard work and where it can take you.

3.)  Robert Gallagher
Former hockey coach from my high school, his son is my best friend.  He fell on hard times when he began dealing with drug addiction and eventually hit rock bottom.  Recently, he has been working his way back to living a normal life.  This piece would be interesting to find out how this all occurred and how it could have possibly been prevented.  A profile of Mr. Gallagher would be an insightful story of a man who pretty much lost everything and had to scramble in order to get it back.

I am still not sure which story I am going to pursue.  I suppose it all depends on how available these guys are and when I am able to meet with them.  This assignment seems like it will be an enjoyable one at least.