MONROE - They say that people who do what they love never actually work a day in their life. That may have been the case for Monroe's Gary Guralski. He worked in Monroe doing what he loved through media outlets, all the while truly believing in what he did. Now retired, he enjoys family, fun and music as often as he can and is proud of the legacy he left behind.
He was born on a dairy farm in Athens, about 35 miles west of Wausau. Guralski is the oldest of eight children and was expected to help, and sometimes even take the reins of the family farm alongside his brother.
However, the farm life isn't for everyone, and Guralski knew early on it wasn't for him.
"I was so social, the farm just wasn't for me," Guralski said. He feels much of his social personality comes from his father, although the two had different aspirations.
When Guralski thinks of his childhood, he compares it to the movie "Stand By Me," recalling lots of time spent in the woods, on his bike and with friends. In the winter, he admits, he was too social to stay home and enjoyed going to school. He attended a three-room, eight-grade parochial school in Poniatowski before attending Athens High School.
As a student, Guralski said he was involved in every sport imaginable - a great excuse to get off of the farm. He served as both the class president and the pep club president. He said he always felt a kindred spirit to John Boy, from the popular 1970s television show "The Waltons," because he felt a connection to the farmboy who longed for more.
The 1969 Athens High School graduate attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, majoring in political science with high hopes of becoming a lawyer. However, financially, Guralski struggled. He said he was somewhat disillusioned with the real world.
"As hard as it was for me to earn enough money to pay for college, the professors didn't seem serious enough," he said. He dropped out his junior year, saying that he most likely wanted to be with his wife, Maggie, more than he wanted to be in school.
Guralski was working at a local lumberyard when, after hearing that he quit school, someone from the local newspaper asked him if he wanted a job. Guralski served on his high school newspaper and said there was some ink in the family veins so he decided to go for it.
At $2.15 per hour, Guralski collected news and was quickly handed a stylebook and began editing. He changed hats at the newspaper often, selling ads and even serving as the sports editor for about four years for the Record Review out of Edgar.
Although he loved the sports editor position, the weekends and nights became long and Guralski needed a day job. He had two job offers for ad sales in the same day - one in Monroe and the other in Ashland.
The two cities couldn't be further apart or more different at that time.
"We hoped for Monroe, and we came here in 1976," he said.
The newly-married couple loved Monroe and quickly began enjoying all it had to offer.
"Monroe was a border town - a party town," Guralski said with a smile. "The weekends in this town were wild. We fell in love with Monroe. We were two young kids from a small town in central Wisconsin, and the Square made us awestruck. We loved it. The people were great. We knew this was the place."
The couple made a five-year plan to move on, but for the time being, they were happy. They quickly established roots, had two children, and quality of life and schools became more important than their original plan.
They settled in and stayed.
Working at the Times was busy for Guralski. He didn't feel the sales pressures, and the Square was loaded with businesses wanting large newspaper ads for big, local events.
"There was so much going on," he said. "The retail in Monroe at that time was phenomenal."
He spent 22 years at The Monroe Times but eventually decided to move on. He took another job for a short time before going to Big Radio in Monroe.
"Whether it was working for the Times or the radio station, I worked for my clients - not them," he said.
Guralski believed in what he sold and supported and defended the work that went behind it, which would sometimes get underappreciated. Sales was his passion, and he stayed at the radio station for another 18 years. He said he was happy for the transition - media sales were similar, and he kept his strong base knowledge of writing, selling and scheduling ads.
Some clients he worked with during his entire 40-year career, becoming dear friends, and Guralski was widely known.
"I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into The Monroe Times," he said. "I was proud of the product we put out."
Although he loved the newspaper, radio was a perfect fit for Guralski - not just because he knew media - but also because he has a passion for radio and music. He said he was the first guy in town to have a cassette deck in his car and always had a strong interest in technology. He was even one of the first children back when he was younger to signal in FM radio, rigging it up in his car.
Today, that love of music he shares with his wife is how he relaxes and enjoys life. He has more than 7,000 songs on his iPod. He and Maggie are avid blues hounds, attending festivals in the area as often as they can. He loves discovering new artists and new music, and Maggie enjoys it, too.
"We don't watch much TV," he said, noting they spend a lot of time on their charming porch listening to blues music. "We are the luckiest people in the world because we like the same music. It touches my soul."
This past January, at age 64, Guralski retired, deciding it was time to enjoy life fulltime.
"I don't agree with old people continuing to work," he said. It was his mother who made him realize that older people moving on gives opportunity for younger people to benefit and support their families.
Among all he's done, Guralski said, his children have been his greatest accomplishment. Both graduated from high school and college with honors. He feels lucky they are both close, and he enjoys his four grandchildren as often as he can.
"They are the center of our attention," Guralski said of his grandchildren. "Part of retiring has been a chance to enjoy them."
Over the years, Guralski did his share of supporting his community as well. He has been a Monroe Optimist for more than 35 years and is a past president; he served on the United Way for eight years and is a past president; he was an active member of Big Brothers of Green County; and he and Maggie are members of St. Victor Church. He also was involved with several Cheese Days events in the past.
"I've always felt strongly about giving back to the community," he said. "I think it's a feeling I've always had. The quality of life we have is dependent on us working together."
In the last few years, he and Maggie have traveled more often, and Guralski loves to attend Badger games with his son.
"My experience here has been wonderful," he concluded. "It's been 40 years of great. This is an absolutely wonderful place to live."
He was born on a dairy farm in Athens, about 35 miles west of Wausau. Guralski is the oldest of eight children and was expected to help, and sometimes even take the reins of the family farm alongside his brother.
However, the farm life isn't for everyone, and Guralski knew early on it wasn't for him.
"I was so social, the farm just wasn't for me," Guralski said. He feels much of his social personality comes from his father, although the two had different aspirations.
When Guralski thinks of his childhood, he compares it to the movie "Stand By Me," recalling lots of time spent in the woods, on his bike and with friends. In the winter, he admits, he was too social to stay home and enjoyed going to school. He attended a three-room, eight-grade parochial school in Poniatowski before attending Athens High School.
As a student, Guralski said he was involved in every sport imaginable - a great excuse to get off of the farm. He served as both the class president and the pep club president. He said he always felt a kindred spirit to John Boy, from the popular 1970s television show "The Waltons," because he felt a connection to the farmboy who longed for more.
The 1969 Athens High School graduate attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, majoring in political science with high hopes of becoming a lawyer. However, financially, Guralski struggled. He said he was somewhat disillusioned with the real world.
"As hard as it was for me to earn enough money to pay for college, the professors didn't seem serious enough," he said. He dropped out his junior year, saying that he most likely wanted to be with his wife, Maggie, more than he wanted to be in school.
Guralski was working at a local lumberyard when, after hearing that he quit school, someone from the local newspaper asked him if he wanted a job. Guralski served on his high school newspaper and said there was some ink in the family veins so he decided to go for it.
At $2.15 per hour, Guralski collected news and was quickly handed a stylebook and began editing. He changed hats at the newspaper often, selling ads and even serving as the sports editor for about four years for the Record Review out of Edgar.
Although he loved the sports editor position, the weekends and nights became long and Guralski needed a day job. He had two job offers for ad sales in the same day - one in Monroe and the other in Ashland.
The two cities couldn't be further apart or more different at that time.
"We hoped for Monroe, and we came here in 1976," he said.
The newly-married couple loved Monroe and quickly began enjoying all it had to offer.
"Monroe was a border town - a party town," Guralski said with a smile. "The weekends in this town were wild. We fell in love with Monroe. We were two young kids from a small town in central Wisconsin, and the Square made us awestruck. We loved it. The people were great. We knew this was the place."
The couple made a five-year plan to move on, but for the time being, they were happy. They quickly established roots, had two children, and quality of life and schools became more important than their original plan.
They settled in and stayed.
Working at the Times was busy for Guralski. He didn't feel the sales pressures, and the Square was loaded with businesses wanting large newspaper ads for big, local events.
"There was so much going on," he said. "The retail in Monroe at that time was phenomenal."
He spent 22 years at The Monroe Times but eventually decided to move on. He took another job for a short time before going to Big Radio in Monroe.
"Whether it was working for the Times or the radio station, I worked for my clients - not them," he said.
Guralski believed in what he sold and supported and defended the work that went behind it, which would sometimes get underappreciated. Sales was his passion, and he stayed at the radio station for another 18 years. He said he was happy for the transition - media sales were similar, and he kept his strong base knowledge of writing, selling and scheduling ads.
Some clients he worked with during his entire 40-year career, becoming dear friends, and Guralski was widely known.
"I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into The Monroe Times," he said. "I was proud of the product we put out."
Although he loved the newspaper, radio was a perfect fit for Guralski - not just because he knew media - but also because he has a passion for radio and music. He said he was the first guy in town to have a cassette deck in his car and always had a strong interest in technology. He was even one of the first children back when he was younger to signal in FM radio, rigging it up in his car.
Today, that love of music he shares with his wife is how he relaxes and enjoys life. He has more than 7,000 songs on his iPod. He and Maggie are avid blues hounds, attending festivals in the area as often as they can. He loves discovering new artists and new music, and Maggie enjoys it, too.
"We don't watch much TV," he said, noting they spend a lot of time on their charming porch listening to blues music. "We are the luckiest people in the world because we like the same music. It touches my soul."
This past January, at age 64, Guralski retired, deciding it was time to enjoy life fulltime.
"I don't agree with old people continuing to work," he said. It was his mother who made him realize that older people moving on gives opportunity for younger people to benefit and support their families.
Among all he's done, Guralski said, his children have been his greatest accomplishment. Both graduated from high school and college with honors. He feels lucky they are both close, and he enjoys his four grandchildren as often as he can.
"They are the center of our attention," Guralski said of his grandchildren. "Part of retiring has been a chance to enjoy them."
Over the years, Guralski did his share of supporting his community as well. He has been a Monroe Optimist for more than 35 years and is a past president; he served on the United Way for eight years and is a past president; he was an active member of Big Brothers of Green County; and he and Maggie are members of St. Victor Church. He also was involved with several Cheese Days events in the past.
"I've always felt strongly about giving back to the community," he said. "I think it's a feeling I've always had. The quality of life we have is dependent on us working together."
In the last few years, he and Maggie have traveled more often, and Guralski loves to attend Badger games with his son.
"My experience here has been wonderful," he concluded. "It's been 40 years of great. This is an absolutely wonderful place to live."