"Musings from the Middle" came about by happenstance. My good friend Jonathan Miller was launching a blog titled "The Recovering Politician" and needed regular contributors. I wrote a column for the inaugural week and then promised a follow up column every week. After missing my deadline several times, I confided in Jonathan that I felt like I had too much going on to meet a regular writing deadline on serious policy matters--and I added I wasn't in the frame of mind to write about political issues. I wanted a break. Jonathan understood but, always the creative entrepreneur, a few days later had a new idea. He knew I enjoyed writing and suggested I just write for fun -write about whatever I wanted. I thought I would outmaneuver him by suggesting I write about personal matters, family and observations I found humorous or interesting. But Jonathan said, he thought that was a great idea and the blog could use a light apolitical contributor. I was stuck and said I'd do it. I am grateful I did. At first we did one post a week and then three and then five. Jonathan dubbed it "Musings from the Middle." The idea was I was making observations from the middle stage of life. Many posts feature my family: My wife, Rebecca; son Johnny; and daughter Maggie but also veer into general life and social observations. Some stories involve local political and civic figures. I include these because even though the reader may not know the individual involved, I believe they can still appreciate the qualities I try to highlight about them.I have been privileged to live an interesting life. My grandfather was the son of a tenant farmer and grew up to serve a term in Congress and several terms in the Kentucky state house and senate. He was also viewed as Kentucky's premier trail lawyer during the prime of his legal career. My father bought Kentucky Fried Chicken in his early 30s an built it into an international franchise. He was a lifelong serial entrepreneur who briefly owned two professional basketball teams, the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA (with my mother, who was co-owner) and the Boston Celtics. He served as governor of Kentucky from 1979-83. I mention this to give readers background and context for some of the stories that follow. Some entries are short, some lengthy and most in between. There is no particular thread to my choice of topics except everyday life and my attempt to find the interesting in the ordinary and the hopeful and humorous wherever possible. I believe we all have a life story worth recording and sharing and that these collections of daily life stories make up who we are. Most importantly, these stories contain important life lessons and life-affirming -and often humorous -insights for others, if we take the time to understand and present them. And that, in a nutshell, is what I have tried to do. I hope you have a fraction of the fun reading "Musings" as I had in writing it.
John Y. Brown III was born into a family dedicated to serving Kentucky in many ways, including the arena of public service. John's grandfather served in U. S. Congress under FDR and as Kentucky's Speaker of the House. His father served as Governor of Kentucky from 1979-1983. So it almost seemed inevitable that John would serve the Commonwealth: in 1995 he was elected as Kentucky's Secretary of State at the age of 32. Re-elected without opposition, he served a second term ending in 2003. His accomplishments as secretary of state include: -"Best Practice" by the National Governor's Association for a program that helped new businesses. -Two terms as Chair of National Association of Secretaries of State Election's Committee. -Led National Election Reform Task Force that prompted the Help America Vote Act ($3.9 billion in state funding) -Co-Chair of the Governor's Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in 2002-03. -Saved taxpayers $850,000 through efficiency and cost-cutting management measures. Before entering politics, John headed up franchising for Roaster's Inc., developing fast food venues in 37 states and several foreign countries. More recently, John served as vice-president of ResCare, working in government relations for the Louisville based human services company with over 40,000 employees in over 40 states and several foreign countries. He loves sharing his enthusiasm for business and law and served as an adjunct professor at Bellarmine University in Louisville. In 2007, John ran unsuccessfully as the lieutenant governor running mate on a ticket with gubernatorial candidate Jody Richards (Kentucky's Speaker of the House) in a spirited seven slate Democratic primary. This combination of business, government, legal and academic experience prepared John perfectly for the birth of the JYB3 Group, a firm dedicated to bringing the best of commerce and government together for the common wealth of all Kentuckians. John also serves as "Of Counsel" for the law firm Miller Wells PLLC where he heads the firm's government relations practice. John graduated magna cum laude from Bellarmine University (history major/philosophy minor), earned a law degree (with distinction) from University of Kentucky, and then went back to Bellarmine for his M.B.A. in 2003.
