The Journey:

From Truth Slogans to Getto Chess

Part 1 (The Discovery)  

In 1983 after my father had his first heart attack, I had begun jogging as a routine. Those who have had sickness in family knows it best, the stress endure, I need not confess. The old Pepperdine College located on 79th  street between Normandie and Vermont Ave was where I went to workout (It is now, where the Crenshaw Christian Center Dome is). As I jogged around the old campus, there was a middle age man who sold artwork on the corner of 79th street and Vermont near the laundromat. I paid little attention to him as I jogged pass. Then one morning as I was attempting to do my three mile run, I had a cramp. I attempted to walk it off. As I walked up near the laundromat . The gentleman who I mention earlier was taking his wooden plaque out of his shopping cart and placing them near the sidewalk.  Each plaque had painted phrases on them.

"God Concept," Bro. Cutis answered.

"God Concept?" I asked, "What's that ?"

"Are you interested in purchasing, young man ?" He sternly asked.

Feeling slightly offended, I walked away not saying a word. But then I came back a couple days later and bought all four of the plaques. Satisfied with cash in hand, he then told me that he would eventually show me the 'God Concept'.

Meanwhile, I became proficient at jogging . I was invited by the other joggers to participate in various runs including half marathon in 1983 (the photo above). With the Olympics being in Los Angeles in 1984, there were several runs supporting many different causes. I accumulated several T-shirts because of my participation. That's when I began to have an interest in the printing of t-shirts.

Looking for a t-shirt printer, I stumbled on a business in Inglewood, California called, 'Mass Production'. I then had Bro. Curtis phrases printed on t-shirts. Wearing it, I noticed that the phases were a great conversation piece.

So I went back to the corner and bought more phrases from Bro. Curtis. When I asked him about the 'God Concept', he kept on avoiding the topic.

Bro. Curtis didn't show me the God Concept until December of 1985 which was the last time I seen him. One evening as I was driving pass, Bro. Curtis waved me down. I remember it was near Christmas because he was selling miniature plastic trees as well. After parking in the dim afternoon, Bro. Curtis handed me a folded sheet of paper with scribbled words on it with the title, 'God Concept.'

Then in a slow deliberate way, Bro. Cutis said to me , " Life is thought. Whatever a man thinks, becomes his reality. Therefore, one must be wise enough to understand that. Understanding of the 'God Concept' helps man to arrive at Unity."

"Arrive at Unity?" At the time, I wondered what the hell he was talking about .

After saying those few words, Bro. Curtis took his neatly filled shopping cart and rowed silently off into the shadows. To this day, I never seen nor heard of what happen to Bro. Curtis?

Photo with Bro. Curtis here

                                                                                         NEXT

P1