Jerry D. Hill

The billboards did not tell the whole story. The 3 hours a day on 5 days a week with a radio program did not get it done either, but when an outside promoter showed me how to enroll 4,000 people in a matter of 90 days. I found myself with 4,000 families looking for financial success without working for it. I thought I could do about anything, but I failed at this one, everything I knew anything about required a lot of dedicated hard work. In two years we generated about $1,000,000 from these families to help them in their search for financial success. What a trip. It was enough to give my wife a heart attack, triple by pass surgery. Start over again. Getting real tired of this progression. Looking for a reality outside the Organized Church that had reality. Joined the Lodge, Grey Lodge in Houston, dropped out active membership. Here we are 2009 and looking for something exciting, fulfilling and profitable. Something any one can learn. Something with life in it. Wiki showed it to me,SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURING, what the heck is that.

Well to me, its making money, caring for people, following my life mission to Make a Difference and I found a Name for it. All American Network and it’s Hometown-America Program. Interested in hearing what fit the bill for me, you can just click the links, Hometown, then AAN.

Born in 1938-back to Dallas in 1951-Hutchins Boys Home-Harry Hines Juvenile Record Holder Most Arrests-Gatesville State Reform School 3 Times-Federal In Texarkana-Drugs-Car Theft-The Works-Here I am in January 1956-Getting ready for the big time life of crime. That is all I knew at the time, I dropped out of school of course, I tried a few weeks of 9th grade at Adamson High School in Oak Cliff, but I was marred and scarred. I was only suitable for the life of the criminally employed. No one would hire me, after a while, I would not even pretend to look for a job. Stealing and dealing became a way of life. Just one hitch, I had a sentence to carry out on parole and had to report to a parole officer. He was religious and though church would be the solution to me. Cold dead religion left me the same way I came in. Cold and dead. I stumbled into a church in Mesquite, Texas, Wildwood Baptist Church,  not your same old thing. People here cared about you. My cold heart was not prepared for the warmeth of their love.

Raised on a dirt farm in Arkansas. Walked a mile to school. Worked very hard from before sun-up to dark every day but Sunday. Went to church riding in the back window of an old Ford Coupe. That’s me on the far left. Just after WW2. Dad was a Marine. Grandfather (on right) was the sheriff of Howard County, Ark. Perfect breeding ground for rebellion. Strict-poor-religious-unforgiving-everything was just under expectations-punishment was swift and violent (by today’s standards). The thing that did the most damage was that you could never measure up to expectations.

 I told you I was not prepared for the warmeth of people’s hearts. By 1958 I was married and pastoring the First Baptist Church in Dierks, Ark. Became a bible student, spent lots of time in the book, only 1,200 people in town, did not take all that long to meet most of them. Boy oh, Boy-Pastoring in a small town will try your skills at handling gossip, hatred, prejudice and a few other skills I lacked. So I went into Evangelism. Became a Holy Ghost Revivalist, traveling the country, stirring up the Church. Good old fundementalism in all its radical power, started a radio ministry on 25 radio stations and preached the Word all over the Eastern half of the USA. Criss crossed this country driving up a storm. Preached 360 days a year, sometimes 2-3 times a day. Loved it, for a while, ran dry-wife left me-doors closed-hit bottom spiritually,mentally and emotionally. Got tired of being down-got up-started over-in the world of business. It was kinder to be an Entrepreneur than a preacher. Not as many preconceived expectations. So now I am Ordained as a Baptist Minister, Licensed as an Assembly of God Evangelist, old time radio show producer,(several years with 25 stations daily) keeping up with the tapes was fun. What to do next. Where to go. Headed west in 1964. Divorced-looking for meaning of life-wound up in San Francisco. OH MY- A 28 year old in the middle of the hippie revolution.