kodiak41226

Here's the story.

WHAT’S THE STORY ON FRED TROST’S SUDDEN RETIREMENT? This won’t be a polished essay, because I cannot take the time to read it or revise it. But I’m sitting down to do this because it needs to be done and JoAnn asked me to do it. I’m really stumped as to what I should say, let alone how I should say it, because the word on the street, as I’ve been told, is that Fred Trost decided to retire, effective immediately. If you only have one sentence to work with, I guess that explains the situation in its simplest terms. But actually, the words “decided” and “retire” aren’t entirely accurate. The “decided” part actually refers to the fact that I’ve had so many personal and business and financial problems that it was no longer possible for me to continue producing the TV show. I’ve had to discontinue most of my law practice as well. The “retire” part means that I’m not working, I’m not drawing an income, and I haven’t even been stacking up any credit on Social Security. Not cool. So don’t think that by “deciding” to “retire” that I’m swinging in a hammock, drinking Margaritas, and deciding where I’m going to fish tomorrow. I chose this vocational path long ago that had no retirement plan, pension, severance, or benefits, so I have no reason to complain. In case you’re interested, this vocational path came to an earlier end than I anticipated for a couple of reasons:
1) Number one, first and foremost, was that the Practical Sportsman ran out of money. TV stations couldn’t afford to continue their subsidies. Commercial underwriters are few and far between, and several of the underwriters we had ran out of money and weren’t able to fulfill their obligations. The museum had minimal traffic. We were denied a raffle license which we counted on to turn over some quick dollars. Money became so tight that we couldn’t make payroll. Zachary had to leave last fall because of the money problem. We borrowed from here and there, and finally had to face the fact that the well had run dry. We were done, financially, plain and simple.
2) As this was happening, another event occurred that was even more mind-boggling, confusing, challenging and emotionally-gut-wrenching than the end of my TV career. Both of my parents, at the same time, were experiencing a rather rapid decline in health. They adamantly want to spend their last days in the home they lived in for over 40 years, and my sister and I are trying to make that happen. She’s a school teacher in Texas and came back to help during the summer break, but she had to go back this week to get her classroom set up, then she’s taking a leave to come back. This week I will be the 24-hour caregiver for both of my parents. If you haven’t had this experience, there’s no way I can explain it. If you have had the experience, there’s no need to explain.
3) Then, about two weeks ago, Buck Stop executed a “seizure of assets” on the Practical Sportsman Foundation and Fred Trost Legal Services, P.C. The doors of the office and Museum were immediately locked and have been locked for several weeks. We haven’t been able to get in, get phone messages, mail was disrupted, and obviously all of our activities ceased on a moment’s notice. We’ve hired an attorney to help us sort this out. With my family obligations – which must come first – I haven’t had time to attend to this latest Buck Stop disruption like I should, but now we have a good lawyer helping us, and if the process goes as it should, things will work out. The Foundation had minimal assets, and most of what’s in the building is owned by other people and other organizations. We have to provide proof of this, which has been difficult because we haven’t been able to get into the building where the files are because they were doing an inventory. Buck Stop apparently thought I had been squirreling away money and assets, routing money to family members, etc., and they wanted to jump in before we folded up and moved out. They will find when we get access to the records that nothing like that ever occurred. We’ve been barely keeping the lights on and the phones on. Nothing has been hidden, absconded with, embezzled or re-routed in any way – the Practical Sportsman TV show has been a loser for a number of years I thought if I worked harder and longer I could save it. Apparently a lot of people think it was a cash cow, but it was nothing more than a mission I was on – not even a real business. Big mistake. SO, THE REAL STORY on how I “decided” to “retire” should be phrased this way: “Fred Trost is no longer producing the Practical Sportsman TV show, working at a job or earning any money, effective immediately, because all the equipment and things he used to go broke have been locked up by Buck Stop and his major activity is fixing instant oatmeal for breakfast.” My mind, my emotions and my time are primarily dedicated to my mom and dad right now, and the next week or two will be nearly full time home care-giving, with the uncomfortable knowledge that time is growing short. So much for the story about my “retirement.” --Fred Trost