The Five-Percent Minority

In the summer of 1929, a few months before the Great Depression, a drama started to unfold in the quaint little village of Chagrin Falls, Ohio—a drama that would impact the lives of many people for nearly a century. The story begins with a teenager, Katherine Jones, and a horseman from the East, Kenneth Palmer. They soon married, opening the curtains on a dysfunctional marriage.

Act one characterizes the couple’s lifestyle, which included drinking, infidelity and domestic abuse. Even with two young sons, the pattern of behavior continued. The horse training business often took them to Westbury, New York. It was there that Katherine Palmer became infatuated with a young unmarried man whose family owned the horses as well as a tavern. Act one draws to a close with an impulsive affair and an unexpected pregnancy.

Act two brought Gary into the drama. Born in Chagrin Falls in 1940 at his maternal grandmother’s home with no birth certificate; Gary’s life was a catalyst for change. In the spring of 1947, like a slamming screen door, the Palmer family dissolved. The stage door opened for Gary, setting the scene for abandonment, poverty, a children’s home, and foster care.

The final act concludes Gary’s tale of resiliency and character, striving for a life of his own. A search for identity in the face of adversity is the backdrop for this amazing story. Overcoming the odds at every stage of his life made Gary the strong and loving person he became.