Odd Man Out, Odd Beat Out

About the Book

A devoted and loving husband, an exemplary father to two sons and a daughter and a doting grandfather to three granddaughters and a grandson, Bienvenido identified his timeline in these segments: formative years, marching years and technical years. His formative years in the Philippines were difficult. Having a widowed working mother, Bien practically raised himself. He won a coveted place at the Philippine Military Academy, thus began his marching years. However, two years before graduation, he left the Academy and joined the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency. This was the start of his technical years. He became one of the top officers of the Agency His technical years continued when Bien migrated to the United States in 1975 to join his family. Working for the Camden City Board of Education in New Jersey, Bien joined its union, the Camden Education Association,CEA. He became the first Asian- American, non-certified teacher to be president of the CEA. He was instrumental in negotiating one of the best contracts in the history of the CEA and was best known for membership advocacy and saving jobs. Bien developed a formula for salary guides for different employment groups. He was also a tireless consultant for the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). Poetry was Bien’s escape - “the language of my soul”. While he wrote most of his poems at the Academy, he continued to write during his early technical years.

About the Author