Jack of All Trades and Master of None: An Inventory of My Life and Times

ROBERT D. McCLINCHEY looks back at a long and fruitful life in this memoir, beginning with his birth on the family farm in 1926.

Growing up in East Wawanosh Township in Ontario, he found plenty of adventure-often getting into mischief with his six siblings. The family worked together, struggled together and had fun together.

From an early age, one of the keys to Robert's life was music, which the family enjoyed playing together. Whenever he played the fiddle, he was at peace with himself and others. It also led him to his late wife of 58 years, Frances. In 1950, the two were married.

In this candid look back at his long life, Robert remembers his varied careers, including fisherman, pool hustler, machinist, mechanic, ice-road trucker, gasoline station attendant, road-builder, snowplow operator, bus driver, farmer and syrup maker. More importantly, he explores what it means to be a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather while being a Jack of All Trades and Master of None.

Robert D. McClinchey is a fifth-generation Huron County, Ontario, resident who has spent a lifetime adding unique, one-of-a-kind experiences to his personal biography. Whether playing the violin, watching baseball, or listening to music, his sense of humor and genuine personality are apparent. He lives with his son and daughter-in-law and enjoys spending time with his extended family and friends. Gregory W. McClinchey began his public career at the age of sixteen as a federal political aide; today, after twenty years of experience on Parliament Hill, in media broadcasting, and in elected politics, that community service continues. His educational background includes media, communications and alternative dispute resolution, and he is the author of the 2007 political biography Stickin' to His Guns. McClinchey now makes his home in Ottawa with his wife and their two children.