Alex (Sonny Boy) Bellehumeur, author, herein dedicates this journal to Dr. Stuart Farber, dean of students and professor at the College of Business Administration at California State University, who encouraged Alex to publish a book about his life.

Cal State Long Beach (CSULB), held special events with hundreds of current and former students each year. Alex Bellehumeur, past president of the Port of Long Beach and then Governor appointee and chairman of the World Trade Commission, was asked by Dr. Farber to be the keynote speaker at one of these affairs in front of over six hundred attendees aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.
We met early and began “The Walk”, during which time Dean Farber extracted details of my youth, and believed the audience should know the challenges I was able to overcome. This had nothing to do with my planned speech.
Thoughts from Dr. Farber: • “In all my years of hosting this special event, I have never had such an incredible response from the audience.” • “You have changed the lives of many attendees.” • “A book of your past challenges and how they were overcome by taking that ‘one step beyond’ would have a life-changing effect on those whose life’s growth potential would not otherwise be met.”

It has been 16 years from when Dr. Farber made such a request, that Alex began the process in the hope of encouraging the readers to take that “One Step Beyond”.