Jerry Genesio

Jerry is a second generation Italian-American whose grandparents emigrated from Piacenza in the Emilia-Romagna Region of northern Italy at the dawn of the 20th Century. He was born in Framingham and raised on a hog farm in Milford, Massachusetts. His father died when he was twelve, and three years later his mother sold the farm. Shortly after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and served six years. He was honorably discharged a sergeant (E-5). Following several years of surf fishing and construction jobs on the North Carolina coast, he returned to New England settling in Maine where he spent 20 years representing a west coast, biologicals firm as a company trained human blood specialist in ME, NH, and VT.

In the 1980s-90s, Jerry founded two humanitarian organizations. The first, Veterans for Peace, delivered aid to children victimized by war in Central America, served to educate U.S. voters regarding the human costs of war, and earned status as a United Nation NGO. As its membership grew, the organization became progressively more pacifist in nature and Jerry left due to philosophical differences. The second, the Children of War Rescue Project, assisted in the evacuation of Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, and Kosovan children wounded in the wars among the former Yugoslavian republics, and helped to provide them with pro bono medical/surgical care. When peace came to the new nations once part of Yugoslavia, Jerry was hired by the Portland Public Library in Portland, Maine, as a Maine historian and abstracter. He finally retired in 2003 and now lives in Bridgton, Maine, where he spends most of his time immersed in his research and writing projects.

For many years, Jerry was an area correspondent for The Bridgton (ME) News, and the Lewiston (ME) Sun-Journal. He has published many articles in periodicals such as Yankee, New England Outdoors, Mother Earth News, BitterSweet, and MaineLife. And he has published five books including Veterans for Peace: The First Decade (1998); Unseen Hazards That Threaten Hunters, Campers, and Hikers (2009); Portland Neck: The Hanging of Thomas Bird (2010); Stoking the Embers of War (2011); and Lamb’s Blood (2012). In addition, he created and maintains two blogs: