So, I read your book! I probably read it at least four times. I thought it was pretty amazing. Your book really told the story of how you managed to break all the rules and not get arrested! You sure did blaze a trail with all the state-of-the-art technology you had available at the time. What I loved most was your emphasis on being honest, having a strong connection, and doing the right thing. These are qualities that aren't taught in school today.
You talked about legacy, which hardly any of us understood, even though we were juniors and seniors. Legacy was just a word until you started explaining it and proving what you were talking about with examples from your own life. It was a great two years with you, Mr. Gaskell. My parents were 100% behind everything you taught us. Many times they would say, “You're finally learning something that's going to do you some good.” Thank you again.
Former Student
Mr. Gaskell, I just read your book, and I learned a side of you I never completely knew. Probably the biggest thing I took away from the book was realizing how much of your life and career we only knew in pieces.
There were a lot of moments when I found myself thinking, “I knew he did this stuff, but I didn't really know this.” And that's pretty cool to experience as one of your students. I understand more about what made you successful. It wasn't the surveillance equipment, the hotlines, the corporate accounts, or even some of the insane situations you dealt with. It was how your brain worked that really made me think.
You were constantly looking at something and thinking, “There has to be a better way to do this.” You recognized patterns. You built systems. You adopted technology early. You trusted your instincts, and when something didn't work, you changed it. You came along at the right time in my life, and I thank you for being one of my best teachers during the last two years of high school.
Former Student
Dad, I think I understand more now about some of my tendencies to constantly create, build, and question things. This book says a lot about crisis management, but underneath all of it, I think you're really talking about character—who people are when nobody is watching. Doing the right thing when it would be easier not to, keeping your word, taking responsibility, and not allowing a small compromise are slowly becoming an acceptable way of living, yet you come back to that idea again and again. Systems matter, technology matters, and preparation matters, but ultimately everything depends on people and their character.
Reading this book helped me understand the principles you tried to live by. Even when I may not have completely understood them growing up, I appreciated seeing you talk about your father and the influence he had on you. You wrote that one of the greatest lessons from him wasn't something he necessarily told you; it was something he showed you through hard work. As your son, that landed differently, because now I'm reading about you remembering what your father taught you while I'm thinking about what I've learned from mine. There's something meaningful about that. Three generations can be connected by lessons nobody formally sat down to teach. They were simply demonstrated.
Our family has probably heard pieces of these stories over the years, but having them documented in one place makes you realize how unusual your life actually was. This may be my biggest takeaway. The book has value for anyone interested in business, investigations, crisis management, leadership, or our own security. Thank you, Dad, for being what you are and for everything you've done for our family.
Success always looks cleaner when you look backward at it. The book reminded me that there were late-night calls, uncertainty, financial pressure, difficult decisions, employees depending on your company, people depending on you, people in legitimate danger, and situations where somebody had to make a decision right then. You describe running a business as something that doesn't shut off at the end of an eight-hour day. Your brain keeps working at night, thinking about customers' problems and what comes next.
I understand a lot more today about what it probably cost you personally to build what you built. For me, its greatest value may eventually be to your kids and grandkids. Someday they won't be able to simply ask, “Dad, what happened back then?” or “Grandpa, how did you build that?” Now a lot of those answers exist. My kids may be too damn lazy to sit down and read 130 pages, so you probably need an audiobook, too. But they should know these stories—not simply because they're interesting, but because this is part of their history. Your decisions affected my life, and my life affected theirs, whether they realize it or not. Part of the reason they have the lives they have is because of decisions their grandfather made decades before they were born. That's powerful.
Mostly, I felt proud—not simply because my dad built a successful company, but because of the curiosity, persistence, stubbornness, creativity, and willingness to take responsibility that went into it. I appreciated seeing you not only as my father, but as a young guy trying to provide for his family, build something from nothing, screw things up occasionally, learn, keep moving, and somehow turn all of that into a life. That's probably the biggest compliment I can give the book.
Something I noticed was that you didn't tell the story as though you did everything yourself. You gave your mate, your wife, Selina, tremendous credit, along with the employees, coordinators, programmers, and other people who helped make it work. That mattered to me. It made the book feel less like “Look what I accomplished” and more like “Look at this unbelievable thing we all somehow built together.” I think that's a much better legacy. I also have to say this because I'm still your son and not a professional book critic: some of the shit is crazy.
James's Son
Hey, James Gaskell—I can't believe you did all of these things and never talked about them. SWAT running in the office. People stranded on a mountain. Organized theft rings. Crime Stoppers. School shootings. Corporate executives. A $34,000 phone bill. Especially interesting was the story of you sitting in the rafters of a restaurant with binoculars and basically a “pee can,” not knowing it would become a respected hotline service that would save many lives and protect large companies worldwide.
A great book, and I hope you'll write more books like this.
Reader
Mr. Gaskell, I finished your book feeling like I knew my dad a little better than I did before I started reading it. I think that's a pretty good reason for you to have written it. You're really a great writer. I imagine you always have been. It was easy to read, and you really placed me in the moment. I loved that.
I remember you teaching us in high school. You had a very unique way of teaching us, and most of us really liked it. You moved around, emphasized things you'd written on the board, and then explained them in depth. Teachers didn't do that then, and they probably don't do that now. I wish my kids could have taken your course. Two years with you were an amazing part of my life.
I wish you'd write a book on education and what it was like back in the '50s, as you talked about once in a while. We really need to get that back. Teachers need to be reprogrammed to the basics. You've got to have the basics. If you don't have them, you're not going to learn the proper channels you need to know about, and accomplishments will be minimal. You will not ever do that.
I also heard that after you left and started your own business, several students pulled you over while they were on their way to Klamath Falls, where the college was, late one night. They all thanked you for teaching the freshman courses from Oregon State University during your second year. As you promised them, they were able to skate through their first year of college, while many other students had dropped out. They deeply appreciated that and will never forget it. Thank you.
Former Student
Dear Mr. Gaskell, thank you for the e-book. I really appreciate it. I have been reading it and, as a matter of fact, reading it to my family—my children, especially my older children. They appreciate it, and knowing you were my teacher makes it more pleasant.
I don't want to take up any more of your time. I just wanted to say that you helped me tremendously as a teacher and as a friend. I will never forget it. I will always be appreciative of you and the two years you dedicated to being a high school teacher for us. Thank you.
Former Student
