Howdy, folks! My name is Steven Raimondi. Call me Steven. Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve been obsessed with steam trains. It all started when I was about two years old and I fell in love with my grandfather’s old Lionel steam train engine # 233, Smokey by name. As I watched Smokey work his magic by racing along those little tracks and watched his rods moving, I fell in love with steam trains.
Today, my passions include steam trains, steam ships, classic cars, and classic films (especially Disney). As an old-fashioned, autistic adult, I live with my family in San Jose, California. I was never a fan of writing in school but always loved daydreaming. I have found writing to be a wonderful way to share my ideas with others.
When I was young, I was diagnosed with high functioning autism, which is part of the autism spectrum disorder. My grandfather, Theodore Allen Sieverson (Grandpa Ted, I call him), he had Parkinson’s Disease for twenty-eight years, and he knew what it was like to have a life issue. He and I were very close growing up, to me he was more than just my grandfather, he was my hero, my role-model, and he was also my best friend. He was the grandfather who owned Smokey, the Lionel train I mentioned earlier. Of all the toy trains I have in my collection Smokey is my crown jewel, not just because of getting me fascinated with steam trains, but that little engine is also my monument to the bond I had with my grandfather.
My grandfather passed away just five days before my fifteenth birthday, it was the saddest day in my life, when he died, I was heartbroken, and when I said a prayer for him, I made him a promise that I would not only look after my grandmother, but I would keep his spirit alive and pass on what I learned from him to my children and grandchildren. He taught me many things growing up, and one of the most important things I learned from him was this, even though you have a life issue, like Parkinson’s, autism, or any other form of life issue, don’t let it stop you from doing what you want to do, like the things you yourself want to do, including doing things with your friends and loved ones. I learned a lot from my grandfather, he was the greatest and most courageous man I’ve ever known, and I am the way I am today is because of him, and I’m very thankful to him.
When I was young and to this day, my lifelong dream was to be a steam train engineer and race along the rails like Casey Jones. Sadly, I was born too late, but growing up I always loved stories that had things that interested me. Some of my favorites were mysteries, but all the stories I liked had one thing in common, they all had happy endings (which I really like).
I was not into reading that much when I was young, I always liked to watch the movies and shows on television, and I liked looking at the pictures in the books I had. Growing up I liked to envision the Disney characters and classic television and movie characters I liked in my own stories, which I pictured in my head. It was not until my late teens that I realized I had a good imagination. When I realized that, I started visualizing my own stories, and I realized writing them down was an effective way to get them out.
I sent one of my Disney fan stories to Mary Costa, the lady who voiced Aurora in Disney’s 1959 film “Sleeping Beauty”, which is my favorite Disney film. Mary Costa loved the story so much, she left me a voicemail which I have kept to this day. She sent me a special autographed photo, which I framed and have on my wall at home. Upon receiving the photo and her personal feedback, her kind words gave me the encouragement to keep writing. Eventually, I decided to try and publish my stories into books, much like how Reverend Wilbert Awdry did with the “Thomas the Tank Engine” stories.
I hope to publish more of the stories that I am writing into books so people can enjoy them, I also have some special plans for them if things turn out the way I hope they will. Another wish I have is to find the girl of my dreams, and as I mentioned above, I hope to pass on what I learned from my Grandpa Ted to my children. Maybe one day, I will be able to have my own steam railroad at my home, much like how Walt Disney had at his house on Carolwood Drive. My railroad may be the same size as Walt’s or it might be bigger in gauge, then I can live my dream of being a steam train engineer.
