14 CityLight.org
march 2012
position of Chief of Staff. The Air Force gave
me a fantastic base from which to launched
my civilian career," he added. He related one
of his experiences at Officer Candidate School,
which demonstrated commitment, account-
ability, service and submission.
Grimaud said, It was his first day at OCS. He
was leaving the mess hall after his evening meal
and was unable to tell which squadron was his
because they were all lined up with the back of
their shaved heads toward him, they all looked
alike. When he realized he was in the wrong
squadron, he raised his hand as they marched
along and that's when the trouble started. They
had a great deal of fun at his expense. He was
marched into walls and closets. He faced those
in charge, nose to nose, as they questioned his
ability to make it through Officer Candidate
School when he couldn't even find his own
squadron. He answered them in a strong voice,
"I can do it, Sir." They harassed him for an hour.
He shared how he took that incident and oth-
ers which could have been very humiliating
experiences and used them for his benefit. He
stood strong and stayed committed to his goal.
The joy of the Lord was his strength and he was
able to aggressively achieve his goals.
The Grimauds concluded their presentation with
a testimony of how blessed they are. "Our great-
est blessing is our love for each other, our three
sons, and their wives, all whom work with us in
our businesses, and our nine grandchildren."
Rev. Dr. Hattie Mickens, Pastor of Holy Light
Tabernacle, opened the second day of the con-
ference with prayer. Dr. Mickens is the mother
of Pastor Sylvia Mickens and 13 other children.
Rev. Mickens won the hearts of the women at
a love worth noting that springs from the re-
lationship between the Father and Son. Jesus
submitted to his Father, came to earth, became
our sin, and died so that as many of us who
believe in Him will return to the Father.
Joe Grimaud describes himself as businessman,
husband of Gladys, and father of three sons who
are making him a grandfather many times over.
Grimaud always acknowledges God and His
love as the reason for his lifestyle and his good
fortune. Mr. Grimaud is the owner of Chapin
Furniture store and a series of Precision Tune
franchises. He has been married to Gladys Gri-
maud for 55 years and credits the military for his
preparation for the business world.
Joe opened his remarks with the story of meet-
ing the young girl he fell in love with so long
ago. "She is the love of my life," he added. Gri-
maud believes that the family is the
cornerstone of building the future
for the next generation in the flesh.
He told of how important his own
mother and father were in shaping
his view of the world, along with
his morals and values.
He reminisced about how life
changing an Air Force career can
be. "I got almost everything I ever
dreamed of in my career, except the
esther Women of Influence
"Women in Transition"
Continued from page 5
Juanita Walker-ross, Annette balaguer