This West Warwick native, son of William and Jeannine (Cayouette) Gallucci, contemplates where he and his wife, Carol, might live in the future, when they retire. Like many others, they consider southern realms (Florida), possibly renting for a while, before buying.

If anything, Gary carefully studies situations, before he acts.

After all, he didn’t marry until the ripe old age of 32, for that’s when he met Carol (formerly Romano), the woman with whom he has three children.

I met him on Facebook (seriously). And I was intrigued with Gary Gallucci’s committed following, all due to his Facebook posts.

I call him a “Provocateur” in that he writes about a situation and asks readers how they’d respond. In other words, he provokes thoughts and reactions.

Here’s a paraphrased version of his last week’s post: “Your neighborhood’s been hit with a rash of robberies and the last victim was your neighbor who was robbed of a genuine, $40,000 gem-studded necklace that’s been in the family for generations. The neighbor is understandably upset. While cleaning out a closet of your home, in the far reaches, you find a box filled with coins and valuables that you don’t recognize. On the very top layer is the afore-mentioned glittering necklace. What do you do?”

The comments come in and reflect the attitude of each player, from “serious” (“Report your wife to the cops,”) to “sublime:”  (“Pack for Venezuela.”)

Gary’s regulars all weigh in, and the conversation gets lively.

What questions get the most mileage? ‘Politics and guns,’ he says ‘always.’

But while these topics generate intense debate, neither side convinces the other, just like our nation’s electoral debate going on, right now.

In this, Gary’s merely preparing for his next act in life, as fiction writer, one who makes up possible scenarios and characters. He’s flexing his creative muscles, in advance, tapping into what his readers like and playing off their responses.

Once a short term writer for Pawtuxet Valley Daily Times (he wanted the sports column but another reporter already had it), he worked for GTECH for 17.5 years, from 1983 to early 2001 and then  APC/Schneider Electric in West Kingston, for another fifteen years  to present.

That thiry-year combination makes him ‘the only person who has worked that long for both powerhouse companies in Rhode Island.’

His particular job description? Tech writer who creates specific language to go along with the products his company sells. He also facilitates the sales force in their marketing and training.

He says a ‘creative writer can become a technical writer, but a tech writer can’t necessarily be a creative writer.’ He thinks of himself as ‘creative.’

Like his Facebook posts, Gary enjoys conundrums.

But he adds, with impish good humor that ‘perseverance, loyalty, and general lack of interest in finding another job’ contributed to his longevity in his job.

Gary Gallucci grew up on Providence Street, in the Natick section of West Warwick, the son of the West Warwick police chief, in an Italian/French family whose many relatives lived nearby. Family togetherness is what he values most from his West Warwick upbringing.

Now, this West Warwick native lives in Johnston, for that’s where wife Carol lived, when he met her.

But it’s where his life brings him next that most intrigues, for I believe Gary will write his novel and maybe even a series of novels…

He’s merely testing the waters and building audience on Facebook.

He’s taking risks and stepping out, inviting a community to respond.

And his Facebook prompts get a lot of attention.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, here’s Gary Gallucci’s Facebook address, so you, too, can partake in the spirited “conversations”… https://www.facebook.com/gary.gallucci?fref=ts

While we all await his novels.

.  ***Got someone you’d like to see up in lights? Send their name, contact info, and why you think they’d be good candidate to ckmellor@cox.net with “Kent County People” in subject line. Your nominee doesn’t need to be current residents..he/she should exhibit a strong connection to West Warwick/Coventry.

West Warwick native, Colleen Kelly Mellor (ckmellor@cox.net), is a motivational speaker and freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Wall St. Journal, Scripps-Howard, and many regional newspapers. She is author to the children’s books Grandpa and the Truck (grandpaandthetruck.com) and is regular commentator in the Providence Journal. She currently completes “The Asheville Experiment,” the story of her and her husband’s nine year life in one of America’s trendiest little retirement towns—a cautionary tale for all those who consider a move.  In this book, she tells what went wrong and why they returned to live, full time in Rhode Island. Her website is colleenkellymellor.com