Prier created “Joe Cool” as a motivational poster in 1981 to show teenagers the importance of balancing academics and athletics while leaving drugs alone. But “Joe Cool” didn’t spring from Snoopy and his shades.
“That was long before me. That was a ghetto-type name,” he said, explaining that it applied to someone who lived the high life in the neighborhood.
Prier had been writing long before 1981, but “‘Joe Cool’ was what set it off. It was about showing how academics and athletics went hand in hand or the kids will lose out,” Prier said.
The poster caught on and was used for years by institutions ranging from schools to jails.
“There are kids who grew up on ‘Joe Cool’ who are now parents. It reached a lot of kids.”
Even before his “Joe Cool” became popular, Prier made a name for himself as a writer, and especially as a newspaper columnist. He’s been writing columns for The Journal since the late 1970s.
“What really kept me going was a friend named Frank Malloy. He told me ‘It would be a shame that you had to die and didn’t have people discover you.’ Even though it was tongue-in-cheek, that inspired me to be more guarded about my writing,” Prier said.
Having worked as an educator in Middletown City Schools for 39 years, Prier’s main concern has been reaching out to youth and trying to steer them toward a positive path. Prier has been so devoted to the city that even when he tried taking other jobs at Wright State University or at D. Russell Lee (now Butler Tech), he always came back to Middletown.
“This is where my heart was and this was what I wanted to do.”
Prier knows all too well that he can’t reach everyone, despite his best efforts. “Once I talked to a child or tried to make an impact and he or she doesn’t see it my way, I had no trouble going to jails or on the street. I looked on each one with love and hope they would turn around.”
Some didn’t.
“I’ve got some horror stories. It hurts. I’ve cried over what I’ve seen happen to some kids. I’ve given eulogies at funerals. That was hard,” Prier said.
But many kids do take heart. Even Joe Cool made a comeback. In 1996, Prier wrote a sequel to his well-known piece.
Prier wrote, “Joe’s now an active member in his church today. He reads the Bible daily ... he’s learned to pray. Today the kids look up to Super Joe Cool. He lives a drug-free life. He’s no longer a fool.”
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