This is a special edition of Story of Everyman. We talk about our introduction through my local page, All Things Longview. She brought one of her artists, Jodi to share a little about herself. She shares details about a mural on a retaining wall in Longview, which, once completed, will be the second largest Mural in the state of Texas. Enjoy this special episode.

Episode: Corey Wade – The Outcast, The Craftsman, The Everyman Within

In The Story of Everyman, we go beyond headlines and highlight reels to uncover the raw, unfiltered human stories that remind us who we are. Each week, host John Silos sits down with someone whose journey mirrors the quiet battles and victories we all share — stories that breathe, break, and rebuild what it means to live with purpose, humility, and heart.

This episode brings us face to face with Corey Wade — a man whose laughter carries both grit and grace, and whose story unfolds like a weathered map of East Texas roads. Corey was born right here in Longview, and at almost fifty years old, he’s lived through the spectrum of what small-town life can shape — the good, the bad, and the misunderstood.

From his earliest days at Pine Tree, a school long labeled as “the rich white kid school,” Corey never fit the mold. He wasn’t the cool kid, wasn’t the athlete, wasn’t the rebel smoking under the stairs. He was something else entirely — the outcast skateboarder, the one who drifted between worlds, never quite belonging but always paying attention. His story captures the feeling of growing up on the edge of acceptance, in a time when identity was shaped by what you weren’t allowed to be.

As the conversation unfolds, Corey opens up about what it meant to be “the nerdy skateboarder” — intelligent enough to be placed in the Academically Gifted Minors program, yet restless enough to walk away from it all. He talks about how curiosity became rebellion, how potential can feel like a cage when you’re too young to understand it, and how that quiet defiance shaped the man he would later become.

But The Story of Everyman is never just about where we’ve been — it’s about what we carry forward. Through laughter and reflection, Corey reveals the irony and wisdom that come with age: the realization that getting older doesn’t automatically bring serenity or understanding. It just sharpens the edges of what’s real.

In this heartfelt sit-down, John and Corey explore friendship, regret, humor, and grace — those intangible truths that link us all together under the same human sky. The episode is less an interview and more a mirror, one that shows us how easily our stories can overlap, no matter how different our paths.

The Story of Everyman isn’t about fame or fortune — it’s about the ordinary people who carry extraordinary lessons. It’s about resilience, the beauty of imperfection, and the quiet courage of showing up in your own life — again and again.

So pull up a chair, take a breath, and listen. Because this — this is The Story of Everyman. And today, it’s Corey’s turn to tell it.

In every life, there are shadows… and yet, there is light. Today, we invite you into the story of a woman who has walked through both.

Marquett Ridgeway was born in Dallas, carried through childhood moves and memories, the eldest of three — a daughter, a sister, and a soul shaped by both joy and pain. From the shy halls of Mesquite High School to the bright lights of choir and theater, she learned to find her voice, even when the world tried to silence it.

Because behind her quiet strength is the truth of survival. Marquett endured the unthinkable — the wounds of sexual abuse — and still chose not only to live, but to rise. She became a mother, a nurturer, and a beacon of resilience for her daughters and for all who meet her.

Her journey is not one of defeat, but of defiance. Not one of endings, but of new beginnings. Through pain, she found courage. Through silence, she found song.

This is not just her story. This is the story of survival, of strength, of Everyman. This… is the story of Marquett Ridgeway.