On Stage

UA Alumni Author and Book Info

 

Susan Frank '89 and Krystal Greene

CLEAN, LEAN, AND GREENE:
FOOD PHILOSOPHIES & HEALTHY RECIPES

The creation of this book came about as a result of the Nutrition Lecture Series given by Krystal Greene. Many people know that they should be making healthy choices, but are bombarded by a lot of conflicting information. The text of this book explains in simple-to-understand language, what makes us fat, why we experience so much inflammation and degeneration in our bodies, and WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!

The recipes are designed for wonderful palate-pleasing experiences that nourish the body for clean eating. There's even a section on decadence and rules for cheating!

Krystal Greene

The book is a collaboration between Susan Frank, (editor, publisher), and Krystal Greene, (author, nutritionist, and health guru). Susan and Krystal met at O2 Modern Fitness, LLC. Susan opened O2 in 2009, and while looking for the best fitness professionals in Tucson, hired Krystal to teach group classes and run the nutrition guidance program. The book focuses on nutritional guidelines taken from a series of lectures presented by Krystal. Also included are examples of recipes categorized into "action" chapters such as Drink, Stir, Blend, Bake, etc. Short affirmations throughout inspire a healthy and positive relationship with food as a vital fuel source for a healthy, sustainable lifestyle, along with an exploration into food as a cultural and artistic experience. The book is spiral-bound at the top edge so it can be opened like an easel and propped up on a kitchen counter for use while preparing recipes.

Susan opened a fitness-training studio in Tucson, AZ in Dec. 2009. Prior to this she owned a Product Design Business in L.A. for about 15 years. To learn more about both businesses you can link to o2modernfitness.com and freshdesigninc.com.

 

J.A. Jance '66 '70 '00

LEFT FOR DEAD

Ali Reynolds investigates two shocking cases of victims brutally left for dead in New York Times bestselling J.A. Jance's latest mystery-thriller. When Santa Cruz County deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, Ali's classmate from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, both fall under suspicion of wrongdoing. Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier when she was dealing with a troubled friend. When she's summoned to his bedside at Physicians Medical Center in Tucson, it's impossible for her to turn away. And knowing Reyes as well as she does, Ali finds it hard to believe that he's become mixed up in the drug trade, despite evidence to the contrary. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds that her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there, too — working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified young woman presumed to be an illegal border crosser, who was raped and savagely beaten. Ali becomes determined to seek justice in both cases and secure safety for both victims. Together with Sister Anselm and a conscientious officer who won't let the case drop despite pressure from above, Ali digs for clues to find the true culprits. Fast-paced, tension-filled, and intriguingly complex, Left for Dead is J.A. Jance at her riveting best.

J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and four interrelated Southwestern thrillers featuring the Walker family. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington and Tucson, Arizona.

 

June Scobee Rodgers

STAR CHALLENGERS: MOONBASE CRISIS
With New York Times bestselling authors
Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta

In the first book, Star Challengers: Moonbase Crisis, four students are chosen to attend an event at a nearby Challenger Learning Center run by the mysterious Commander Zota. Soon, they are swept into a wild adventure that will take them across time and space, for Zota is from a bleak, desperate future where Earth faces a terrible crisis with no innovators to help solve it. Zota has traveled back in time to help create a generation that will be prepared for the challenges of the future. The story emphasizes to young readers that their educational interests and career choices can have an enormous impact on the future and may even save the world.

The recently published series of young adult books is another of my fulfilled dreams for helping young people realize they can overcome any circumstances and reach for the stars. With exciting stories and interesting, relatable characters, my co-authors and I hope this nail-biting adventure fosters a generation of thinkers who choose careers in science and technology.

Other books in the new and innovative series include: Star Challengers: Space Station Crisis, and Star Challengers: Asteroid Crisis. The series has received enthusiastic endorsements from Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Sally Ride, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Debbie Macomber, Leonard Nimoy and more.

June Scobee Rodgers, originally from Alabama, is the widow of Dick Scobee, commander of the space shuttle Challenger. June serves as the Founding Chairman of the Board and as a Founding Director for Challenger Center for Space Science Education. Holding a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and a Master’s degree from Chapman College, both in Curriculum and Instruction, she is proud of the fact that she has taught in every grade-level classroom from kindergarten through college. June is married to retired Army Lieutenant General Don Rodgers. They live in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and have three grown children and nine grandchildren.

 

Eric Stein '85 (co-author)

WHITE WATER
(Nominated for the 2012 NAACP Image Award)

It’s a scorching hot day, and going into town with Grandma is one of Michael’s favorite things. When the bus pulls up, they climb in and pay their fare, get out, walk to the back door, and climb in again. By the time they arrive in town, Michael’s throat is as dry as a bone, so he runs to the water fountain. But after a few sips, the warm, rusty water tastes bad. Why is the kid at the "Whites Only" fountain still drinking? Is his water clear and refreshingly cool? No matter how much trouble Michael might get into, he’s determined to find out for himself. Based on a transformative experience co-author Michael Bandy had as a boy, this compelling story sheds light on the reality of segregation through a child’s eyes, while showing the powerful awareness that comes from daring to question the way things are. For a young boy growing up in the segregated south, a town drinking fountain becomes the source of an epiphany.

Author Michael S. Bandy caught the writing bug when his third-grade teacher surprised him with a set of Dr. Seuss books. He’s been writing plays, screenplays, and books ever since. He lives in Los Angeles and is involved in a number of children’s charities.

Co-author Eric Stein began his career while attending the University of Arizona, squeezing classes between jobs as a college marketing rep for Columbia Pictures, a weekend news producer/anchor for PBS affiliate KUAT-AM/FM, and as a production crew member for KUAT-TV. After graduating Phi Kappa Phi with High Distinction, Stein began working as a copywriter for an ad agency in Tucson where he created radio, television and print ads for a number of businesses. With a host of award-winning ads under his belt, Stein moved to Los Angeles where he began writing for the children’s TV series Star Street and was a supervising producer on the animated special Defenders of Dynatron City. Among a host of other credits, Stein has also worked as an executive with Lucasfilm and MGM where he negotiated licenses for properties including: Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Pink Panther. He is also on the dive team at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, where he swims with sharks almost every weekend.

Illustrator Shadra Strickland won the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the John Steptoe award for her work in BIRD, and the NAACP Image Award for OUR CHILDREN CAN SOAR. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

Kathleen (Katta) Mapes '77 '85

STOP! THINK! CHOOSE!
BUILDING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN
YOUNG PEOPLE

A curriculum for teaching and applying the skills for development of emotional intelligence. Actually it is not just for young people as the lessons apply to all of us. Emotional intelligence has two parts: 1) Intrapersonal Intelligence which is comprised of knowing yourself, accepting yourself and managing yourself. 2) Interpersonal Intelligence which includes connecting, communicating, cooperating, and handling conflicts with others. This work is a compilation of lessons taught over a period of 25 years as a school counselor and educator.

Teachers didn't sign up to be counselors, but the reality is in today's world they have to deal with students' feelings in the classroom. From character education and retention to substance abuse and safe schools, this resource tackles the toughest issues teachers and their students face today. A ready-made curriculum and full-color posters are included. Each unit engages students' interests by working through a central theme they can relate to their own lives. They then build on this self-understanding to improve interactions with others. Seven units with reproducible handouts include knowing yourself, accepting yourself, managing yourself, connecting with others, communicating with others, cooperating with others, and handling conflicts with others. Age Level: 11 and up. Grade Level: 6 and up.

Katta (Kathleen) Mapes, M.A., M.Ed., and University of Arizona Alumni, worked in the Tucson Unified School District for 34 years, until May 2011. Recently, she launched her web site on emotional literacy and emotional intelligence at www.iEmotions.net. She is available for workshops on emotional literacy and interpersonal peacemaking.

 

Edna San Miguel '87

MISSION SAN XAVIER
A STORY OF SAINTS AND ANGELS, ART
AND ARTISTS

I wrote the Mission San Xavier Book to share with the reader my personal account working with an international conservation team from Italy, Turkey, and the Tohono O'odham trainees. My book consists of 72 pages, is hard bound, is bilingual, and has 46 full color illustrations of the Mission's art illustrated by me. My responsibilities were to document the process of the restoration work, by logging and compiling scientific information through three stages: architectural drawing, close up photographs, and logging daily interviews which inspired this book. Restoration work presented challenges due to differences in standards of scientific and aesthetic comparisons, language barrier translations, and cultural differences to work with.

Edna San Miguel is a sixth generation Tucsonan of Spanish and Jewish descent, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the U of A. Her work is exhibited widely in galleries in Arizona and California. Canada: Designed muppets for Jim Hensen, murals in Vancouver Island. Arizona: Worked on San Xavier conservation group with Vatican professionals and under the Guggenheim direction.

   

David Fitzsimmons '77 (illustrator)
Jim Griffith '61 (author)

A BORDER RUNS THROUGH IT

Jim Griffith takes the reader on a journey through the folklore and traditional cultures of southern Arizona and northern Sonora in Mexico (the region known as the Pimeria Alta, or upper land of the Pimas). Experience the vibrant arts, music, religion, culinary traditions, places, and people of the region.

Jim Griffith, internationally recognized folklorist and former director of the Southwest Folklore Center at the University of Arizona, has studied traditional folkways and religious expression throughout the American Southwest and northern Mexico for more than four decades. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

David Fitzsimmons is a 56-year old cartoonist who should know better. He graduated form the UA when Geronimo was the Dean of the Anthropology Department and Padre Kino sold Fry Bread at the Student Union.

 

Gary L. Stuart '64 '67

INNOCENT UNTIL INTERROGATED:
THE TRUE STORY OF THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE MASSACRE
AND THE TUCSON FOUR (won Best Embodying Arizona Book and Best Adult Nonfiction for UA Press at the 2011 Arizona Book Awards)

Gary L. Stuart’s Innocent Until Interrogated is a riveting exploration of one of the most horrific crimes in modern Arizona’s history: the mass murder of nine residents of a Buddhist temple near Phoenix in 1991. In this first book-length treatment of the Buddhist Temple Massacre, Gary L. Stuart explores the unspeakable crime, the inexplicable confessions, and the troubling behavior of police officials. Stuart's impeccable research for the book included a review of the complete legal records of the case, an examination of all the physical evidence, a survey of three years of print and broadcast news, and more than fifty personal interviews related to the case. Like In Cold Blood, and The Executioner's Song, Innocent Until Interrogated is a riveting read that provides not only a striking account of the crime and the investigation but also a disturbing look at the American justice system at its very worst.

Gary L. Stuart is an attorney in Phoenix. He is the author of six books, including The Gallup 14, a novel based on the notorious court case of 1930s New Mexico, and Miranda: The Story of America's Right to Remain Silent, the latter published by the University of Arizona Press.

 

Margaret Falk '78 '84

THE SHOP

How do you cover up a crime so heinous it would shatter all faith in the federal government? By substituting a more sensational one. Pop-star Brienne Cross is murdered on the set of her reality show in Aspen, but the real crime is thousands of miles away. J. Carson Black got the idea for THE SHOP while watching the televised arrival of suspected child-killer John Mark Karr in Boulder, Colorado—attended by all the pomp and circumstance of the space shuttle.

THE SHOP pits small-town detective Jolie Burke against a shadowy government entity bent on covering up its crimes. And to beat them at their own game, she teams up with the hardened assassin who killed Brienne Cross.

A native Tucsonan, Margaret Falk studied vocal performance at UA and sang opera in Europe. She realized she was, at heart, a writer and returned to the U.S. Writing under the pen name, J. Carson Black, her thriller, The Shop, sold more than 60,000 Kindle copies in 2011. That success led to a 3 book deal with Amazon Publishing.

 

John Janda '63 '66

AMERICAN SPIRIT

A literary novella set in the Arizona Territory of 1878, an 'Everyman' story compared by some and preferred by some to Camus' THE STRANGER. Tried and condemned for a capital crime he doesn’t know whether he committed or not, our AMERICAN SPIRIT protagonist, Mort Lewis, learned at least in consequence 'How best to live, and best die'.

This story originated in a dream and later wrote itself. John Janda served as a scribe rather than as an author and recently added a postscript describing that 'much better than he deserved' writing process.

I was a B.A. grad at the U of A in 1963, M.A. (History) in 1966, did more graduate studies at U.C. Irvine – then got into literary writing in 1974, while also continuing to work in social services. All in all, a very satisfying life-course.

 

Jennifer Ross-Nazzal '93

WINNING THE WEST FOR WOMEN:
THE LIFE OF SUFFRAGIST EMMA SMITH DEVOE

When people think of votes for women, Susan B. Anthony comes to mind. Relatively few Americans today recognize the name Emma Smith DeVoe, yet she was one of the best known suffragists of her day. DeVoe’s use of feminine strategies helped to secure the 1910 victory in Washington State—the first suffrage campaign to succeed since 1896. Americans might be surprised to learn that the womanly tactics DeVoe supported won over voters in the Evergreen State.

In researching and writing DeVoe’s story, I hoped Americans would come to recognize just how difficult and tumultuous the battle for women’s enfranchisement was.

Dr. Jennifer Ross-Nazzal is the historian at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. She is an accomplished oral historian and has authored or co-authored numerous articles on the space shuttle, the Johnson Space Center, and the surrounding community.

 

Betty A. Newmeyer Barr '58

A JOHN SLAUGHTER KID
THE STORY OF MAY WATKINS BURNS

A John Slaughter Kid, the Story of May Watkins Burns, tells of a girl who grew up during the history-making days of early twentieth century Arizona. Woven against the rich backdrop of John Slaughter's San Bernardino Ranch east of Douglas, the story unfolds as Arizona achieves statehood and the Mexican Revolution rages south of the border. It continues as May marries Tucson florist Hal Burns, a pioneer in the business district's eastward expansion. The author, who specializes in the history of southeast Arizona, grew up in Tucson where May Burns was the mother of her closest girlhood friend. The family has graciously shared historic letters and photographs to aid in the telling of her story.

Betty Barr is an award-winning journalist specializing in uncovering hidden treasures — the people, places and things unique to southeast Arizona. Previous books include: Hidden Treasures of Santa Cruz County, More Hidden Treasures of Santa Cruz County, and Around Sonoita. She co-edited with Dr. William J. Kelly, a revised edition of Arizona in the '50s, by Capt. James Tevis. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and she has been a regular contributor to the Nogales International and Sonoita Bulletin newspapers since 1997.

 

Jim Turner '76 '99

ARIZONA: CELEBRATION OF THE
GRAND CANYON STATE

Jim Turner captures Arizona's history with engaging words accompanied by scenic and historic images that define the spirit of this last frontier outpost of the continental United States. Arizona is a colorful, comprehensive, and exciting history of the Grand Canyon State from its prehistoric origins, to its definitive Native American, Spanish, and Wild West cultures, to its present biotech industries.

Jim Turner has a master's in U.S. history, and worked for UofA Student Publications, Student Health, and the Chemistry Department. He was historian for the Arizona Historical Society, and has taught Arizona history at several local colleges. He is co-author of The Arizona Story (a fourth grade textbook), and has written for Arizona Highways, The Journal of Arizona History, The Capitol Times, and the Arizona Daily Star. He is currently a part-time editor for Rio Nuevo Publishers.

 

Jane Eppinga '58 '71

LA MALINCHE

Throughout history, Malinche has been maligned as a traitor to her people. I wanted to show a different side to her life. The reader travels through the violent and complex Aztec culture through their food, medicines and family life. The reader follows Malinche, Maya princess raised as an Aztec, from her birth and betrothal to the powerful Moctezuma to the bed of the conqueror, Cortés. Malinche was a woman caught in the epic battle for God and gold. Her union with Cortés produced a son, the first Mexican. The story of Malinche and Cortés is one of the great love stories of all time.

My writing credentials include eight books and more than 300 articles for both popular and professional publications. My books include a biography of Henry Ossian Flipper, West Point’s First Black Graduate, Arizona Twilight Tales, and books in Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series focusing on Tucson, Nogales, Apache Junction and Tombstone. I write regularly for Biology Digest, a quarterly publication for high school science teachers. In 2009, Globe Pequot published my book: They Made Their Mark: An Illustrated History of the Society of Woman Geographers. That same year, I made a presentation on the Society of Woman Geographers at the 10th International Congress of Women in Madrid, Spain. La Malinche is my historical novel about Malinche, the mistress of Cortez, during the conquest of Mexico.

 

Samuel Martin Kier '74

TWO CENTURIES OF VALOR:
THE STORY OF THE 5TH INFANTRY REGIMENT

Following the publication of his novel, Thirty-Six Points, a story based on the exploits of the 5th U.S. Infantry Regiment in Korea, Sam Kier was encouraged by his readers to tell the story of the other 197 years in the life of America’s third oldest Army unit. Two Centuries of Valor chronicles the regiment’s record in combat from the War of 1812 to the War on Terror and its many years of peacetime service from the Minnesota wilderness to the Sinai Peninsula. It is a story of courage, sacrifice and missions accomplished.

Sam Kier completed his Ph.D. in Special Education in 1974 at UA. He served in the public schools of California for forty years. Since retiring, he has enjoyed having time to write. Two Centuries of Valor is his third published work.

 

Bonham C. Richardson '61

IGNITING THE CARIBBEAN'S PAST

Unlike the hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions that have influenced Caribbean history, the region’s fires have almost always been human-caused. This book focuses on the uses and effects of fire in the Lesser Antilles in the 1890s, when the region was experiencing a savage economic depression that reinforced sociopolitical inequities. It shows how the uses of fire were catalysts and causes of important changes in the region. The initial inspiration for this book probably was my witnessing contemporary Caribbean sugar cane fires that are at once social, environmental, and biological events that seem to pull everything together.

I am a retired geography professor. My five books and roughly fifty articles and book chapters are based on field observation and archival research focused on the small island of the Eastern Caribbean. I am currently finishing a biography of my father.

On Stage

UA Alumni Author and Book Info

 

Mary L. Peachin '63

SHARKS: THE SLEEK AND THE SAVAGE

Award-winning adventure writer Mary L. Peachin brings readers into the world of the ocean’s most celebrated, admired and feared apex predator.

According to Peachin, the 375 species of sharks discovered to date have generated intense anxiety, curiosity and interest. Several generations have grown up with a distorted view of sharks. Far from being the ruthless man-eaters portrayed on film and video, Peachin paints a portrait of fascinating creatures who maintain a vital role in the ocean’s environment. She describes them as striking, sleek and beautiful animals that deserve consideration and conservation from those taught to fear and dislike sharks. Blending scientific research with personal experience, Peachin strives to educate readers about sharks by enlightening them about their biology, behavior, habitats, and even the potential avoidance of an inadvertent shark attack.

“This book was guided by my fascination in learning about sharks, their endangerment, and how to protect them. At the same time, I could provide the reader with arm-chair thrills by sharing my open ocean encounters,” Peachin says. "This book is a complete, informative guide to sharks that adds that up-close underwater adrenaline rush."

Intended to educate and entertain, the book includes photos and descriptions of Peachin's scuba diving experiences that brought her up close and personal with sharks. "Sharks: The Sleek and the Savage" also includes newly identified species, recent research and new worldwide discoveries.

Mary L. Peachin is an award-winning adventure travel writer and photographer who has explored the seven continents. Since 1996, she has published an adventure newsletter on www.peachin.com. Her articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines. She is the author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sharks," "Scuba Caribbean" and "Sport Fishing in the Caribbean." She also writes an historical column for Inside Tucson Business. Stock photographer for Lonely Panet Images. Member of SATW, ASJA, OWAA and TMAC (Canada).

 

J.A. Jance '66 '70 '00

LEFT FOR DEAD

Ali Reynolds investigates two shocking cases of victims brutally left for dead in New York Times bestselling J.A. Jance's latest mystery-thriller. When Santa Cruz County deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, Ali's classmate from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, both fall under suspicion of wrongdoing. Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier when she was dealing with a troubled friend. When she’s summoned to his bedside at Physicians Medical Center in Tucson, it's impossible for her to turn away. And knowing Reyes as well as she does, Ali finds it hard to believe that he’s become mixed up in the drug trade, despite evidence to the contrary. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds that her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there, too — working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified young woman presumed to be an illegal border crosser, who was raped and savagely beaten. Ali becomes determined to seek justice in both cases and secure safety for both victims. Together with Sister Anselm and a conscientious officer who won't let the case drop despite pressure from above, Ali digs for clues to find the true culprits. Fast-paced, tension-filled, and intriguingly complex, Left for Dead is J.A. Jance at her riveting best.

J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and four interrelated Southwestern thrillers featuring the Walker family. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington and Tucson, Arizona.

 

June Scobee Rodgers

SILVER LININGS:
MY LIFE BEFORE AND AFTER CHALLENGER 7

Twenty-five years after the very public tragedy of the space shuttle Challenger "Teacher in Space" mission, I’ve written my private story – the winding path through childhood poverty, homelessness, and family dysfunction to my teenage marriage and 26 years of love and life with Dick Scobee (U of A '65). It is more than a book about a ragged teenager who struggles to overcome adversity, or a widow of the Challenger commander. It's a coming of age story; it's an intimate story of love, and the power of that love to prevail over the Challenger tragedy. It's also the story of a man who dreamed of flying airplanes, never realizing that he would one day travel in space.

To help me answer probing questions of curious reporters, and perhaps help others overcome adversity, I wrote the whole story – not because I was proud, but because I've learned not to be too proud. Learning to accept my problems as challenges in a childhood sprinkled with death, divorce, mental illness, and rejection, helped me discover my own inner compass that turned my hopeless life in a new direction, and as an adult helped me turn the sorrow of Challenger into a legacy of hope.

The project has received enthusiastic endorsements from Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Sally Ride, Lee Greenwood, Barbara Bush, Debbie Macomber, John Glenn, and more.

June Scobee Rodgers, originally from Alabama, is the widow of Dick Scobee, commander of the space shuttle Challenger. June serves as the Founding Chairman of the Board and as a Founding Director for Challenger Center for Space Science Education. Holding a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and a Master’s degree from Chapman College, both in Curriculum and Instruction, she is proud of the fact that she has taught in every grade-level classroom from kindergarten through college. June is married to retired Army Lieutenant General Don Rodgers. They live in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and have three grown children and nine grandchildren.

 

Clark Lohr '72

DEVIL'S KITCHEN

Pima County Sheriff's Detective Manuel Aguilar investigates an apparently routine murder and soon finds himself in the middle of a hellish conspiracy between a Mexican drug lord and an Arizona land developer.

Aguilar needs help with this case and his redheaded girlfriend, Reina, along with his Yaqui grandmother, provide that help.So does Johnny Oaks, a PI who specializes in finding runaways. Jeff Goldman, a ponytailed attorney whose cynical facade belies his outrage at institutional corruption, makes it a foursome.

Devil's Kitchen is a southwest noir crime romance, set in the Sonoran Desert, where the sacred feminine traditions conflict with the masculine logic of profit and environmental exploitation.

BA Literature and Writing, UA, 1972 (split major). Post Bac. 1983, UA, Secondary Education , English. Montana Farm and Ranch background. Vietnam Veteran. Retired from UA. Worked at Residence Life.

 

Mark Wansa '82

THE LINDEN AND THE OAK

Intrigued by the mysterious stories I heard growing up, I became the first member of my family in 82 years to return to the Carpathian Mountain village of my father’s birth. The result of research and interviews with long-lost family members in Europe, The Linden and the Oak is the first English-language novel of the Rusyns, a little-known, stateless Eastern Slavic people. The book provides an intimate and detailed look at Rusyn village life and culture from 1913 to 1922, a period during which war and famine drove the desperate to leave their ancestral home for the promises of ‘Ameryka.’

A one-time resident of Tucson, I majored in European History at the University of Arizona and graduated in 1982. In 1998 I began nine years of research, travel, interviews, and writing that led to the publication of the The Linden and the Oak. My wife and I live in Albuquerque, NM, where we eagerly await the birth of our first grandchild.

 

Maria Church '83

LOVE-BASED LEADERSHIP:
TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE WITH MEANING AND ABUNDANCE

"Love? You can't write about love; no one would understand it. People will be confused by the word love." Maria heard those words repeatedly as she interviewed professors for her dissertation committee. Well - she did write about love, and we are glad she did! In this small book, Maria presents a big model of leadership - a Love-Based Leadership model. She takes the reader on a self-discovery journey as she presents a very simple, yet profound way to lead. Based on love of Self, love of Source, and love of Others, Maria's message is sprinkled with humor, music, and inspiration. She's igniting a movement, a love-based leadership movement, and has invited you along. Let's get rockin'!

Dr. Maria Church, co-founder of LBL Consultants, holds a Doctor of Management in Organization Leadership, is a writer, speaker, and coach in the areas of leadership, personal development, and empowerment. She authored the revolutionary book, Love-Based Leadership: Transform Your Life with Meaning and Abundance. Having spent many years in Corporate America, she has also worked with various government organizations, non-profit groups, and teaches for several universities. An ardent fan of classic rock and classic Motown, she is a formidable opponent on any rock trivia. Dr. Church lives in the canyons of southern Arizona and is working on her next book.

 

Rick D. Eskue '71

TOM HORN: KILLER OF MEN AND MONSTERS

Tom Horn had the resumé of a dangerous man: Rough Rider, Deputy Sheriff, Pinkerton Agent, Range Detective, and Cold-Blooded Killer. Now, framed for the one murder he didn’t commit, he’s a man with a price on his head, riding a fast horse to escape those who want him dead—corrupt government officials, an ambitious lawman, greedy bounty hunters, and a rogue Lakota medicine man leading an army of blood-thirsty monsters. But Horn was never a man to run for long, and when he stops, there’ll be Hell to pay. (Historically, Tom was hung in 1903; I gave him a second chance.)

Rick D. Eskue is a writer who grew up in Southeastern Arizona, Geronimo’s home territory. He currently lives with his wife, Beverly, and dog, and enjoys hiking in the desert hills, spending time with his four grown children and ten grandchildren, using Old West and ancient Roman weaponry (catapults and swords), and all things related to Tom Horn, Theodore Roosevelt, and Geronimo.

 

Dianne Beeaff '82

SPIRIT STONES:
UNRAVELING THE MEGALITHIC MYSTERIES
OF WESTERN EUROPE'S PREHISTORIC MONUMENTS

"My book explores the enduring lessons of Western Europe's prehistoric monoliths, stone circles and burial chambers. With fastidious research and first-hand accounts, I've tried to capture not only the architectural essence of these archeological treasures, but also their spiritual strength and personal application. My purpose in writing this book was essentially to honor the transcendent power of these relics."

I am a native of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and have authored two other works of non-fiction: Homecoming, a book of poetry, and A Grand Madness — Ten Years on the Road with U2. My first novel, Power’s Garden, was published in 2009 and garnered eight awards. I live in Tucson with my husband Dan. We have two children, Danielle and Dustin.

Betty Hupp '85 and Marilyn Malone '59

THE EDGE OF THE SEA OF CORTEZ:
TIDEWALKERS' GUIDE TO THE UPPER GULF OF CALIFORNIA

 

Betty Hupp and Marilyn Malone

The Edge of the Sea of Cortez is a lavishly illustrated guide to exploring the tide pools on the shores of the Gulf of California, prompted by the authors’ decades-long enchantment with the Sea of Cortez. In response to the many questions asked by our children at the beach, we decided to research and write a lively, user-friendly introduction to the area. After retiring from our work-life positions (Betty as administrative assistant at the UA, Marilyn as a police detective), we published our handbook for families and students, to facilitate knowledge and promote respect for this fragile sea/land interface.

Marilyn Malone writes: My best friend (and subsequent co-author) Betty Hupp and I enjoyed many years of beachcombing and tide-watching at Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico, with our young children. Twenty-five years later, we again made frequent trips to the Sonoran shoreline, this time to photograph and research the wonders we had previously observed. Our dream became a reality with our self-published illustrated guide to the tide pools of the upper Gulf of California. My UA major in art gave me initial confidence to try sketches and page design, quite a change from my previous career as a police officer and detective with the Tucson Police Department. The Edge of the Sea of Cortez proved to be an inspiring and educational retirement project and I am gratified that it is a popular choice for beach-bound families.

Betty Hupp writes: Happily retired after 17 years as an administrative assistant at the UA, I now have time to indulge my lifelong interest in sea life and seashores. My degrees in Advertising Art and Interior Design and courses in Scientific Illustration and Photography provided an eclectic background for writing The Edge of the Sea of Cortez with my friend and co-author, Marilyn Malone. We are so pleased that our book has been praised by Marine Biology educators at elementary, high school, and university levels.

 

Lorna Kraemer '67 '71

JAVELINA ON HER DOORSTEP:
SARAH GORBY'S LIFELONG QUEST TO SAVE WILDLIFE

"Sarah stories," told by friends and those that knew Sarah Gorby, became the basis for this intriguing true story of the first licensed wildlife rehabilitator for the Game and Fish Department in Arizona, whose house became an "ark in the desert" for everything from bears and mountain lions to hawks and owls. She was known to say, "The more I see of people the better I like my pigs." This quote changed when actor Lee Marvin started hosting fundraisers to benefit the animals in her care. Her biography, from her childhood in the mountains of Pennsylvania to leading military convoys to the coast for shipment in World War II and her marriage to a Marine blinded in Okinawa, is followed by her life as a rehabilitator and stories of the animals in her care.

As the family archivist, co-author RaMar Orgeron, Sarah's daughter, was often asked to tell her mother's story. She holds a journalism degree from Northern Arizona University and since 1977 has been a writer/editor for Salt River Project in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sarah’s visits to Lorna Kraemer’s third grade classes inspired the students to learn more about wildlife and established a friendship and Lorna’s admiration of Sarah’s work with the animals. Retired from 24 years in the Amphitheater School District, Lorna holds a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Arizona. She provided workshops and resources for area teachers through the Tucson Resource Center for Environmental Education from 1994-1999, and has traveled extensively since.

 

Linda Brewer '81 '08

VANISHING CIRCLES:
PORTRAITS OF DISAPPEARING WILDLIFE
OF THE SONORAN DESERT REGION

From the Mighty Mouses of fresh-water fish to big-billed brown pelicans to lithe, arboreal cats, and cacti with ambrosial blooms, many creatures in our corner of the Earth, and the habitats with which they are integral, are falling away. Vanishing Circles tells the stories of dozens of rare and vulnerable creatures and several special places, using brief texts as well as handsome artworks from an exhibit developed by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. I wrote this book and catalogue to help acquaint people with these amazing creatures, and to inspire them to appreciate, love, and conserve the habitats in which they live.

Linda Brewer has been an editor, writer, and graphic designer working almost exclusively for environmental and conservation-focused nonprofits in the Southwest for more than two decades. She has been editor of The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum’s Sonorensis since 2005, and was honored with the UA’s Lois Nelson Award for non-fiction writing in 2007.

 

Paul E. Bendheim, M.D. '76

THE BRAIN TRAINING REVOLUTION:
A PROVEN WORKOUT FOR HEALTHY BRAIN AGING

The Brain Training Revolution offers a unique three-part prescription for a brain-healthy life. Dr. Paul Bendheim, founder of the firm BrainSavers LLC, outlines how healthy eating, exercise, and challenging mental exercises can help you maintain brain health, stave off age-related memory loss, and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. No other brain book boasts a bonus DVD that includes an introduction to each part of the program—plus lots of interactive cognitive exercises to help readers complete this proven plan for healthy brain aging.

Having dedicated his life and career to researching Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, Paul Bendheim, M.D., is a passionate advocate for brain health. Dr. Bendheim, as Chairman and Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of BrainSavers, leads his company in developing a unique program that effectively promotes a better quality of life for today’s generation and generations to come. Dr. Bendheim is also Chairman of the Clinical Advisory Board, Intellect Neurosciences. Previously, he was the Max Varon Visiting Professor of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel; Medical Director of Development and Research Neurologist at the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, Arizona; Executive Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer, Mindset Biopharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, Dr. Bendheim held academic appointments at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, and the Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn.

An authority on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Dr. Bendheim has lectured around the world and has written numerous scientific articles and abstracts. He is a board certified neurologist, member of the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institute for the Study of Aging.

 

George E. Smith '56

RED TREASURE

Follow Konrad Bruner, a German born geologist/miner as he abandons a comfortable retirement to embark on a new venture in copper mining. Trace his experiences as he encounters flash flooding, labor skirmishes, indian wars and fierce competition in a remote area. His challenges to build a copper empire are almost endless.

I wrote “Red Treasure” to commemorate the pioneer spirit of settlers, miners and ranchers to grow the Arizona Territory into a state. The struggle to build a dam, establish a network of railroads and develop a copper industry is an inspiring chapter in America’s history of the Southwest.

UA Mining Geology – M.S., 1956; wrote Gold, Silver & Guns in 2007; presented at 2010 Tucson Festival of Books; sequel, Red Treasure (2011) celebrates Arizona Centennial. Corporate and small business executive, lived in Arizona from 1982 through 2006, and will join celebration the winter of 2012.

 

Anthony Serksnis '77

A PLAYER'S GUIDE TO USTA LEAGUE TENNIS

A blueprint for managing and competing in league tennis, A Player’s Guide to USTA League Tennis provides strategies, concepts, and tips on everything from pre-match preparations, maximizing team chemistry, and navigation thru issues to help your team excel. It provides a complete outline for the entire league tennis experience – from your first practice, to the National Championships! This book allows participants of any level of play to understand what USTA League Tennis is all about. If you are a new participant to the program, the book shows how teams are formed and what one can do to maximize your individual experience. If you are a veteran of league tennis play, the book provides specifics on how to get the most out of personally helping the team to achieve its goals while growing your own game.

I wrote the book as a way of compiling some things that I’ve learned that seem to be helpful towards being a part of team tennis. Teams that have a great blend of success on the court, while still building friendships amongst team-mates, seem to provide a tremendous and rewarding experience that I would like to share.

M.S.M.E. from U of A in 1977. Mechanical Engineering Manager at Trimble Navigation since 1988. Avid tennis player.

 

Kate Mathis '90

SECOND CHANCE
(Book 2 of the Agent Melanie Ward Series)

Plotted in the midst of intrigue, the Agent Melanie Ward series follows the life of a US secret agent. We meet Melanie in book 1 – Living Lies, where she is recruited out of college. It’s a fast-paced adventure taking Melanie full circle and leaving the reader laughing, holding their breath and saying “Wow” in an unsuspected twist. Book 2 – Second Chance picks up from the Living Lies cliffhanger and offers new challenges for the seasoned agent.

I am a third generation Tucsonan and graduated with a degree in Marketing from the UA. I met my husband while he was joining Delta Sig Fraternity, and our twin girls were born at UMC.