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AUTHORS, ILLUSTRATORS & EDITORS
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
listed in alphabetical order
 
ILLUSTRATOR
REN ADAMS
Thumbing Through Thoreau:
A Book of Quotations by Henry David Thoreau
Ren Adams is a professional artist and writer currently living in Albuquerque, N.M. The bulk of her work is done with traditional Chinese brush painting techniques, a centuries-old practice of using ground charcoal and water to create delicate worlds on paper. An ideal brush painting captures the spirit, or “Qi,” of the subject, not just what it looks like. Ren also teaches art & Eastern philosophy courses through the University of New Mexico Continuing Education department. She has been painting and sketching for over 20 years and is a southern California native.
Email Ren at: ren@tribute-books.com
Visit Ren's web site at: www.renadamsart.com
 
  
ALYSSA AMORI
Scranton: The Electric City
Alyssa Amori first became interested in photography while living in Redondo Beach, CA during the early 1980s, having been inspired in large part by the region's abundant natural beauty. Returning to Scranton, she eventually showed off the best of her California work in a show at the Lackawanna County Courthouse. In late 2006, Amori returned to photography taking over 3,000 photos of the Northeast Pennsylvania area with a Cannon XTI digital camera. Currently, Amori is taking courses through the New York Institute of Photography in addition to her career at Moses Taylor Hospital as a certified pharmacy technician.
Email Alyssa at: alyssa@tribute-books.com
Visit Alyssa's web site at: www.alyssaamoriphotography.com
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Star Gallery, Scranton, Pa.
February 6, 2009 |
Borders, Scranton, Pa.
November 9, 2007 |
   
CHRISTY BALDWIN
Care for Creation and Nine Things Nathan Noticed at Night and Remembering Wilma
Writing has been a passion of Christy’s since she was very young. As a child, she loved to write stories for her grandfather and poems just for fun. She lives in Mason, Ohio with her family and is active in church, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts and volunteering with various organizations. Christy has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Cedarville University and a master's degree in Special Education from the University of Scranton. She is a stay at home mom who enjoys spending time with her kids and being involved in their schools.
Email Christy at: christy@tribute-books.com
 
PATRICK BROWN
Industrial Pioneers:
Scranton, Pennsylvania and the Transformation of America,
1840-1902
Patrick Brown was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He graduated Magna cum Laude from Georgetown University, where he won the Morris Medal for best senior history honors thesis. He currently teaches high school social studies in the Mississippi Delta through Teach for America.
Email Patrick at: patrickbrown@tribute-books.com
 
MICHAEL C. BUSSACCO
Heritage Press Sandglass Companion Book 1937-1959
Heritage Press Sandglass Companion Book 1960-1983
Heritage Press Catalog & Checklist
Heritage Press Annotative Bibliography: Volume 1, Authors A-D
Heritage Press Annotative Bibliography: Volume 2, Authors E-K
Heritage Press Annotative Bibliography: Volume 3, Authors L-R
Michael C. Bussacco has a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Elementary Education from Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. He is a retired school teacher having taught 34 years in the Scranton School District educating gifted children in grades K-6. This includes teaching one year at the University School at Indiana University of Pennsylvania while pursuing a Doctor of Education degree. Mr. Bussacco has taught classes at Marywood University and the University of Scranton. At Marywood, Mr. Bussacco taught computer programming at "College for Kids" for several summers. He taught boating safety classes at the University of Scranton under the auspices of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and attained the rank of Flotilla Commander of Division 14 Flotilla Number 4. Mr. Bussacco has memberships in Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity and Phi Delta Kappa National Education Fraternity.
Email Michael at: michael@tribute-books.com
Visit Michael's web site at: www.heritagepressbooks.com
 
ELLEN CHAKSIL (pen name for Helen Silvestri)
With God There Is Hope: Hope for Humanity
Ellen Chaksil is a member of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group, which meets every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Patrick's Church, 1403 Jackson St., Scranton. She began receiving messages from God in 1978. She needed to share what she experienced with church officials. Her quest led her from her home in Northeast Pennsylvania to the Vatican. After numerous attempts, she was able to make contact. In 1992, she met Pope John Paul II and in 1996 she received official recognition that he had read her letter detailing the prophecy she received from God. Ellen also contacted Boguslaw Lipinski, Ph.D of Harvard Medical School. He provided hypothetical proof of the concept that when people gather to pray, energy is emitted. Now Ellen's goal is to help unite the world in prayer to generate the power great enough to forestall catastrophe and enable humanity's continued existence. She hopes her book will be an instrument to raise awareness of the power of prayer.
Email Ellen at ellen@tribute-books.com
Visit Ellen's blog at: catholiccharismaticprophecies.blogspot.com
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| Ellen Chaksil (pen name for Helen Silvestri) with Pope John Paul II |
Ellen Chaksil (pen name for Helen Silvestri) with Pope Benedict XVI |
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Pages & Places Festival
Scranton, Pa.
October 3, 2009 |
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DIYA DAS
The Evolution of An Identity: Indian American Immigrants from the Early 20th Century to the Present: A Fictional Family History
In Mind: A Collection of Poetry
Diya Das was born in India on 24th September,1991. She is currently a senior at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School at Kingston in northeast Pennsylvania. She lives in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania with her parents.
A National AP Scholar and a member of Johns Hopkins University's Study of Exceptional Talent program since 2004, Diya attended the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences in the summer of 2007. She is currently the co-editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, The Opinator, and a member of her school's chorale and orchestra. In her free time, Diya figure skates and plays piano and violin.
Email Diya at diya@tribute-books.com
ILLUSTRATOR
SHELLY DRAVEN
Care for Creation
Shelly Draven is a senior medical school student currently studying in Bucharest, Romania. This 25-year-old freelance illustrator has been drawing for as long as she can remember and is passionate about creating beautiful art. Her illustrating style can vary from photo-realistic portraits to cartoons and vector art. Her other hobbies include photography, music and literature.
Email Shelly at shelly@tribute-books.com
 
ANNIE EARLEY
What Was I Thinking?! How Not to Date
Annie Earley has a Master’s degree in Education. She taught locally for 29 years and retired in 2003. Shortly after retirement she started a small business in stained glass. After her divorce in 2004, she resumed playing guitar and now performs in a band. The group plays the northeast Pennsylvania bar/restaurant scene and occasionally at summer festivals and get-togethers.
In 2006, she met a man through a fellow musician and they got married six months later. He is also a musician and is currently the bass player in the band. He is the happy ending to her real-life story.
Above: Borders, Scranton, Pa. - February 2, 2008
Email Annie at: annie@tribute-books.com
Visit Annie's blog at: dotingondating.blogspot.com
 
LEAH BETH EVANS
A Different Kind of Hero
Leah Beth Evans was inspired to write her story as a 4th grade student after studying about the rainforest. She continues to enjoy writing stories and poetry. However, her story A Different Kind of Hero has always been one of her favorites.
Email Leah Beth at: leahbeth@tribute-books.com
 
JERRY FAGNANI
A Kinder Bright: Poems of Praise and Remembrance
Jerry Fagnani has lived his entire life in Jessup, Pennsylvania in Lackawanna County. He has been involved in creative writing for over forty five years. This is his first volume of poetry. His wife, Elaine, died in nineteen ninety one. He has a daughter, Kimberly, and her husband, Gary, and two grandchildren, Ryan and Garret.
Email Jerry at: jerry@tribute-books.com
 
ILLUSTRATOR
COLLEEN GEDRICH
Stanley Seagull
A Different Kind of Hero
With God There Is Hope: Hope for Humanity
Colleen, a lifelong resident Throop, PA, earned a BFA in illustration from Marywood University in 2002. Since that time, she has worked part-time as a freelance illustrator specializing in animal-themed work. She enjoys creating her art using mostly watercolor and pastel. As a dedicated animal rights activist and full-time program coordinator for International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR), Colleen lives her dream of joining her passions for animals and art to promote a more harmonious world with a touch of beauty. Recent works produced by Colleen include t-shirt and invitation designs, children’s book illustrations, and book covers. Colleen has also teamed up with her very talented artist mother, Kathy Holmes Gedrich, and paints murals for children’s nurseries.
Email Colleen at: colleen@tribute-books.com
 
SANDRA J. GERENCHER
Second Chance:
How Adoption Saved a Boy with Autism and His Shelter Dog
Sandra J. Gerencher is a special education teacher in the Bangor Area public school system. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked at Lehigh University in a school-based program, as a Program Specialist for adults with disabilities. Over the past 20 years she has worked with children and adults with special needs in such areas as counseling, Behavior Specialist Consultation, behavioral research, crisis intervention and abuse therapy. Sandra graduated from Lehigh University with a M.Ed. in Special Education (2004) and from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia with an M.S. in Counseling Psychology (1999).
Email Sandra at: sandra@tribute-books.com
Visit Chance the Dog's web site at: www.chancetheshelterdog.com
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Borders, Scranton, Pa.
July 26, 2008 |
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JAMES N.J. HENWOOD (pictured left)
Laurel Line: An Anthracite Region Railway
Authors James N.J. Henwood and John G. Muncie have been friends and colleagues for four decades. Both taught in the History Department of East Stroudsburg University and are currently professors emeriti of that institution. They have been active in local organizations such as the Monroe County Historical Society and the Historical Farm Association.
Born in Upper Darby, Henwood's early contact with Philadelphia streetcars became the basis for a lifelong interest in electric railways and transportation. He presently resides in East Stroudsburg.
Email James at: laurelline@tribute-books.com
 
ANDREA HOWELLS
Finding Peace and the True Soul
Andrea Howells is a young lady with a great outlook on life. This 11-year-old from Northeast Pennsylvania has a love for reading, writing and creating new adventures.
Email Andrea at: andrea@tribute-books.com
 
MIKE LAMADE
Breathtaking Bowhunts: A Collection of Bowhunting Adventures
Mike Lamade has been bowhunting for over 40 years. He is a former President and Executive Director of the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania and is a Senior Member of the Pope and Young Club. A regular masthead Contributor to Bowhunter, he has written for that well-known magazine since 1985. He and his wife, Kathleen, call Pleasant Mt., Pennsylvania home, and spend winters in Ft. Myers, Florida.
Email Mike at: mike@tribute-books.com
 
AMY LIGNOR
Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles, Book 1
Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.
Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.
She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.
Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico.
Email Amy at: amy@tribute-books.com
Visit Amy's web site at: www.the-angel-chronicles.com
 
SONYA TUPONE LLOYD
Call Me Sonya Grey:
A Young Girl's Poems about Death, Life and Adolescence
Sonya Tupone Lloyd currently lives in Glen Burnie, Maryland with her husband, Doug, her dog, Bailey, and her cat, Odie. She graduated from Marywood University with a BA in History and from George Washington University with an MA in Museum Studies. This is her first volume of poetry.
Email Sonya at: sonya@tribute-books.com
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Borders, Scranton, Pa.
March 10, 2007 |
Tudor Bookshop, Kingston, Pa.
April 21, 2007 |
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Baltimore Book Festival, Baltimore, Md.
September 28, 2007 |
 
EDITOR
STEPHANIE LONGO
Fire Men: Stories from Three Generations of a Firefighting Family
Stephanie Longo is an award-winning reporter at Go Lackawanna, a weekly paper focusing on the city of Scranton and surrounding areas. She is also the author of The Italians of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is currently working on her second book, The Italians of Dunmore's Bunker Hill as well as a memoir entitled Italian Is An Acquired Taste. A native of Scranton, Longo holds a dual bachelor's degree from the University of Scranton in Italian and French, a MA from the University of Scranton in History, and a MA from Regent University in Journalism.
Email Stephanie at: stephaniealongo@gmail.com
Visit Stephanie's web site at: StephanieLongo.net
  
KENNY LUCK
Thumbing Through Thoreau:
A Book of Quotations by Henry David Thoreau
Kenny Luck is a graduate student at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa., and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Political Science from the same institution. He writes for The Weekender – an arts and entertainment weekly – and The Independent. He is currently working on his second book. He enjoys recording music, book browsing and travel.
Email Kenny at: kenny@tribute-books.com
Visit Kenny's web site at: www.thumbingthroughthoreau.com
Visit Kenny's blog at: kennyluckblog.blogspot.com
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Barnes & Noble, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
June 4, 2010 |
Walden Pond, Concord, Mass.
July 10, 2010 |
  
AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR
JAY LUKE
When Coal Was Queen:
The History of the Queen City - Olyphant, Pennsylvania
Thumbing Through Thoreau:
A Book of Quotations by Henry David Thoreau
Jay Luke is a musician and artist from Throop, Pa. A graduate from Marywood University,
Jay is very active in all things art, whether it be through painting, performing with his band, or through
his day job as a graphic designer. As a project engineer of the Olyphant Coal Miner Memorial
Association, he has delved deeply into the origins of the area and the forgotten histories of the towns
around him.
Passionate about not letting future generations forget their local origins, he took on this project
to reconnect readers to the past. As writer and poet Wendell Berry once said, “The past is our
definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will
escape it only by adding something better to it.”
Email Jay at: jayluke@tribute-books.com
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Valley Community Library,
Peckville, Pa.
August 31, 2009 |
Barnes & Noble,
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
September 19, 2009 |
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Lackawanna Historical Society,
Scranton, Pa.
September 20, 2009 |
Steamtown NHS,
Scranton, Pa.
October 10, 2009 |
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Carbondale Public Library,
Carbondale, Pa.
October 17, 2009 |
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KARINA LUMBERT FABIAN & DEACON STEVE LUMBERT
Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life
Karina Lumbert Fabian was born into the Catholic faith, but truly grew to love it as an adult. As a busy mother of four, she finds some of her strongest encounters with God's love happen in the ordinary events of the day-to-day. Karina started her writing career with diocesan newspapers but has settled into writing fun-filled fantasy and science fiction that nonetheless incorporates the principles of faith-filled living.
Deacon Steven Lumbert officially converted to Catholicism in 1988, but had been a "practicing" Catholic long before that. He met his lovely and loving wife, Socorro, while serving in Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Puerto Rico, in 1966. They raised their daughters, Karina and Regina, in the faith. Steve spent 30 years as a Colorado State Trooper, but retired when God called him to the diaconate. Currently, he serves the Diocese of Pueblo as the Associate Director of Deacon Formation.
Email Karina & Deacon Steve at: whygodmatters@tribute-books.com
Visit their web site at: www.whygodmatters.com
CATHY MAZUR
Stanley Seagull
Born in Scranton, Pa., Cathy Mazur is the daughter of Gary and Catherine H. Errico. She was educated in the Dunmore public school system and graduated from Dunmore High School in 1971. She received a bachelor’s degree in Library Science from Mansfield State College in 1975. She received a Reading Specialist Certificate from the University of Scranton in 1978. Cathy was employed as an elementary school librarian for the Mid Valley School District from 1975 until her retirement in 2010. While at Mid Valley, she instituted and coordinated the RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) program for 33 years helping students to develop a love of reading outside the classroom. Cathy served on the Board of Directors for the Valley Community Library in Peckville, Pa. for over 20 years acting as president for one year and board secretary for 19 years. She presently serves on the library’s Developmental Committee chairing various fundraising events. She resides in Dickson City, Pa. with Frank, her husband of 31 years. They are the parents of two children, Gary, 27 and Gia, 19. Now in her retirement, she is focused on writing books for children like Stanley Seagull.
Email Cathy at: cathy@tribute-books.com
Visit Cathy's web site at: www.StanleySeagull.com
 
NANCY MCDONALD
If You Can Play Scranton: A Theatrical History, 1871-2010
Music has always been a part of Nancy McDonald’s life.
Her father, Paul McDonald, worked as an engineer for the Scranton Electric Company, later PPL. As a young man, he worked in theaters as an electrician under the chief stage electrician, Terence Carden.
His uncle, Michael McDonald was a state senator and lawyer for Arthur Frothingham, who built Scranton's Frothingham Theater. As a young man, Paul McDonald saw many of the famous performers mentioned in If You Can Play Scranton. His stories prompted the research for this project.
From an early age, Nancy McDonald studied music and its history. Her great aunt taught piano and her cousin taught violin at the Scranton Conservatory of Music. Both were two of the original members of the Scranton Singers Guild.
She is a summa cum laude graduate of Marywood University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She majored in history and minored in drama. She was certified to teach history, drama and English. She received an M. A. in European History from Marywood University. She was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society while in graduate school. After she completed her master's, she took graduate credits in voice at Marywood.
She taught at West Scranton Senior High School until her retirement in 1999. She is a career-long member of the Scranton Federation of Teachers. She also represented the Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers for five years on the Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Practices Commission. In 1983 she was one of ten finalists for the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.
Email Nancy at: nancy@tribute-books.com
Visit Nancy's web site at: www.IfYouCanPlayScranton.com
JOHN G. MUNCIE (pictured right)
Laurel Line: An Anthracite Region Railway
Authors James N.J. Henwood and John G. Muncie have been friends and colleagues for four decades. Both taught in the History Department of East Stroudsburg University and are currently professors emeriti of that institution. They have been active in local organizations such as the Monroe County Historical Society and the Historical Farm Association.
Muncie spent his first 18 years in Taylor. As a youth, he occasionally rode the Laurel Line to outings at Rocky Glen Park. Muncie lives in Stroudsburg.
Email John at: laurelline@tribute-books.com
 
ANDREA NEPA
Red in the Flower Bed:
An Illustrated Children's Story about Interracial Adoption
Andrea Nepa is the mother of an adopted Vietnamese daughter named Leah. In 2001, Adoptions from the Heart assisted with the international adoption. Andrea dedicated her book to her daughter: "For my dear Leah, whose journey in her young life has already taken her to far away and unexpected places." In 2006, Leah was diagnosed with cancer. She is currently in remission. Andrea lives with Leah and her husband, David, in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
She is a registered dietitian for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Email Andrea at: andreanepa@tribute-books.com
Visit Andrea's web site at: www.redintheflowerbed.com
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Collingswood Book Festival, Collingswood, NJ
October 3, 2009 |
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JOHN R. NORDELL, JR.
Brooklyn Dodgers: The Last Great Pennant Drive, 1957
John R. Nordell, Jr. received a Ph.D. in History from Pennsylvania State University. His first book was The Undetected Enemy: French and American Miscalculations at Dien Bien Phu, 1953 (www.indochinawar.com). He is a member of the Organization of American Historians and lives in Old Forge, Pennsylvania with his wife Marianne.
Email John at: john@tribute-books.com
Visit John's web site at: www.brooklyndodgersbaseball.com
 
PHOTOGRAPHER
IVANA PAVELKA
Framing Faith: A Pictorial History of Communities of Faith
Ivana Pavelka is a co-founder and co-manager of the photographic gallery Camerawork in Scranton and is a professional photographer who has had many solo and group shows. Her professional career includes teaching in the art department at Keystone College (La Plume, PA), giving workshops and residencies as a rostered artist in schools, and working as a commercial photographer. She is also a professional bookbinder who was trained in European methods in Prague, where she grew up. When she came to the United States in 1980, she free-lanced as a bookbinder for such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has lived in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, since 1991.
Email Ivana at: ivana@tribute-books.com
Visit Ivana's web site at: www.framingfaith.com
   
LARRY PETERSON
The Priest and the Peaches
Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes
Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. A former metal lather/reinforcing ironworker, he left that business after coming down with MS. He, his wife and three kids moved to Florida 30 years ago. Larry began doing freelance newspaper commentary after graduating from Tampa College in 1984.
His first children's picture book, Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes was published in 2011. In 2012, his full length novel, The Priest and the Peaches was released and he is presently working on the sequel.
He also has a blog where he posts weekly commentary. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other.
Email Larry at: larry@tribute-books.com
Visit Larry's blog at: slipperywillie.com or thepriestandthepeaches.com
SARAH PICCINI
Framing Faith: A Pictorial History of Communities of Faith
Sarah Piccini graduated from the University of Scranton with a degree in History and Communications. In 2010, she received a Master’s degree in History focusing on the ethnic and labor history of the Lackawanna Valley. She collaborates with the Lackawanna Historical Society on many projects and programs, and serves the Vice President of the board for the Anthracite Heritage Museum and Iron Furnaces Associates.
Email Sarah at: sarah@tribute-books.com
Visit Sarah's web site at: www.framingfaith.com
 
JIM RISING
But Then Again I Could Be Wrong: The Book of Rants
Jim Rising is the former Program Director of 102.3 The Mountain WDMT and hosted a weekday show called Rising at Ten. He played what he wanted and ranted a bit. Jim lives with his "long suffering wife" Nancy in Dallas, Pennsylvania along with his lawn tractor and annoying neighbor.
He is a contributing writer for the Weekender.
Email Jim at: jim@tribute-books.com
Visit Jim's blog at: jamesrising.com
  
MOLLY ROE (pen name for Mary Garrity Slaby)
Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maguires
Molly Roe is the pen name of Mary Garrity Slaby, a veteran language arts & reading teacher at Lake-Lehman Junior Senior High School. Mary holds a Ph.D. in education from Temple University, and Pennsylvania teaching certification in six areas. She has pursued the hobby of genealogy for the past decade. Mary was born in Philadelphia, raised in Schuylkill County, and currently lives in Dallas, Pennsylvania with her husband, John. They are parents of two grown children, Melissa and John Garrett, cover illustrator of Call Me Kate. Digging into the past has given Mary newfound respect for her ancestors and a better understanding of history. Call Me Kate is the first in the author’s trilogy of historical novels loosely based on the lives of the strong women who preceded her.
Email Molly at: molly@tribute-books.com
Visit Molly's blog at: conversationsfromthesideporch.blogspot.com
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Anthology, Scranton, Pa.
March 7, 2009 |
Pages & Places Festival, Scranton, Pa.
October 3, 2009 |
GARY R. RYMAN
Fire Men: Stories from Three Generations of a Firefighting Family
Gary R. Ryman is the second of three generations of firefighters. He has a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science from the University of Maryland and has been employed as a fire protection engineer for over twenty-five years. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in American History. Ryman is married with two children. His oldest son makes up the third generation of firefighters in his family, which makes him feel both old and young at the same time.
Email Gary at: gary@tribute-books.com
Visit Gary's blog at: Fire-Men-Book.com
  
ALAN & JUDY SWEENEY
Journey Along the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad: A Pictorial History of Pocono Mountain Boarding Homes, Hotels, Inns & Resorts from the Delaware Water Gap to Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania
Gateway to the Clouds: The Story of a Short Line Railroad: The Scranton, Dunmore, Moosic Lake Railroad: 1902-1926
Alan Sweeney, a businessman with a love of history, was president of the Lackawanna Historical Society and chairman of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. In 2005, he co-authored Gateway to the Clouds, The Story of A Short Line Railroad, The Scranton, Dunmore, Moosic Lake Railroad, 1902-1926 with his wife, Judy. That same year, he also co-authored The History of Scranton for Arcadia Press. His one man play Witness at Appomattox debuted in 2006. Alan was a collector of toy soldiers and Africana books. He passed away on December 5, 2008.
Judy Sweeney grew up at Moosic Lake. A retired elementary school teacher for the Scranton School District, she now enjoys working for Keystone College in the Education Department. Author of a six-book series on Blending Language Skills, published by Essential Learning Products, two curriculum guides for historic venues in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and a book on Behavioral Management published by International Correspondence Schools, Judy enjoys writing and gardening.
Judy Sweeney resides in the Green Ridge section of Scranton, Pennsylvania and is the mother of two daughters, Rachel and Kara.
Email Judy at: alan@tribute-books.com
Visit the Lackawanna Historical Society's site at: www.lackawannahistory.org
  
PATRICK WALKER
Pegasus at the Plow: A Poetry Collection
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on April 9, 1958, Patrick Joseph Walker has always been a seeker of truth in all things. His earliest perceptions of life were colored by familial devotion to Irish clan and the Catholic Church. An early scholar, he attended Scranton Preparatory School and was later accepted into the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program at the University of Scranton. During a hiatus from formal education, he worked as a staff writer for the Legislature in Saipan. When he returned to the United States, he was awarded a Philosophy Fellowship at Fordham University. Today, he "works" as an editor and proofreader of educational materials for a local correspondence college. His "real" work, however, involves studying the works of Blaise Pascal and Friedrich Hayek. He lives in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, with his artist POSSLQ, Ginger Cody, her daughter Anna, and the family's two dogs, Lilly and Rosie.
Email Patrick at: patrick@tribute-books.com
Visit Patrick's blog at: pegasusattheplow.blogspot.com
 
DAVID J. WENZEL
Scranton's Mayors
David Wenzel served as the 27th mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania from 1986-1990. Notable events during his administration included: In conjunction with the Steamtown National Historic Site, he committed the city to the concept of a Lackawanna Valley Historical Park a concept that continues to strive to preserve and promote the history of the area. In the aftermath of Hurricane Gloria, his administration started the lengthy process of getting flood control projects for the Albright Avenue area and Plot section of Scranton. The Schultzville Airport, formerly the Scranton Municipal Airport, was sold by the city for $401,000. The curb cut program was completed in downtown Scranton and expanded into the neighborhoods. The Mayor's 504 Task Force dealing with disabilities was revitalized, the fine for handicapped parking violations was raised to $50, and the Albright Memorial Library was made wheelchair accessible. Scranton received the designation Tree City for its committment to spending thousands of dollars to plant trees in the urban environment. Money magazine ranked Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as the 9th best place to live in the U.S. based on good schools, low taxes, and low crime rates. Mayor Wenzel was profiled on the CBS Sunday Morning News, which presented a positive image of Scranton. The theme was: A man who is the rehabilitator of his body wants to be the rehabilitator of his city. Of the 75,000 Vietnam veterans who were permanately disabled, only 52, including Wenzel, lost more than two limbs in the conflict. In 2000, he spoke on behalf of the nation's disabled community as a delegate at the Republican National Convention. He also received an appointment to the National Council of Disability by President George W. Bush. He held the position from December 2002-August 2006. Currently, Wenzel teaches part-time at the University of Scranton. Together with Major Frank Paris (USA-Ret) he teaches a course entitled The Vietnam Experience.
Email David at: david@tribute-books.com
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Pages & Places Festival, Scranton, Pa.
October 3, 2009 |
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