Utah-BYU rivalry needs a story book ending like ‘Sterling Bridge’

By Chad Robert Parker

Sir Winston Churchill famously stated, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Does repeating history always have to be a bad thing? Can rivals as staunch as BYU and Utah ever learn to get along? Allow me to introduce to you a coach from Utah’s past, Sterling Harris, also known simply as “The Bridge Builder,” who proved two rival groups can meet on the common ground of good sportsmanship only when they come together to play the games.

In light of recent events with the cancellation of next year’s U of U vs. BYU basketball game, we are facing a recurring universal theme that has reared its ugly head in the state of Utah before. Overcoming differences is central to relationships. The real difference, however, is how we handle that reality. If we have gotten bad enough that we have to walk away then shame on everyone involved. The differences that divide humanity are not as great as the commonalities we sometimes refuse to allow to unite us, and yet here we are again letting vague but real divisive factors come to the forefront.

The record books in the state of Utah will forever hold a scar with an asterisk next to the Tooele High School football accomplishments of 1928, when Box Elder refused to play Tooele for the state title in football. Sure it was not as grand as college sports, but it was a title match. We can learn from it. Sterling Harris had painstakingly made efforts to get sons of emigrants to attend Tooele High School and play football with kids who didn’t get along together. Integrating them helped them get good grades and improve behaviors. The benefits certainly exceeded the costs. Then Box Elder stood in the way of progress. Only legislation could change it, but that would not take effect for another year. Box Elder’s official excuse was a nebulous reference to the death of a player from disease earlier in the season, also citing injuries and sickness of other players: a constant backdrop for many schools in days when quarantines were common. That was revised when there was talk of creating divisions where smaller schools would not have to play bigger schools for championship honors. But Tooele wasn’t the one running away from games. Despite their size they didn’t have reason to believe they would lose against Goliath. Quite the opposite, Goliath seemed to have gotten ahold of the script and feared its possible fate. It would not be politically correct posturing, but given the divisions in race, religion, and culture that already existed you would be hard pressed to still believe today that this type of pride and prejudice—this belief of somehow being above playing the game—were not the real motivating factors behind cancelling the game.

How will the state of Utah look back at the University of Utah’s current decision? Given the past, I would guess it won’t be viewed too favorably. If anything suspicion and distrust have already increased. Many feel there is more biased sentiment than is being aired. Consider who would remember the Titans if players and coaches harbored animosities enough to keep them segregated? The problem won’t just go away by ignoring it. To Box Elder’s dismay Tooele did not go away in the years to come, either. They became more of a force to be reckoned with. The oppression only galvanized a community to prove more worthy and formidable. Legislation allowed them to take the title outright in 1929.

Perhaps Coach Krystkowiak is genuinely trying to make peace off the court, his playing days on the court aside, but protesting an entire program over isolated incidences of a few comes off high and mighty. It’s as though Utah’s Athletic Department is trying to make an example of BYU, forecasting imminent doom rather than exhibiting sportsmanship themselves, and not leaving it to the NCAA to banish rivalry games as unsafe. In short, if they are trying to vilify BYU’s Athletics, the attempt has backfired. No one who is being honest with themselves thinks that all the bad in the rivalry is BYU’s fault and all the good that ever comes of it is to Utah’s credit. Whether there is an asterisk on the schedule for 2016 is up to Utah. The ball is in their court. They can still win the day.

Sports are a microcosm of life. It can bring joy or sorrow. It can bring people together or pull them apart. It all depends on how you play the game. Whether repeating history is good or bad is not up to past events, it is up to present players. The real win is not about score at all; it is about how you handled the game. The same goes for life.

Let’s hope cooler heads prevail, BYU and Utah put differences and disagreements aside, unite on the court, and learn how to play nice, sooner rather than later.

Endnotes:

Chad Robert Parker is the author of “Sterling Bridge,” a historical fiction film novel that was released on November 10^th, 2015. It is historical in that it is based on actual people and events during the football years of a legendary coach, Sterling Harris, in Tooele, Utah leading up to and during the Great Depression. Sterling is credited with uniting two communities: Catholic miners and Mormon settlers. It is fictionalized in that some events and conversations were made to fit a condensed timeline and page length. It is a film novel in that it is easy to read and picture as you would a film. Chad studied how to write film novels at BYU as an undergraduate and later found his way back to BYU where he is currently a manager in the Harold B. Lee Library.

“Sterling Bridge” is a publication of Bonneville Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort Publishing, and can be found at Amazon, Books&Things, and Barnes&Noble.

Editor’s Note: This article was accepted for publication in the Deseret News shortly after the infamous announcement from the University of Utah to cancel the game with BYU in 2016.

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Utah-BYU rivalry needs a story book ending like ‘Sterling Bridge’

By Chad Robert Parker

Sir Winston Churchill famously stated, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Does repeating history always have to be a bad thing? Can rivals as staunch as BYU and Utah ever actually learn to get along? Allow me to introduce to you a coach from Utah’s past, Sterling Harris, also known simply as “The Bridge Builder,” who proved you can get over differences and you can unite in a common goal of good sportsmanship, when and only when the players involved are allowed to play the game together.

In light of recent events with the cancellation of next year’s U of U vs. BYU basketball game, it is perfect timing for “Sterling Bridge,” a new historical fiction film novel released on November 10^th, 2015, to take the stage. If there is enough interest for the story as a book it is anticipated it will be made into a movie. The script is already written. “Sterling Bridge” is set during the Great Depression in Tooele, Utah concerning a little known history where sports overcame tensions and brought together previously divided groups: Catholic miners and Mormon settlers. Does it remind you of “Remember the Titans?” It should. And yet, it has a specific Utah appeal as well: a certain “holy war” vibe to it. Could it be that this theme is universal? Overcoming differences is central to relationships. If we have gotten bad enough that we have to walk away from it then shame on everyone involved. The differences that divide humanity are not as great as the commonalities we sometimes refuse to allow to unite us, and yet here we are again letting vague but real divisive factors come to the forefront.

The record books in the state of Utah will forever hold a scar with an asterisk next to the Tooele High School football accomplishments of 1928, when Box Elder refused to play Tooele for the state title in football. Sure it was not as grand as college sports, but it was a title match. We can learn from it. Sterling Harris had painstakingly made efforts to include sons of emigrants into the school of the main town, to keep them qualified with good grades and with changing bad behaviors, allowing them to integrate and to play football among their peers. The benefits certainly exceeded the costs. Then Box Elder stood in the way. Only legislation could change it and that would not take effect for another year or so. Box Elder’s official excuse was a nebulous reference to the death of a player from disease earlier in the season, also citing injuries and sickness of other players: a constant backdrop for many schools in days when quarantines were common. Later the reason made more sense when there was talk of creating divisions where smaller schools would not have to play bigger schools in order to lay claim to championship honors. But Tooele wasn’t running from Box Elder. Despite their size they didn’t have reason to believe they would lose against Goliath. Quite the opposite, Goliath seems to have gotten ahold of the script and feared its possible fate. It would not be politically correct posturing, but given the divisions in race, religion, and culture that already existed you would be hard pressed to believe still today that this type of pride and prejudice—this belief of somehow being above playing the game—were not the real motivating factors (to be slain) behind cancelling the game.

How will the state of Utah look back at the University of Utah’s current decision? Given the past, I suspect it will not be viewed too favorably. Consider how there wouldn’t be any Titans to remember if players and coaches who harbored animosities remained segregated. Many from both schools already feel there is more biased sentiment to the story to consider. If anything suspicion and distrust have increased. The problems will not just go away if ignored. Interestingly, to Box Elder’s dismay Tooele did not go away in the years to come, either. They became more of a force to be reckoned with. The oppression only galvanized a community to prove itself more worthy and more formidable. Legislation allowed them to win the title outright in 1929. Perhaps Coach Krystkowiak is genuinely trying to make peace off the court, his playing days on the court aside. He has seen many basketball games and has surely learned to control his own temper. But protesting an entire program over isolated incidences of a few comes off high and mighty. It seems as though Utah’s Athletic Department is trying to make an example of BYU, forecasting doom rather than exhibiting sportsmanship and letting the NCAA deem rivalry games unsafe should they need to be banished. In short, if they are trying to vilify BYU’s Athletics, the attempt has backfired. No one who is being honest with themselves thinks that all the bad in the rivalry is BYU’s fault and all the good that ever comes of it is to Utah’s credit. Whether there is an asterisk on the schedule for 2016 is up to Utah. The ball is in their court. They can still win the day.

By and large the games have been epic. The series stands at 129-128 in favor of BYU. Each game has been a learning moment for new players, and there have been moments where players from either side were not mature enough to handle the spotlight of a seemingly threatening environment. But for the most part, as Coach Krystkowiak once put it, “it’s just playing basketball” (His affable reply after being asked about throwing an elbow during a basketball contest.). Most of the time games are filled with good basketball moments and most players end the day shaking the opponents’ hands having gained a new found mutual respect for intense tough competition. Next year could end that well, or, if history is any indication, cancelling the game under heated circumstances will grow the tension and add fuel to the fire, the legislature might have to get involved, and the missed game will essentially be viewed for years to come as an unnecessary loss for everyone.

Fact is sports are a microcosm of life. Sports can and should bring more joy than sorrow. It can and should be more entertainment and diversion from daily toils than it is stress and grief. Generally, it can be safely monitored by coaches and referees without blowing disputes out of proportion. It is a playing field that can and should allow players to play out what they practiced. Are we really all that different in our present lives than our ancestors of lives gone by? Do we always act well our part? Can we look past shortcomings, forgive, and forget? Do we even get in there and play the game at all or boycott the experience altogether? Or is the playful use of the term “holy war” as bad as the actual thing? It took actual war, after all, the last time the rivalry came to a halt, and in that case the state of Utah was on the same side toward the effort (some of whom won and lost many football and basketball games for or against Sterling Harris). The difference between whether a repeat of history will be good or bad is not whether or not history itself (of people’s choices before us), was good or bad, it is whether or not we learned from the past, good and bad, to now choose the better part and repeat desired outcomes with new players. To win the game you have to play the game and the real win is playing the game well whether you win or lose in the score column. The same goes for life. It’s open ended, so play on.

Let’s hope cooler heads prevail, BYU and Utah put their differences aside, unite on the court, and learn how to play nice sooner rather than later. Here’s hoping there is a happy ending to whatever disagreements exist between the two. In the meantime: How about a nice inspirational book?

Sterling Bridge was published by Bonneville Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort Publishing. It can be found at Amazon, Books&Things, and Barnes&Noble.

Editor’s note: This article was submitted to the Deseret News on January 11th. A shorter revised version was accepted for publication.

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My learning curve to finding today’s vast online readership:

Most everything about being a first time author is a great learning experience. When I began writing “Sterling Bridge” some fifteen years ago, the internet was still in its infancy. Napster was still a big peer-to-peer file sharing enterprise on the verge of a landmark intellectual property lawsuit that would become one of the first to address the need to uphold copyright laws on the worldwide web, where possible. It made it a safer endeavor for artists and authors to share their work to the world, get credit, and keep earnings worthwhile. There would not be much incentive to create if the endeavor was not supported financially, after all. It was the era of the meteoric rise and also the catastrophic fall of many dotcom companies. Even the Internet required some substance behind the ethereal contributions. As we know the internet was far from dead. Google is still poised to take over the world. Okay, not really, but it does seem that the internet and a few key players, like Facebook, have an impact in our everyday lives. Today, during the explosion of the information age, eBooks are becoming all the rage.

For a writer, Amazon is a great distributor that has changed the industry. Yes, of course, there is still a place for libraries, newspapers, and physical bookstores, but here on the Internet is where every writer can best gain and interact with an audience and grow interest in quality work. It is becoming more and more the case. Some of us people today live in virtual worlds as much as we interact with people face to face. For a writer, it is becoming more effective to go on blog tours to reach people across a greater sphere than to sit across the room in readings or signing tours. Make no mistake, I still want the human interaction of sharing my book at a launch party celebration, reading to book lovers in city libraries, and/or enjoying the excitement of lines of fans or even just one on one opportunities to sign personal copies in packed stores for the holidays, but reading a book is usually a quiet moment between an individual and the pages of a book and the Internet can reach that person as well as any other way.

Recently, I caught the vision of what a blog tour can be. There are some great bloggers reviewing books and sharing their insights. I’m pleased with my book. I know it to be a great story regardless of the ability of the writer to tell it, but I didn’t spend these many years not to tell it well. And I didn’t take all of this time to not see it reach as many people as could be interested in it. The bloggers are catching on. I’m excited for their reviews. There will be lots of people looking for a good read as the weather gets colder and we gather indoors for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Maybe you are one of those persons. To wet your appetite, check out what bloggers have to say about my book, beginning November 10th, the release date of “Sterling Bridge.”

Meanwhile, there are some great blogs featured on my tour from November 10-25. Come here often and see what other blogs are out there. You might even find another book you will like to read.

Here’s my blog tour link: “Sterling Bridge” blog tour

My letter to blog reviewers of interest to me:

Greetings,

I am the author of “Sterling Bridge,” an historical fiction film novel (a short 140 page read) about a little known story of a true Utah hero during the Great Depression. It is being published by Cedar Fort in November. Although I am a first-time author, Cedar Fort tells me they anticipate a great family story like this, for all ages, will have wide appeal.

Your blog caught my attention and I would like to give you one of the first looks at my book by offering you a free copy in exchange for your honest review. We are looking for some great blogs like yours to feature as part of a blog tour. Would you be interested? Could you verify how many followers you have (blog+social media)?

The blog tour will run beginning November 10 through November 26 (Thanksgiving Day). Is there a day you prefer over another? We will hope to assign two blogs per day, and spots will fill up quickly.

Please respond by Monday. Cedar Fort will want to send you a pdf (or possibly print) copy of my book to you right away so you will have time to read it before the date assigned you.

Thank you much,

ChadRobertParker.com

“Sterling Bridge”

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Editor’s note (11/12/18):  Since writing this press release, Anecdoting.com and Writcreate.com were both combined with ChadRobertParker.com. Now blog content for “Anecdoting” is simply found in the Story Prompts section of this website.

Anecdoting.com Announces Social “Story” Networking

SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah-February 7, 2015—WritCreate, LLC, a Utah based workshop that develops writing creations, from children’s books to full length film novels, recently rolled out a unique concept where storytelling meets social networking. Anecdoting.com was born on January 1, 2015. How it grows will largely depend on what the owner describes as “stories like yours and mine, where everyday people share fun and/or interesting memories of tales from everyday lives.” If nothing else it is a great place to read and relax while enjoying other’s fun blurbs. The idea is something between blogging and “facebooking.”

The founder is Chad Robert Parker, a new author, who is set to publish his first novel, Sterling Bridge, on September 8^th through Cedar Fort Publishing in Springville, Utah. Chad is also getting married this year, a story in itself. Chad comes from a family of six boys and lived in six states. When they had nothing to do they always had each other as built-in friends. Boredom is often the father of creativity and the Parker boys made and played a lot of games together. When Chad started writing he learned that “the short story format is a crash course for gaining writing skills and learning the Art—as well as the Science—of writing.” In coming up with various short tales he realized he drew much of the inspiration from actual experiences he had in life growing up. He knows others have similar great stories that live on in their families today. That was the genesis for creating “anecdoting,” to share in the fun of common human experience between friends, families, and society.

Anecdoting.com is free entertainment; it is a getaway experience; it is communal blogging about common topics of life at its best and worst. You can read about anything from a girl learning what a bidét is to a boy trying to outdo his older brother with a trick on a rope swing that would have been perfect for America’s Funniest Home Videos (though luckily for him was not caught on tape).

Stories have always been at the center of socialization. When people gather around a campfire or for any social function it has been the norm for persons to share about the events in their lives. Societies are built on the stories of its members. The best stories get passed down from generation to generation. Depending on how true the story is determines whether it can be categorized as folklore, legend, or maybe even considered actual history. In any case, the stories give a sense of a people and a place. What will the information age reveal about the people of today? Only time will tell, but if anecdoting.com is any indication we have much in common with our forbearers, only the method for sharing our story is a little different—electronic and universal.

Anecdoting.com is striving to take the experience to the web purporting a vision “to connect the world through storytelling.” Anecdoting.com is family friendly; it has a “come one come all philosophy” with wholesome content but parental guidance advised for children under 13, of course. If you are looking for an option, other than Facebook, to browse and enjoy a break from the routine in your daily life, take a moment to check out anecdoting.com. It might be the perfect cure for your boredom, or even the place you go to share about that “quirky pet,” “worst job,” or “first date.” You might even win a prize in the “weekly winner” category or in other monthly and quarterly giveaways.

Source: http://www.prlog.org/12423037-anecdotingcom-announces-social-story-networking.html

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I love writing in every way, even marketing blurbs. I am learning, however, that a grassroots effort of word-of-mouth may be a more effective way to reach the audience that would most be interested in reading my first published novel, “Sterling Bridge.”

Sterling Bridge Flyers

This weekend I passed out 400 flyers (at three different book-lover locations). I am so excited to share my work with the world, but I need your help. If you are a fan of this blog, please help me by letting everyone you know that you know about a new book, and about a nice guy that happens to be a new author.

I am satisfied knowing that the writing is good and the product will speak for itself. It is fun to think about conversations we will have once you get a chance to read the actual writing. I look forward to that. While I would prefer to turn most of my attention to the writing of my next great novel, I will continue to invest significant time in writing such as this, to further converse about and promote “Sterling Bridge.” Authors are now responsible for marketing their own books more than ever before, after all. But I have found that good marketing can thrive without a good novel to market, while a good novel cannot thrive without good marketing. And yet I wonder if my efforts are best served. Sounding my megaphone to the world as far and wide as my voice will reach, will never be more effective than enlisting more voices.

In order for people to be able to appreciate a good piece of American literature, they must first know about it. Think of all of the classic authors in time who told everyone they know that they are a writer, but whose works were not truly appreciated until after their death. Although it might sound too dramatic, I hope to be discovered while I am yet alive and to see people’s joy in my work. So here I am doing my best to get the word out to you, all of my friends. Yes, you could even say it is a shameless attempt to plead that you will tell ears my voice cannot reach. Truth is–no matter how great my writing is or isn’t–in a day of instant information and social media, I know it will be far more effective if the 50 people in the sound of my voice each share with 50 others of their friends, and especially when the ripple effect continues from there.

If you like heroes you will like “Sterling Bridge.” If you like a tale of undying friendship you will like “Sterling Bridge.” If you like being transported back in time to experience realities of a different time, like the Great Depression, from a vantage point of hope and lessons learned you will like “Sterling Bridge.” If you like true courage against daunting odds and circumstances you will like “Sterling Bridge.”  Basically if you like a good story you will like “Sterling Bridge.”

Chances are if you like “Sterling Bridge,” then your friends will too.

At least let them know about your new discovery. They can pre-order it through Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. It will be available on the shelves at all major outlets beginning November 10th. There will also be a book launch, book signings, news articles, maybe radio and video spots to look forward to. For now, I’m just hoping if you have heard “Sterling Bridge” is coming out that you are excited enough to share the news with your friends. The release date is almost here, just a couple months away.

So what can you do right now that would help put “Sterling Bridge” on the map? Share this blog with your friends. (I’d love to hear what ways you were able to pass the news along). AND…

Click here to download flyers you can pass out to anyone who might be interested in a good story. Every little bit helps. Thank you, kindly!

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In case you miss any anticipated news articles coming out about “Sterling Bridge,” here is the press release information being sent out to all of the Utah media outlets:

Sterling Bridge tackles living among Mormons

SPRINGVILLE, Utah-September 4, 2015—Cedar Fort Publishing is excited to announce the release of a new novel, Sterling Bridge, by a first time author, Chad Robert Parker, this November 10th. The story is based on actual events. It takes on the challenge of interfaith struggles in a community facing many difficulties to unite with each other amidst the strife of the Great Depression. Sterling Bridge is an entertaining retelling touting a universal message, but it is expected to be especially appealing to anyone interested in delving deeper into the history of Utah culture, and how it specifically relates to the greater American culture.

Although historical in nature, set between the years of 1926-1934, and placing it broadly into the category of adult fiction, it follows the fun perspective of a teenage boy trying to negotiate the world, not so dissimilar from the intolerant bullying atmosphere often encountered by today’s youth. The answer then and still today is enduring friendship, going out of your way to befriend others in need. Sterling Harris is a new larger-than-life football coach, thrust into the divided town of Tooele. At the time the community was known as both the Old Town, made up of Mormon Settlers, and the New Town—being on the outskirts—that consisted of a smelting community of foreign mining immigrants, mostly Catholics. The two communities were not getting along, to say the least. They didn’t intermingle. They didn’t agree on much of anything: land, religion, jobs, race, sports, you name it. They were not seeking a change in that arrangement. Along comes Sterling Harris, nicknamed “the bridge builder,” and the makings of a great story had begun.

Don Norton, an emeritus English professor at Brigham Young University, came across the story of Sterling Harris in his family history research. He found that Elder Loren C. Dunn mentions him in a General Conference talk of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sterling Harris is also remembered by an elementary school named after him and some of his accomplishments are enshrined on posters in the Tooele City Library still today. Dennis Packard, a professor of art and film at BYU, was tasked with finding a writer to bring the story back to life. He found a college student in 1999 who was seeking out someone to help him learn how to write a screenplay. There was still much to be done, however, and the story underwent many challenges before it was ready for the printing presses fifteen years later.

The author, Chad Robert Parker, is currently employed as the Cataloging Operations Manager at the Harold B. Lee Library of BYU. He graduated from BYU in 2003, but considers himself an ongoing student of how culture evolves in literature and film. He has a few other books in the works, but Sterling Bridge will be his first published novel. He classifies it as an historical fiction film novel, but he wouldn’t place all of his other works in the same genre. Several years were spent honing his craft and learning the different elements of writing in different formats for history, culture, novels, films, and even marketing (a large part of being an author in the publishing world today). His story of becoming an author is a story in and of itself and he marvels how life’s opportunities came full circle.

Chad brings a varied experience to his writing. Since setting is often the genesis to storytelling it helps that he grew up in six states. He began writing shortly after serving a mission to the Philippines for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1997 to 1999. His family was on a pilgrimage to visit the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York. The scenic route through Canada provided a nice opportunity to daydream and he started typing a story on his laptop. He never expected at that time to seriously pursue publication, and then he never expected it would take until now to refine a novel to the point of being worthy of publication. He simply had a story in his mind that he had never seen anywhere else and he just had to see it through. He’s still working on that novel, but if his determination to finish Sterling Bridge is any indication he will get back to it.

Sterling Bridge is meant to be a fun but deep story (as historical fiction novels go), a quick read (in order to be translatable to film and easy to digest for today’s fast-paced society) but a good study on the art of film novels (for the student in everyone), and relatable to all ages with its telling of a story of people, family, and community (as story is what connects people, by relaying our interactions with one another). Sterling Bridge is not your typical Mormon genre story. It tackles growing pains of the Great Melting Pot witnessed throughout the United States of America. It is as much a story of immigrants to America founding Catholicism in the western territory as it is immigrants to America building up the Mormon faith in a land they called Zion, while learning to respect their neighbors differently than their own religious ways were often treated.

Sterling Bridge is available for pre-order through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. It will also be available in all major outlets after November 10th. If you are interested in finding out more about the book and upcoming events, go visit ChadRobertParker.com. Chad writes a blog there. He also has an interactive blog at Anecdoting.com, a place where you can read prompts each week to encourage a memory from your past and start sharing your own stories. It encourages the act of regular writing and using interesting goings-on from your own experience. Chad likes the interaction of sharing stories with others and it also encourages him to like blogging more (also an absolute must for today’s author).

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Marketing Sterling Bridge is in full swing. I’ve got to get the word out about a great read to anyone interested. I wouldn’t want anyone who could benefit from this story to miss out. BYU Magazine will be mentioning me in its alumni section this Summer. The next few days I will post other outlets I have submitted to that might want to share my breakthrough:

Amazon Author Central*

Chad Robert Parker (born July 7, 1978) loves reading and writing in various genres and formats. “Sterling Bridge” is his first published novel. He also provides creative marketing and writing services as the owner of WritCreate, LLC.

Chad grew up with six brothers. He loves staying active with sports and entertainment. Chad was an Eagle Scout, has served as a Venture Crew Leader, and has developed many interests outdoors. But he is a home-body at heart. Chad is newly married, and of course, spending time with his love is his favorite past-time. Chad doesn’t have time to get bored. If he has a spare moment he can be found curling up with a good book on a rainy day or letting the imagination go wild in writing an adventure to vicariously live through.

Chad is a stalwart, faith-filled member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is a central part of who he is and how he lives his life. He loves family and considers the titles of husband and father greater than any other.

His first book takes on the difficulties of an interfaith community from the standpoint of a boy whose father is Catholic and mother is Mormon. It is based on a true story where a larger-than-life football coach, Sterling Harris, comes to town and overcomes the bias between the international workers of a mining community and the pioneer descendants who settled Tooele, Utah, amidst greater tensions brought on by the scarcity of jobs experienced throughout America during the Great Depression.

*Anyone interested, as it turns out, can already find my author page at Amazon.com

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