The Record Online

Spring/Summer 2001

Five Alumni Have New Books Published

Dan Benson ’72 has a new book out called The New Retirement (Word Books, 2000). Subtitled How to Secure Financial Freedom and Live Out Your Dreams, this book gives practical advice on how to get the most out of your money while making the most of the rest of your life after retirement.

Scheduled for release in August is another Benson book, 12 Stupid Things People Do with Their Money (Word Publishing, 2001).

A former financial planner, Benson has helped thousands of individuals and couples get a handle on their finances. He is also the author of 21 Days to Financial Freedom (Zondervan Publishing House, 1998) and the best-seller Total Man (Tyndale House Publishers, 1980, now out of print). Benson is a multiple Gold Medallion Award-winning author who has either written or edited more than 230 book projects. 8221 Benson Ct., Fort Collins, CO 80525.

Vicki (Jenkins) Cox ’67 authored two books published in the past year. Diana, Princess of Wales (Chelsea House, 2000) is a children’s biography of the 20th Century’s most famous princess, written with Veda Boyd Jones. The reading level is middle school students ages 9-12. (Photo of book jacket not available.)

Her second book published last year is Rising Stars and Ozark Constellations (Skyward Publishing, 2001). Subtitled Profiles of Courage, Ingenuity, and Success, the book is an anthology of people and places on the Ozark Plateau. Cox’s vignettes reflect what is right and good about these Ozark personalities, which are vividly portrayed in uplifting stories of hope, fortitude, and ambition.

Cox is a 7-time Missouri Writers Guild winner for her magazine and newspaper columns and stories that have appeared in publications all over the country over the past two decades. PO Box 1895, Lebanon, MO 65536. vcox01@LLion.org

Gordon Leidner ’76 is the author of A Commitment to Honor: A Unique Portrait of Abraham Lincoln in His Own Words (Rutledge Hill Press, 2000). Based on the premise that Lincoln’s virtues are best demonstrated through his own words, Leidner gleaned nearly 200 of the 16th president’s most significant quotations from Lincoln’s own state (papers, speeches, and letters. The quotes are organized in a manner that provides a ready reference on subjects such as honesty, leadership, faith, character, and humor.

Also included are quotes from the people who knew him best, such as his wife, his political adversary, Stephen Douglas, and his friend the black abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Leidner has also included many photographs of Lincoln. The book is a useful reference and an inspirational challenge.

Leidner’s newest books continue the focus on the man many consider our greatest president: Lincoln on God and Country (White Mane Publishers, 2000) and Abraham Lincoln: The Complete Book of Facts, Quizzes, and Trivia (White Mane Publishers, 2001). PO Box 35, Riva, MD 21140.

Alan Packer ’67 is the author of Hey Kid: Letters from a Dad (Integrity House, 2000), a collection of letters written to his daughter Dawn while she was in college. Dawn Packer served as editor on the project. Like many Vietnam War veterans, Packer struggled with post-traumatic stress syndrome, leading to a life-style that bordered on self-destructive. The birth of his daughter proved to be a turning point. Recognizing her potential and her needs, he was motivated to become the best father he could be.

‘It is the responsibility of parents to state our values and the reasoning behind them,” says the author. “I think it is important to say lying is wrong, because I know the consequences of lying. If I do not teach my child these things, who will? These letters were a way to restate the hard-learned lessons of my life.” POB 2108, Blowing Rock, NC 28605.

Paul Stroble ’79 has written two books, the novel Adams Street Antiques (Self-Published, 1999) and Paul and the Galatians (Abingdon Press, 2000). The first book tells the story of Becky Harmon, a Christian, liberated, complicated, and irrepressibly merry antique dealer in the small town of Mayersburg, IL. Paul and the Galatians is the second book in Cokesbury’s Life and Letters of Paul series, and helps students dig into issues of Christian freedom in Paul’s letter.

Other books by Stroble include High on the Okaw’s Western Bank: Vandalia, Illinois, 1819-1839 (1992), The Social Ontology of Karl Barth (1994), Journeys Home (1995), Call Him Emmanuel (1997), and the forthcoming History of the Kentucky Council of Churches, 1947-1997.

He also writes church curriculum for the United Methodist Publishing House and teaches in the history and honors programs at the University of Akron. 2585 Stonecreek Dr., Akron, OH 44320. pestroble@earthlink.net

Last updated: July 17, 2001