Afghanistan to Zambia: Chronicles of a Footloose Forester

About the Book

Not one to miss an opportunity to see what was nearby; a restless tropical forester scheduled or planned trips to or through nearly 100 countries during his working career. Afghanistan was the first country he jotted notes about, and when his official duties later took him to Zambia, the title Afghanistan to Zambia: Chronicles of a Footloose Forester began to emerge as his memoirs.

This personal memoir is about capturing in print the more vivid reveries of over 80 countries; and some themes that form his viewpoint about what he saw and did there.  It was never intended as a travelogue or historical account, merely as a receptacle of personal adventure stories.  Thus, as he wandered and crisscrossed the globe over a span of four decades, he was not overly concerned about a chronological order.  In the case of Viet Nam and Haiti, however, it spurred two or three chronicles that serve as poignant accounts of both past and present.

About the Author

Dick Pellek would never refer to himself as a world traveler, and cringes at the idea of being labeled as a tourist.  But he grew up with a lasting urge to travel; better yet as a traveling forester who savors the sights, sounds and experiences of exotic locales where he could make a difference in the lives of the common people he would meet there. His travel urge first expressed itself as a hiker and camper during his Boy Scout days, then as a hitchhiker who took 10 days to cross from his boyhood home in Netcong, New Jersey to a forestry job in California.  Later as a Peace Corps Volunteer forester in Pakistan, he settled hopefully on a career path as a tropical forester.  Sometimes the job opportunities were ideal, other times they were not always fruitful. Not to be deterred, his 8^th passport is still valid and he keeps extra sunglasses.

Pellek earned a B.S. in Agriculture (major in forestry) at Rutgers; an M.S. degree in Forestry (tropical) at the University of Florida; and a Ph.D. degree in Agronomy and Soil Science at the University of Hawaii. Dick Pellek resides in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania with his wife, Thu. They are currently celebrating the 43^rd year of their honeymoon.