Grampas Are for All Seasons

by Richard J. Ward

Formats

Softcover

$24.95

$22.50

Hardcover

$35.95

$25.50

Softcover

$22.50

Other Books By Author

The Fragrance of Heliotrope

Richard J. Ward

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$10.99

$8.30

Book Details

Language : English

Publication Date : 1/7/2004

Format : Softcover

Dimensions : 6x9

Page Count : 560

ISBN : 9781403372550

Format : Hardcover

Dimensions : 6x9

Page Count : 560

ISBN : 9781403392787

About the Book

This is a book of a thousand topics, words, aphorisms, phrases from sages of all ages, unique definitions, famous speeches of Frederick Douglass, Lincoln on Thanksgiving, Washington's bow to the Almighty, the genius and youthful traumas of Percy Bysshe Shelley, the author's take on contemporary issues- ethics, politics, religion, behavior, economics, foreign service- meeting King Hussein, the run to Petra and to Qumran, trials of women in Kabul, the descent to the Khyber Pass and to Kandahar and the ascent to not so lofty Katmandu, the trip from Kyrenia to chaos in Cyprus, war travels and experiences in the Pacific, a year living with the Brits, where monarchy reigns but not so supreme, lots about Catholicism, philosophy and mythology, poetry, passion, senescence, love, God. The author's thoughts good and bad about Harvard, education, sports-his own and Britain's Soccer Hooligans-, a plethora of insights and observations from his years of note taking on life and living regarding abortion, cohabitation, sex, entertainment, writing, the quality of belief, Christianity, Heaven and dozens of other issues. This is, in a phrase, literally a dictionary- a compendium or Common Place Book—of entries gleaned from the author's lifetime of ruminating about a thousand different items that triggered his interest and found there way into his notes and journals. Organized within a subject framework instead of alphabetically, the book's chapter headings would have summarized these topics: Wit and Wisdom From Sages of All ages; Chosen Words and Phrases with Meaning; Foreign Vistas; The United Kingdom- A Long Look at Albion; War, A Man and His Ship; When Can Mythology be Relevant?; Of Place, Space and Time; The Bible Speaks to Us: Of Religious Matters; Morality and Behavior in Modern Life; Insights and Philosophies About Living; Sports: An Elixir at Any Age?; Family Matters; The Human Thing About Us; Pathways to Success; Lessons for Life From Poetry; Africa's Rotting Roots; Mars and Venus- Or Is It Venus and Mars?; Economics-Ersatz and Otherwise; Aspects of Politics; Educational Notes and Musings; Eloquence and Oratory-Or The Lack of It; Tribulations of Writing; A Cauldron of This and That; Being Young- And Old; Closing thoughts in poetry. Twenty-six letters in the alphabet; twenty-six topical headings, each encompassing the content of this cornucopia of food for thought.

This book would appeal to Grandfathers wanting to record their own thoughts and memories; book of virtues and inspirational book types; religious apologists and probers; ecumenical believers; wordsmiths and bibliophobes; serious dilettantes in arts, literature and philosophy; World War II buffs; Godspellers and Biblicists; apprentice mythologists; family sentimentalists; British life cronies and critics and those attracted to a different kind of memoir.</P>

About the Author

A graduate of Harvard College and with a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan, the author has had thirty years of academic experience as teacher and administrative head of Colleges in the U.S. and England, spent ten years in business with small and large corporations, another ten with the U.S. State Department in Washington and in the Near East and South Asian countries, and has consulted for the United Nations and served on Boards of Directors for private companies and other organizations. Along the way, he received a cluster of awards, citations and honors for professional performance and distinguished service. A world traveler and, in the words of several of his book reviewers, "a man of enormous experience" with " impressive credentials and experience" and " clearly a very intelligent and alert AID (Agency for International Development) administrator and probably ahead of the bureaucracy". Exclusive of his years of roving the Pacific in World War II, including a run at Okinawa's shores in that momentous battle, his educational, business and consulting professions and travels took him to such exotic destinations as Jerusalem, Damascus, Beirut, Petra, Athens, Panama City, Caracas, Istanbul, Lahore, Old Delhi, Teheran, with its Peacock Throne, Kabul, the Khyber Pass, the Hellmand Valley in Southern Afghanistan, Katmandu in Nepal, these and more, and not to mention most of the Capitals of Europe. Having published books and articles in his field, he turns in this book, as a grandfather of eight, to record from his journals, diaries and notes his thoughts and accounts and commentaries- in effect a "Commonplace Book" covering this long, varied and eventful life. He retired from the University of Massachusetts in January, l996 at age 75 as Chancellor Professor Emeritus, and remains as busy as ever. Whether in agreement with him or not, in this fascinating catalogue of views on so many disparate issues, words, people and adventures- from youth to venerable old age- he has revealed himself as truly A Grampa For All Seasons.

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