Two plastic surgeons were born into a large family as the second set of twins. There were eight siblings five girls and three boys. The father was a ranch hand who moved the large family to Borger, Texas to try his luck in the oil boom of the early 1920. Because of the financial disaster of the time he became a house painter and an alcoholic. The mother took in boarders to keep the family fed. She was a strong lady and encouraged the boys to stay in school and work their way through college and medical school. The older brother had migrated to Los Angeles and became a tooling engineer for Douglas Aircraft. He was able to get his young brothers Jobs on the swing shift so they could attend UCLA. They went on to medical school and surgical training then moved back to the Los Angeles area. Along the way Dr. John managed to have six wives and five children. His second wife was Eva Gabor. There is one chapter devoted to each wife and some special friends, colleagues and a long list of famous patients that I cannot name for obvious privacy reasons.
“The well-written and candid letters of a reasonably articulate Southern officer, who paints a lucid picture of everyday life in the Confederate army in a little-known theater... Williams’s letters, personally written and shot through with his sharp sense of humor and folksy artwork, provide an excellent account of a long neglected theater of the American Civil War.” – Western Pennsylvania History
Discover the people and places that made Atlanta the pop music capital of the United States in the second half of the twentieth century. Former DJ Bill Lowery attracted a galaxy of talent and created an empire of music publishing, production and promotion. In 1956, the Lowery Music Company had its first million copy-selling hit single with “Be-Bop-a-Lula,” by Gene Vincent. Under Lowery’s direction, popular artists like Tommy Roe and Billy Joe Royal flourished. Audio engineer Rodney Mills teamed up with Lowery and future Atlanta Rhythm Section manager Buddy Buie to build Studio One, a recording studio that produced albums from legendary acts such as Joe South, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special and others. Andy Lee White and John M. Williams offer a comprehensive portrait of the vibrant postwar Atlanta music scene. “Insight and memories from major behind the scenes figures like engineer, producer and Georgia Music Hall of Fame member, Rodney Mills (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Gregg Almond, Joe South) along with Bob “Tub” Langford (engineer for Joe South’s biggest hits and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird”) help tell previously untold memories from a special time for Atlanta music like none before or since.” —East Cobber
Author John M. Williams, who grew up in Auburn, Alabama, has penned an unusual memoir written in the form of essays about the people and places that made the greatest impact on him as a young man. Village People: Sketches of Auburn will both transport readers to a simpler time, and provide a snapshot of the history, from Williams' point of view, of the place called "The Loveliest Village." Williams' keen eye for detail is the cornerstone for this book of remembrances but don't expect a lot of sentimentality - his wry sense of humor shines through every essay. Of course, football made an impact on Williams and he includes stories of two players - Bobby Freeman and David Langner - but the majority of the stories are about teachers, band directors, preservationists, businessmen, a dance instructor, and even a place called Toomer's Corner. This is a book almost everyone would enjoy, but particularly anyone who has ever lived in Auburn, as a resident or as a student, and considers it "their town." Rheta Grimsley Johnson writes in her foreword to Village People: "He makes us see the things he saw, from a perspective-his perspective-that is not old but wise, not cynical but careful. The boy on the Western Flyer has grown up, and the Auburn characters in this beautiful book had much to do with it. Johnny has waited, as he eloquently puts it, until 'the ego is losing its muscle tone' to deliver these words.
Over the last four decades the public trust in government in the United States has fallen dramatically due to a 'perfect storm' of contributing factors, such as a seemingly never ending string of political scandals, partisan polarization and toxic attack politics, and miserable failures to respond to natural disasters or the devastation of the Great Recession. This book contains the academic presentations that were made at the Symposium on Advancing Excellence and Public Trust in Government that was held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on September 17, 2007. In particular, the Symposium focused upon how improving transparency in governmental operations could be used to assuage some of the popular doubts about and hostility toward America's governments. There was certainly a very broad consensus at the Symposium that transparency in government is extremely desirable, needs to be improved, will bring reform and improvement to the public sector, and should make a major contribution to the restoration of the public trust in the United States. Indeed, support for improved transparency can be found across the political spectrum, as both conservatives and liberals believe that more openness in government will promote parts of their very different policy agendas. Truly, transparency appears to be an all-American issue. The discussion at the Symposium revolved around three broad themes. The first concerned transparency about government operations per se, such as how decisions were made and what detailed budgets are. A second and somewhat broader theme concerned greater transparency of 'performance measures' which tell us what the effects of specific policies are and how effective or efficient government agencies are. Third and even more broadly, some of the participants argued that general questions of governance provide the key for a renewal of public trust among our citizenry. This book of presentations at the Symposium is organized into four parts based on this distinction. Part I contains two challenges to America to restore the public trust. Parts II to IV then cover transparency, performance measures, and broader issues about general governance.
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