Sandra Warren - WKTV Journal

Four local authors will gather at Schuler Books & Music, 2660 28th St. SE, Thursday, Sept. 8, for a panel discussion about writing and being an author.

The local author night will featured Maureen Dunphy, author of author of Great Lakes Island Escapes; L.J. Nowak, author of the historical fiction novel A Mercenary’s Pigrimage; Sandra Warren, author of We Bought a WWII Bomber: The Untold Story of A Michigan High School a B-17 Bomber & The Blue Ridge Parkway; and Samantha Wilcoxson, author of the historical fiction novels Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen and Faithful Traitor.

The free program is set to start at 7 p.m.

About the Books and Authors

GREAT LAKES ISLAND ESCAPES: Ferries and Bridges to Adventure

Released in May, Great Lakes Island Escapes: Ferries and Bridges to Adventure explores in depth more than 30 of the Great Lakes Basin islands accessible by bridge or ferry and introduces more than 50 additional islands. Thirty-eight chapters include helpful information about getting to each featured island, what to expect when you get there, the island’s history, and what natural and historical sites and cultural attractions are available to visitors. Each chapter lists special island events, where to get more island information, and how readers can help support the island. Author Maureen Dunphy made numerous trips to a total of 135 islands that are accessible by ferry or bridge in the Great Lakes Basin. On each trip, Dunphy was accompanied by a different friend or relative who provided her another adventurer’s perspective through which to view the island experience.

A MERCENARY’S PILRIMAGE

L.J. Nowak’s novel centers on Davides who isn’t supposed to be a mercenary; he’s supposed to be the future Lord of Coimbra. But, in the violent and chaotic world of eleventh-century Hispania, one’s lot in life can change very quickly. As a step towards regaining his family’s lands and title, Davides accepts the job of escorting an unwilling political asset (okay, hostage) from Salamanca to Seville. Davides expects his task will be unpleasant but relatively simple. However, when the simple task detours into the complicated and perilous, Davides is forced to choose between his allegiances and his conscience, between his family and his friendships, between winning back his noble status and losing everything forever. And, he has to somehow stay alive long enough for his decisions to matter.

WE BOUGHT A WWII BOMBER

The Untold Story of A Michigan High School a B-17 Bomber & The Blue Ridge Parkway

During WWII, to help fund the war effort, junior high and senior high students at South High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan took part in the “Buy a Bomber” program raising over $375,000 selling War Bonds and Defense Loan Stamps and bought a B-17 Bomber. They christened the bomber, “The Spirit of South High,” after which it flew off never to be heard from again, until now. Read the extraordinary tale of how students were able to raise so much money and the incredible “spirit” that led alumni, seventy-two years later, to solve the mystery of what happened to the bomber? This little book exemplifies home front support given to service men and women fighting in WWII.

Sandra Warren grew up in Grand Rapids and attended South High School.

PLANTAGENET PRINCESS, TUDOR QUEEN: The Story of Elizabeth of York

The first novel in Samantha Wilcoxson’s planned Tudor trilogy, ‘Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen’, has been selected as an Editors’ Choice by the Historical Novel Society and long-listed for the 2016 HNS Indie Award.

She was the mother of Henry VIII and wife of Henry VII, but who was Elizabeth of York? Raised as the precious eldest child of Edward IV, Elizabeth had every reason to expect a bright future until Edward died, and her life fell apart. When Elizabeth’s uncle became Richard III, she was forced to choose sides. Should she trust her father’s brother and most loyal supporter or honor the betrothal that her mother has made for her to her family’s enemy, Henry Tudor? The choice was made for her on the field at Bosworth, and Elizabeth the Plantagenet princess became the first Tudor queen. Did Elizabeth find happiness with Henry? And did she ever discover the truth about her missing brothers, who became better known as the Princes in the Tower?

This novel has been selected by the Historical Novel Society as an Editors’ Choice and long-listed for the 2016 HNS Indie Award.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

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While Grand Rapids’s South High School has been closed for almost 50 years, the school’s spirit remains strong as its Varsity Club still meets regularly along with other alumni get-togethers.

No one can deny that the spirit of South High School is just as strong now as it was when the school was open and one person who can attest to that is author and 1962 graduate Sandra Warren.

“It was quite an amazing school,” Warren said. This might be an understatement since within its graduating classes were former president Gerald R. Ford (1931) and singer Al Green (1966). And the students did some amazing things such as raise $375,000 through the sale of war bonds and stamps to purchase a B-17 Bomber – aptly titled “The Spirit of South High” – for the World War II effort, the subject of Warren’s latest book.

“The students did all of this work to raise this money for the B-17 and there was a dedication on April 6, 1944 and from there it flew off with no one ever really knowing what happened to it,” said Warren, who will give a presentation on her book “We Bought a WWII Bomber: The Untold Story of a Michigan High School, a B-17 Bomber & the Blue Ridge Parkway” on Monday, March 7, at Grand Rapids Public Main Library, 111 Library St. NE.

“There were these wonderful stories that it had won all these battles in defending our freedom,” Warren said. One South High alum took it upon himself to find out what happened to “The Spirit of South High” and with the aid of another – Ford – he discovered its history was not that glamourous. The bomber was used for training in the United States and was dismantled in Columbus, Ohio, according to a military report.

“Many of the alums were disheartened to learn the end of the story was it was used for training,” Warren said, adding that during one of her presentations about South High she stated “I wonder how many pilots it had trained. It could have had far more of an impact on the war as a trainer than if it had gone off into the war.”

A classmate, who also was a veteran, heard that comment and decided to see if he could find a list of those who had trained with South High’s B-17 Bomber. What he discovered was the bomber had a much more colorful past than originally reported.

“The Spirit of South High” never fought in the war, nor was it dismantled as reported, instead it had crashed during a training exercise in the area that today is considered one of the most photographed places in Virginia – Mabry’s Mill. What made it even more interesting is that no one from Virginia’s Patrick County Historical Society or historians for the Blue Ridge Parkway, the road where Mabry’s Mill is located, knew anything of the crash.

“I had one historical member say to me that he had been involved with the group for decades and couldn’t figure out why he did’t know about the crash,” said Warren, who has copies of the reports made by those involved in the crash. “I went on a local radio station in Patrick County asking people if they remember the crash to contact me and we started getting calls.”

At the time of the crash, Oct. 1, 1944, the land was a pig farm. The original accounts talk about how the neighbors helped the pilots all of whom got out of the plane safely. The six-member crew were being retrained to lead their own combat units, Warren said, adding that all of the crew members had amazing records with one being involved with the atomic bombing of Japan.

“The military took what it could savage from the plane after the crash,” Warren said. “The farmer had to sign a paper stating it was OK for the military to leave the smaller pieces of metal on the land.”

Warren visited the crash site last May and discovered that much of those small pieces are still there. The area has been marked as an archeological dig site and Warren said she hopes to have a national marker placed there.

“It really is a magically story,” Warren said. “It is quite amazing what these students did and in the end, just how much of an impact the bomber did have on the war effort.”

Sandra Warren’s presentation on her book “We Bought a World War II Bomber: The Untold Story of a Michigan High School, a B-17 Bomber & the Blue Ridge Parkway,” is at noon March 7 at the Grand Rapids Public Library. For more information on the presentation or other library activities, visit www.grpl.org or call 616-988-5400.