Wyoming: A Personal Journey

About the Book

This book will take you back to a time when young boys got up early in the morning and did chores before getting ready for school; to a time when the height of entertainment consisted of enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature and in socializing with family and neighbors. This is a graphic and emotional story in the life of a young man who grew up in a small town in Wyoming during the late 1920’s through the 1940’s. Through the eyes of Jim Treece, you will live through the hard, and yet enjoyable, life of growing up in a small ranch and face the trials required to overcome both manmade and natural disasters. You will laugh with Jim as he shares his struggles in trying ride a horse, shoot a basketball, or find a way to show affection to a girl he has a crush on. You will cry with him as he experiences the tough loss of his father in a disaster he can describe but not explain. Finally, you will cheer with him as he overcomes all of these obstacles due to his unfailing ability to overlook the negatives that life threw at him, replacing them with warmth, passion, and desire. Life is about attitude and this is what propelled him to his later success as an Associate Professor in Sociology. With this book in your hands, you will carry with you the ability to live through a time and hour in our country that was very precious but in many ways no longer exists. Through Jim’s writing, this way of life is kindled in our hearts once more. As we continue to blaze a path of technological advancement, are we subtly losing the culture and values we hold so dear? This book will prompt you to ponder that very question.

About the Author

James William Treece, Jr. was born on July 12, 1924 in Parkerton, Wyoming.  He died on Oct. 26, 2002 in Lynchburg, Virginia.

He was a veteran of World War II, having served in Europe from April 1954 through March 1946 before receiving an honorable discharge.  James then went on to earn a Bachelor of Religious Education degree at St. Paul Bible College (since known as Crown College) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Bethel College in St. Paul, MN.  From there he achieved a Master’s degree at the University of Minnesota along with completing course work for a Ph.D.

James then became a college professor in the field of sociology.  He began teaching at St. Paul Bible College in 1965.  He continued to teach at five different colleges in Minnesota through 1974, including Bethel College in St. Paul.  In 1979 he and his wife moved to Lynchburg, Virginia where he taught as an Associate Professor in Sociology at Liberty University.  He continued to teach at Liberty until his retirement in 1994.

James served for many years as a Deacon and Governing Board member of the Forest Alliance Church in Forest, VA.  He was an experienced photographer and used his expertise to serve on the mission field.  His photography work spanned more than 30 foreign countries.  He served as editor of the Central Virginia Photography Club for 3 years.  James became a member of the Virginia League for Nursing in 1978 and held the responsibility as editor of their newsletter for more than 15 years.

James married Eleanor Walters in April of 1954.  They remained married for 48 years up until his death in 2002.  Together they co-authored Elements of Research in Nursing in 1973, which has been reprinted in Philippine and Japanese editions.  Eleanor passed away on November 10, 2003.  They have no children.