Mascot, Minister, Man of Steel – The Final Reunion

About the Book

A boyhood buddy tried flipping himself into a beanbag chair, became a quadriplegic – and a highly esteemed teacher.  June dueled cancer three times – and pointedly told the author never to forget her.  Joel was a pubescent blowhard who became a helping hand to many before battling health crises.  Pat was a homecoming queen, became a hospice nurse and overcame ambivalence about attending reunions before taking on cancer.  During teen years Chris seemed the most self-assured but later revealed she had been “in a fog.”   DeeDee’s husband, an MS victim, urged her to put him in a nursing home to ease her burden.  She refused.  This loveliest of widows kept on living and loving – and at age 59 still could do cartwheels.  Fran proved unstoppable during a daunting journey from college mascot to career success.  Poh Hong put aside doubts by family and friends and flew half way around the world to attend a reunion.  John was a college football player, became a minister, accepted strangers into his prayer circle and dealt with his own heartaches. Then there was Jim who persuaded the author to attend his first reunion – and later showed remarkable mettle amid dire circumstances.

Reunions can be powerful.  High school, college and graduate school class reunions as well as one-on-one reconnections in distant locations can whisper strong messages, teach lasting lessons, and tell us much about the resilience of the human spirit.

About the Author

Mike Johnson is the author of Warrior Priest, Fate of the Warriors and God’s Perfect Scar, meticulously researched historical novels with a global sweep.  The books are peopled by Polish lancers, United States and New Zealand Army nurses, an airborne chaplain, a Korean farm couple, young women Resistance fighters in France and Poland, a United States vice president, a spy ship captain, a deck fireman on the legendary USS Hornet and others who provide little known perspectives on World War II, the Korean War, the lowering of the Iron Curtain and other major 20^th Century happenings.  From the 1960s onward, first as a soldier, Johnson combined strong interests in military history with extensive travel.  He has visited the Korean DMZ, Beijing, Nazi death camps, the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, the University of Warsaw and walked the streets of towns and villages once occupied by the Wehrmacht.  He worked for three global companies and is an alumnus of Ohio University, Marshall Law at Cleveland State University and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.  He is married to Lynne, and they have three adult children, Andrea, Zach and Ben.

You can learn more about Johnson and his books at www.mikejohnsonbooks.com.

You can email him at bleedgreen67@msn.com.