Citizen of the Year

About the Book

Charles Robert Danielson, a successful businessman and a leading citizen of the town of Willow Creek, Indiana was being honored by his fellow townspeople for his many years of charitable contributions to those less fortunate. Several years earlier, when it was learned that he was hiding under a cloak of anonymity, they repeatedly tried to honor him, but he adamantly refused. It was not until a recent heart attack had softened his resolve that he reluctantly agreed. After his best friend finished his glowing introduction, the applause and jubilation that followed rendered him speechless. Finally, after several minutes, he composed himself and was about to begin his acceptance speech, when suddenly, a strange man entered the hall and made eye contact with him. Visibly shaken by this encounter, he slowly began to speak, but after uttering a few words, he was unable to continue and retreated to his seat. As his family and friends watched helplessly he began to sink into the quicksand of his past. His already weakened body began to shiver and quake as he tried unsuccessfully, to squash those memories. His wife cradled him in her arms and they both began to sob uncontrollably. Regrettably, the celebration was cut short and everyone was sent home to ponder the sad events of the past half hour. Later that evening, the specters of his past engulfed him and then ultimately consumed him. His family, who had rallied behind him, was taken aback by the tragedy that now befell them. His two sons tried to comfort their grief-stricken mother and were horrified, when she suddenly went into shock. His friends, many prominent citizens of the town, swore their allegiance and spontaneously entered the fray. Over the next several days, the Danielson family and their close friends were visited by many interested parties, both foreign and domestic. When the stranger was finally identified by an agent of the CIA, they found themselves embroiled in the shadowy nuances of foreign intrigue. It soon became evident that the war hero and philanthropist, was not the man everyone thought he was. The stranger, a former KGB agent had in his possession, a dossier identifying the honoree as a former Nazi soldier. But, it was the investigative journalist from New York, who dropped the initial bombshell that exploded and sent the honoree spiraling into a whirlwind of panic and guilt. The journalist, with the ferocity of a bulldog, was able to track down several eyewitnesses, obtain documentation, and fit together the pieces of his past. As his life is slowly unraveled, the reader is taken on a journey across two continents. A journey fraught with prejudice, betrayal, and the horrors of war! And the seemingly redemption of one man’s soul!

About the Author

Marvin R. Mednick was born in Brooklyn, New York. The year was 1944. When he was still a baby his family moved to Woodridge, a resort community of the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. For many years, his father had been the projectionist at the local movie theater called the Lyceum. The summer following his thirteenth birthday Mednick gravitated toward the projection booth. He became fascinated with the workings of the projector and begged his father to teach him. Although his father violated every rule in the book, he acquiesced to his youngest son. Over the next eight years, the projection booth was his whole life! From this love came the love of the motion picture as a medium. He was in awe of the actors, directors, and through TV, he came to know the movies of the 30’s, 40’s and early 50’s. Later on, with the invention of the VHS and then the DVD, he became an avid collector and movie buff! Although he was forever mesmerized by the projection booth, he watched as his father struggled to earn a living as a projectionist. So it was that when he left Woodridge to be married, he chose the retail industry as his future livelihood. Over the years however, he did find part-time work as a projectionist and renewed his love affair with the projectors and the feel of the 35mm film as it passed through his fingers. He was further gratified when he was made head projectionist in a multiplex theater with its state of the art platter projectors. It was during this period that he read a small book written by his favorite elementary school teacher. It was about the history of Woodridge and the people and places peripheral to it. In it, she made mention of his beloved Lyceum Theater! Not soon after that, he learned that the movie theater was demolished. A few years later, his father suddenly became ill and passed away. He was devastated! His father and the projection booth had been the mainstay of his adolescence. After many sleepless nights he finally came to a decision. His much befuddled brain needed some form of release. And so, he slowly and guardedly put down all those pent up thoughts on paper! Although, he lacked the rudimentary skills of a writer, he plunged ahead. Thus, after much trial and error, he constructed a semi-autobiographical novel about his hometown and the movie theater that so affected his life and that of his family. The book, which he titled “The Lyceum,” was published in 2002. His family and friends received it so enthusiastically, that he decided to spread his wings! In 2005, he published “Poems & Short Stories Vol. 1.” A compilation of random notes and thoughts about the people and places of his youth, he had written down since high school. He also included some of his remembered dreams - the horrors and delights of his subconscious self! In 2006, he published his first fictional novel, “Joseph Randolph.” In 2007, he published “Poems & Short Stories Vol. 2,” and is currently working on “Poems…3,” both, an extension of Vol. 1. Mr. Mednick is a single parent with three children and six grandchildren. He recently moved to Fayetteville, Georgia after living in Savannah, Georgia (with a short stint in Jacksonville, Florida) since 1977.