When Boys Were Men: A Memoir Series
The When Boys Were Men: From Memoirs to Tales series is a tribute to two worthy men, John “Jack” Chambers and Vernon “Si” King Sr. It records stories they told to author J. “Joy” Dawn King just prior to their death. Both men grew up during the Great Depression and learned to work and play hard. They were honorable men with a bit of mischief thrown in for good measure. These are fictionalized accounts of real events. The names of people and places have not been changed.
Book One is a somewhat fictionalized autobiographical account as told by Vernon “Si” King, Sr. His growing up years were spent in logging camps in the forests surrounding Astoria, Oregon. These stories tell of events that shaped the character of a young boy which made him into a good man.
About Si King:
Si was born in the year 1917 in a bustling logging camp outside of Astoria, Oregon. Like his father before him and his sons after him, he loved machines of every shape, size, and purpose. He was a natural-born problem solver. After he died, we found stacks of yellowed legal tablets filled with pencil drawings of building projects, engine specs, and dreams — where notations were carefully made and measurements meticulously calculated.
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Book Two is a somewhat fictionalized autobiographical account as told by John “Jack” Chambers. His growing up years were spent in logging camps from the Alaskan wilderness to isolated areas in northern California. These stories tell of events that shaped the character of a teenage boy. Jack Chambers was full of life and lessons learned.
About Jack Chambers:
Due to difficult conditions at home, Jack was reared in the home of his grandparents. When asked who he would like to sit across the table from, and share a cup of coffee with if he could speak to anyone in history, he immediately replied, “My grandfather. He was a wonderful man.”
There were very few times during the course of our visits when we did not find Jack reading westerns on his Kindle. He loved books. Plus, he was a gifted storyteller. I asked him once what he appreciated about the “good old days.” He looked up at me, lifted a brow, and said, “You mean, today?” He was a forward-looking man who chose not to spend much time in the past. These stories were his exception.
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