ODESSA, Texas, July 31, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- History can be told one story at a time, with a myriad of beginnings and twists and turns along the way. For Emil F. Beck, life began promisingly, but later struck with a whirlwind that would only end with the last page of his new book, Growing Up West of 100th Meridian (now available through 1stBooks).
His book begins in Temple, Texas, the home of his maternal grandparents, where he, his mother and little sister moved following his father's death at the age of 29. When his grandparents, too, died, the family moved to the home of his paternal grandparents, San Angelo, Texas. There, he grew up and attended college.
Beck takes the reader through his childhood in the midst of the Great Depression. He reveals, in the memories of "The Greatest Generation," the experiences that made his childhood both difficult and magical. Later, he enters into the war and recounts, with his young eyes, a world blown apart by war. Readers share his joys of matrimony and the hardships and pleasure of starting and raising a family in the nuclear 1950s.
"My book brings the reader along each of these turns in shaping my future. They included marriage to the girl I met at Camp Shelby, a Cinderella wedding in Hollywood, returning to college, graduation and beginning a new life and career in Odessa, Texas," Beck says.
Written so his children and grandchildren would know and remember the life he led, Growing Up West of 100th Meridian is a nostalgic jaunt down memory lane that allows readers to share in the joy of a life well spent.
Beck overcame numerous challenges, from growing up without a father to the depression, to build the life he had. His early experiences shaped the man he would become and how he would deal with different situations, such as serving in the military; courting his wife, Dale; and building a career in business. Growing Up West of 100th Meridian is his first book.
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