Arthur Curley Lecture honors fallen heroes and families
Contact: Karee Williams
ALA Conference Services
312-280-3221
NEWS
For Immediate Release
November 18, 2008
CHICAGO - Since the beginning of the war in Iraq, journalist Jim Sheeler has specialized in covering the impact of the war at home, and none has been greater than the loss of our fallen soldiers. Sheeler’s new book, “Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives,” tells the story of Major Steve Beck, a Marine assigned to casualty notification, whose mission it was to notify the families of dead Marines. It also weaves together the stories of the families left behind.
Sheeler will speak from 1:30 to 3:30 on Saturday, Jan. 24 at the American Library Association Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture as part of the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver, Colo.
Sheeler’s initial coverage of “Final Salute” in the Rocky Mountain News won a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
The book drew its inspiration from the compassion Beck felt as he visited each home, consoling grieving mothers, being let inside to touch the toys they grew up with and reading the letters they sent home.
Above all, the book is a moving tribute to our troops, putting faces to the mostly anonymous names of our courageous heroes, and to the brave families who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.
Sheeler’s specialized coverage for the Rocky Mountain News of the impact of the war at home began with the first Colorado casualty of the war in Iraq. His book of collected obituaries, “Obit: Inspirational Stories of Everyday people Who Led Extraordinary Lives,” was published in May.
He now teaches journalism at the University of Colorado and lives near Boulder with his wife and son.
