The Sand Pounder

Memorable Events in Our Lives

The world listened to their radios on December 8th, 1941, as President Roosevelt made his short, seven-minute speech that signaled our entry into World War 2. I hadn't been born yet so I don't have a personal memory of his speech. But I do have some very powerful memories of world events. My first was the assassination of President Kennedy. I was in seventh grade and sitting in my music class at Lake Oswego Junior High School when the principal's voice came over the intercom and announced the event. That was on November 22, 1963. I also remember my boyfriend, Tom, (now my husband,) picking me up and rushing from my house to his on empty roads to watch the moon walk on his family's television. That was on July 20th, 1969. Of course, we can all picture where we were and what we were doing on September 11, 2001...twenty years ago. I hope that "The Sand Pounder" brings the events of WWII, as the people experienced it in Oregon, to life for my readers. Oh...and it just won first place in both Historical Fiction and Young Adult Fiction in the Royal Dragonfly Awards! (That is a memorable event for me!)