Time is a River is a story of three boys, born in eastern Oklahoma in 1939, and raised in the same (fictional) town of Mission. They remained lifelong friends as they reacted in different ways to the major events of their time. Their experiences included: attitudes from the Great Depression and the aftermath of World War II; the changing racial climate; Sputnik; military service during < s t 1 : c o u n t r y - region>Vietnam; the oil boom and bust, and the collapse of Penn Square Bank; the Edmond Post Office massacre; and the Murrah Building bombing. Their story is told by a close friend who shared these experiences.

& n b s p ; & nbsp;          The work has been timed to appear during the Oklahoma Centennial year, 2007

Time is a River is a story of three boys, born in eastern Oklahoma in 1939, and raised in the same (fictional) town of Mission. They remained lifelong friends as they reacted in different ways to the major events of their time. Their experiences included: attitudes from the Great Depression and the aftermath of World War II; the changing racial climate; Sputnik; military service during < s t 1 : c o u n t r y - region>Vietnam; the oil boom and bust, and the collapse of Penn Square Bank; the Edmond Post Office massacre; and the Murrah Building bombing. Their story is told by a close friend who shared these experiences.

& n b s p ; & nbsp;          The work has been timed to appear during the Oklahoma Centennial year, 2007

Little Jehanne Darc , peasant maid from the village of Domremy, France, was  born into an era of constant internal conflict and war with the English. At the age of 13 she was visited by visions from God which directed her to lead an army in defense of her beloved country. For this, she ultimately suffered a fiery death and a position as the most revered martyr  in history. This is the story of Saint Joan, told in a unique format, by one of her greatest admirers, John Martin Atkins.

A 48 year old scholar from southern Indiana, John was too old to carry a gun but too patriotic to sit at home and read about the Great War in 1917. As he sought a way to do his part, he discovered that the YMCA was launching a pioneer program to provide lectures for the Doughboys. John leapt at the opportunity and was soon in France.

Joan of Arc was his favorite subject; a most appropriate selection, here in the country of her birth, her triumphs and the ultimate tragedy.  Not only did he thrill the troops with his vivid and passionate tale of her life, he simultaneously studied at the very places of her exploits to keep his lectures fresh and exciting. Domremy, Tours, Orleans, Rheims and Rouen  was the hallowed ground for his research and inspiration between lectures.

The war ended but he remained in France to study her life and set foot on every foot of ground that she trod.  After much soul searching he determined that the form of his essay should be that of Epic Poetry. And thus began a 35 year labor of love. When questioned regarding his motive for writing this historically factual Epic Poem, he replied: "I sought to pluck so precious a literary jewel from the dusty pages of history and place it, if I could, into the fine art of poetry."

At the end of  this long period of gestation, John could not find a publisher. He then asked his grandson, Richard for help. A promise was made and after another long period, a team of first cousins finally brought this beautiful work to light. We are proud to present the results of a true labor of love!

In the prologue, the author relates the reader to his childhood experiences and to events of 1933 in order to foreshadow his reflective, historical approach.  While he celebrates places, persons, events of early years, he connects those memories to recent reports and personal losses.  We are left with shifting waves of known and unknown during our shared lives.  It is a meditation with readers to recount ways in which, even in our individuation, we are interconnected to each other and to events beyond our control or understanding.  The subtitle term, “Themes”, suggests that the discourse lies beyond memoir, narrative, and philosophy.  In addition to diverse characters, the book offers particular contributions from poor whites, Native Americans, Black Americans, and Jews.   In the epilogue, the author grants three fleeting, unforgettable moments, when he was transported into oneness with the ocean, with others, and with a stepdaughter.  His humor and his dreams for peace are expressed in an ending fable which extends the magical theme into a watery world of a snake and frog relationship.

Where did the Pilgrims come from? How did they escape England? How did they survive the trips to the “New World”? But the best question of all is; what happened to them? Of the many families coming to America, The Last Pilgrim is the true-life story of one Puritan family.

Historians agree, The Pilgrim Literary was lost around the middle of the nineteenth century; however, careful study shows a small group separated from the main body and carried on much longer, - turn these pages and find out what happened to The Last Pilgrim.

One need only walk down the main street of Calumet to feel the pull of the past. It is a town of contradictions.  You pass a lovely home complete with a carriage house; and then you pass a duplex with the paint peeling, and the yard filled with junk.  You see a magnificent sandstone cathedral with its twin spires reaching high into the sky, and then you see vacant lots and a boarded up school with M. M. Morrison affixed to the exterior in copper.  Even in disrepair you can see the fine workmanship of the lettering on the plaque.  It makes a person wonder what happened in Calumet that haunts the area. 

The memory of the Italian Hall Disaster and its devastating consequences has not dimmed through the years.  During the bitter Strike of Copper Miners in 1913 at a children’s Christmas Party on Christmas Eve afternoon, someone yelled “Fire!”  The partygoers toppled chairs and tables in their haste to leave the second-floor hall.  Because the doors opened inward, the bodies piled up at the foot of the stairs.  Within a few minutes, 73 lives had been crushed out, although there was no fire.  The deaths of these 73 residents on Christmas Eve is indelibly recorded in the town’s history. 

Even if all the empty buildings were full, copper was king again, and there was no unemployment, it would still be a ghost town.  Calumet will always be inhabited by the ghosts of the past.  Come.  Walk with me.  We can catch up with them. 

One need only walk down the main street of Calumet to feel the pull of the past. It is a town of contradictions.  You pass a lovely home complete with a carriage house; and then you pass a duplex with the paint peeling, and the yard filled with junk.  You see a magnificent sandstone cathedral with its twin spires reaching high into the sky, and then you see vacant lots and a boarded up school with M. M. Morrison affixed to the exterior in copper.  Even in disrepair you can see the fine workmanship of the lettering on the plaque.  It makes a person wonder what happened in Calumet that haunts the area. 

The memory of the Italian Hall Disaster and its devastating consequences has not dimmed through the years.  During the bitter Strike of Copper Miners in 1913 at a children’s Christmas Party on Christmas Eve afternoon, someone yelled “Fire!”  The partygoers toppled chairs and tables in their haste to leave the second-floor hall.  Because the doors opened inward, the bodies piled up at the foot of the stairs.  Within a few minutes, 73 lives had been crushed out, although there was no fire.  The deaths of these 73 residents on Christmas Eve is indelibly recorded in the town’s history. 

Even if all the empty buildings were full, copper was king again, and there was no unemployment, it would still be a ghost town.  Calumet will always be inhabited by the ghosts of the past.  Come.  Walk with me.  We can catch up with them. 

LTC (US Army, Retired) Roy Peterson served as an Assistant Army Attaché in Moscow during the peak of the Cold War Years from 1983-1985.  American Attaché in the Moscow Maelstrom is a carefully crafted work that opens the window on what it was like to serve American interests in that intense environment.  This book is more than reminiscences.  As a professional intelligence officer, the author provides instruction on how to conduct overt intelligence collection, insight into the craft of human intelligence collection, historical perspectives, and how act as an attaché. Although this is a nonfiction book, parts of it read like a novel.

Roy Peterson is presently (2005) a faculty member of the University of Phoenix, President of TriCrown International LLC, and Senior Executive Vice President of Executive Information Systems and Investment Group.  Roy Peterson served in Vladivostok, Russia from 1993-94, as the first U.S. Foreign Commercial Officer in the Russian Far East for the US Department of Commerce, as a Visa Issuing Officer for the Department of State, and as the first Russian Far East Regional Manager for IBM.  Roy is a recognized consultant and educator on international trade, marketing, and global business strategies. 

LTC (US Army, Retired) Roy Peterson served as an Assistant Army Attaché in Moscow during the peak of the Cold War Years from 1983-1985.  American Attaché in the Moscow Maelstrom is a carefully crafted work that opens the window on what it was like to serve American interests in that intense environment.  This book is more than reminiscences.  As a professional intelligence officer, the author provides instruction on how to conduct overt intelligence collection, insight into the craft of human intelligence collection, historical perspectives, and how act as an attaché. Although this is a nonfiction book, parts of it read like a novel.

Roy Peterson is presently (2005) a faculty member of the University of Phoenix, President of TriCrown International LLC, and Senior Executive Vice President of Executive Information Systems and Investment Group.  Roy Peterson served in Vladivostok, Russia from 1993-94, as the first U.S. Foreign Commercial Officer in the Russian Far East for the US Department of Commerce, as a Visa Issuing Officer for the Department of State, and as the first Russian Far East Regional Manager for IBM.  Roy is a recognized consultant and educator on international trade, marketing, and global business strategies. 

I really wrote this book because of what happened when I was talking to four young guys at a friend’s party.  They seemed to be fascinated to hear about my World War II combat experiences.  They kept urging me, for instance, to tell them more about when I, as a Naval fighter pilot in the Pacific, joined up on four Jap fighters, an event I describe later in the book.  They sat so mesmerized listening that as I wound up the story I couldn’t help stretching the truth a bit by telling them I made too steep a dive at the end of the encounter, went into the drink and drowned.  Up to that last part they were sitting on the edge of their seats, hanging on every word.  Then, as they realized I was only pulling their legs with the part at the end, they wanted to hear more stories.  It got me thinking that maybe my wartime yarns might also be of interest to others, considering the growing interest in the “World’s Greatest Generation” and World War II.  Hence this book

I really wrote this book because of what happened when I was talking to four young guys at a friend’s party.  They seemed to be fascinated to hear about my World War II combat experiences.  They kept urging me, for instance, to tell them more about when I, as a Naval fighter pilot in the Pacific, joined up on four Jap fighters, an event I describe later in the book.  They sat so mesmerized listening that as I wound up the story I couldn’t help stretching the truth a bit by telling them I made too steep a dive at the end of the encounter, went into the drink and drowned.  Up to that last part they were sitting on the edge of their seats, hanging on every word.  Then, as they realized I was only pulling their legs with the part at the end, they wanted to hear more stories.  It got me thinking that maybe my wartime yarns might also be of interest to others, considering the growing interest in the “World’s Greatest Generation” and World War II.  Hence this book

In the prologue, the author relates the reader to his childhood experiences and to events of 1933 in order to foreshadow his reflective, historical approach.  While he celebrates places, persons, events of early years, he connects those memories to recent reports and personal losses.  We are left with shifting waves of known and unknown during our shared lives.  It is a meditation with readers to recount ways in which, even in our individuation, we are interconnected to each other and to events beyond our control or understanding.  The subtitle term, “Themes”, suggests that the discourse lies beyond memoir, narrative, and philosophy.  In addition to diverse characters, the book offers particular contributions from poor whites, Native Americans, Black Americans, and Jews.   In the epilogue, the author grants three fleeting, unforgettable moments, when he was transported into oneness with the ocean, with others, and with a stepdaughter.  His humor and his dreams for peace are expressed in an ending fable which extends the magical theme into a watery world of a snake and frog relationship.