Books

Righting a book is not eezey beCause the taks requires a large amount of determine nation and sum writing nohow. 

So, you ask, "How were you able to write two books?"  Seriously, I am not sure because I often start one project without completing the previous and I was never known for superior writing skills.  My cousin Rena has written three books so maybe the skill is inherited. 

I believe that I only recognized a need and filled it.  The determination to succeed grew with each chapter as did the writing skills.  The joy and sense of accomplishment I felt when they were finally published was incredible.

Hard Charger! The Story of the USS Biddle (DLG-34)

	Hard Charger! first appeared on my personal web site as "USS Biddle: The Early Years."  Then, an improved version of the page found a home on the official USS Biddle web site.   Next, the story was once again enhanced and expanded and was published in the Cruiser Sailors Association.  A photo of Biddle appeared on the front cover.  Soon after organizing Biddle's first "All Hands Reunion" I realized that a book had never been published about Biddle or the Belknap Class of ships, of which Biddle was a member.  Someone had to volunteer for the project so I decided to do it. Early in the project I realized that the book needed literary, publishing and technical expertise that I did not have.  Graciously, two well-regarded authors with significant publishing experience, RADM Tom Marfiak and CAPT David Boslaugh, came on board as co-authors.  Both made extraordinary literary contributions while providing valuable publishing advice and technical knowledge.  Additionally, several other contributors generously supplied entire chapters, riveting combat stories and detailed descriptions of life aboard a front line cruiser.  The result was a one-of-a-kind book about one of the Navy's finest cruisers, USS Biddle(DLG/CG-34). I am proud to have worked with all of these fine gentlemen.
Introduction to Software Debugging Using Visual Studio®
	Graduating students of the Software Engineering Technology Department at Texas State Technical College in Marshall, Texas, should be capable of accepting entry level positions as programmers.  Unfortunately, at the time of my employment there several years ago as an instructor, students were not fully prepared for the task because software debugging was not included in the curriculum, nor in lectures, had minimal coverage in textbooks, and students were not tested in that area.  Since programmers must be able to debug software in the real world, I conceived and implemented a plan to fix the problem. An important part of the plan was a textbook that would cover a short history of computer program debugging, debugging theory and techniques, and debugging specifics for different languages such as C, C++, C# and Visual Basic under Microsoft Visual Studio.  It would also emphasize a structured approach to software  development which would help to decrease the debugging effort and shorten the development cycle.  Concurrent with this endeavor, I developed a new course in C# since this important new language was not offered at the college nor did the administration plan to offer it. The book was completed, and with the help of the publishing department of TSTC in Waco, the book was published.  It was the first text book published by a member of the faculty at TSTC Marshall.  The book was the first edition - the final edition would cover software debugging in more depth and breadth and not be specific to Visual Studio.  In addition to developing the C# course and publishing the book, I had also started the first book in series that would teach C, C++, and C# in a fully integrated approach that emphasized developing and debugging software in a real world engineering environment.   The series was to be modeled after Kernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language, widely considered to be the definitive C programming book. Unfortunately, TSTC Marshall students never enjoyed the benefits of any of the books because of a short sighted, politically motivated and  incompetent administration and faculty at the Marshall campus.  It has been reported that the situation at TSTC Marshall has not changed.