Many times after a parent has passed away, questions surface about that person’s life that no one knows or can remember. Too often, important and interesting details about the family’s history dies with the person. ”Hoping to fill those gaps, Palisades Highlands resident Hugh (Mike) Huntington Jr. and his son Thomas have created ‘The Story of Your Life,’ a step-by-step ‘fill in the blanks’ guide to writing an autobiography that records a family member’s history. ”’It’s the equivalent of a baby book for the other end of one’s life,’ says Tom, a 1968 graduate of Palisades High, who now lives in San Francisco with his wife Shelly and their two children. ”The 120-page, large format book is broken down into two sections, ‘My Life: A Short Version’ and ‘My Life: The Long Version.’ The shorter version is for people who don’t like to write and includes 30 questions from the simple ‘Name on Birth Certificate’ and ‘Height, weight, eyes and hair color’ to more complicated ones like ‘Most challenging moments in my life’ and ‘Best thing I ever did for someone else.’ Wisely, the Huntingtons leave a small space, so the writer doesn’t feel as if he or she has to go into great detail. ”The longer section takes each of the 30 questions and turns them into a complete chapter, so that a person can go into more depth. ”For example, the short-version query ‘Ancestry on mother’s side’ has room for a two-line response. In the longer version, there is space to record a grandmother’s name, ancestry, education, work, where she lived, religion and significant moments in her life as well as siblings and relatives and their descendants. ”The book includes a CD for those people who would like to answer the questions directly on the computer, rather than writing longhand. ”The Huntingtons came up with the idea several years ago, when they were having dinner and discussing the family. ‘We should put together something so that we have a record of the highlights of your life,’ Tom told his dad, who had worked in aerospace and communications. ”The two visited bookstores to see if there were books on writing autobiographies. There was nothing similar to what they envisioned, so they decided to write it themselves. ‘I started a new career as an author at 81,’ Mike says. ”They framed it in a question-and-answer format because they felt that most readers would not have the skill or motivation to write a full-length autobiography. Both agree it is easier if you partner with someone when you write’and more rewarding. ‘Working on this project the past two years has given us a lot of time together that we wouldn’t have otherwise had,’ Tom says. ”The two also self-published their book, after reading a book on self-publishing, and are now busy doing the necessary promotion. ”’It just shows that an 84-year-old can still be useful and creative,’ Mike says. ‘It keeps my mind active.’ ”Mike, who flew P-40 and P-51 fighter planes in the Army Air Corps during World War II, met his wife Mary at Purdue University, where he graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering. They will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in August. ”Thomas, one of four children, was an Eagle Scout with Troop 223, senior class president at PaliHi and a graduate of the University of Oregon. He worked as a naturalist and a wilderness river guide on the Colorado River, other western U.S. rivers and rivers in Africa, including the Blue Nile. He has worked for the Environmental Defense organization for nearly 20 years. ”The Huntingtons will discuss ‘My Life’ ($19.95) at Village Books on Swarthmore next Friday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. View the book online at www.TheStoryOfYourLife.net.
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