"Peter Stekel takes us through a detailed look of the cost of freedom, paid by our WWII veterans. Training aviators for combat was in many ways more statistically hazardous than combat itself but the stories that give context to that are generally not as compelling. Until now. Final Flight gives the context for a detailed view of life, and death, on the home front. "

Greg Anders, Lt. Col US Air Force [retired], Executive Director Heritage Flight Museum.



Personal appearances can include a book reading, a PowerPoint slide show, or both.

Each presentation concludes with questions.

Audiences members are encouraged to relate their own stories or family histories from World War II.

Time required is about 60 minutes.


"Since the first report from climbers in 2005, few mysteries have grabbed us like that of the 1942 Mendel Glacier crash and the fate of the crew on board.

Among the wildest places on earth, the remote and isolated Sierra Nevada hold secrets from the past that only now are being discovered."

Karen F. Taylor-Goodrich, Superintendent Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.


"In Final Flight, author Peter Stekel takes us to one of the most remote recesses of the High Sierra to investigate a forgotten mystery.

How did the bodies of four young airman end up buried within a glacier? Stekel’s meticulous research provides answers to this question and many others.

Those who love the high country will find this a fascinating read."

William Tweed, Author of An Uncertain Path and co-author of Challenge of the Big Trees: A Resource History of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks


"Peter Stekel has captured the history, geography, and the mystery surrounding this inspiring tale of the High Sierra."

G. Pat Macha, author of Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of California


"This book will make you proud of America and proud of mountaineers."

William Alsup, author of Missing in the Minarets and Such a Landscape!


"Because truth really does trump fiction for drama, Peter Stekel's Final Flight reads like a good novel and sticks with you like a particularly affecting play. 

Superbly researched, compellingly written, and lovingly relived, this gripping tale both solves an old mystery and serves as a moving tribute to all fallen fliers. 

By actually trekking to the remote site of the crash and making a stunning discovery there, Stekel rescues a sad story from dead-end status and turns it into a living memorial."

Robert Michael Pyle, author of Mariposa Road, Chasing Monarchs and Sky Time in Gray's River


"Peter Stekel's search for the cause of the crash of four ill-fated WWII airmen leads the reader into little-thought-of territory and culminates with a finding not only of a likely unfortunate chain of events, but also an unforeseen but invigorated appreciation of the dedication of the men and women of the Greatest Generation and those who, with unflagging determination, seek an accounting for all those who gave their life in service of their country."

Michael Sledge, author of Soldier Dead: How We Recover, Identify, Bury, and Honor Our Military Fallen

Personal Appearances


Current Schedule


PAST EVENTS

May 11, 2012 {Friday} Georgetown Library, Georgetown, CA. 1-2 PM. HERE and HERE.

May 10, 2012 {Thursday} Golden Sierra High School, 5101 Garden Valley Rd., Garden Valley, CA 95633. (530) 333-8330. 11:00 AM & 12:00 PM.

May 9, 2012 {Wednesday} Georgetown Divide Rotary Club  PO Box 555, Georgetown, CA 95634. 530-333-2600.  Buckeye Restaurant on Wentworth Springs Road at 7:00 p.m.

May 8, 2012 {Tuesday}. Potluck dinner and book party at the home of John and Joanne Daniels, Georgetown, CA. 7 PM.

October 11, 2011 {Tuesday} - Seattle Public Library, central branch.  1000 Fourth Avenue Seattle, WA 98104, 206-386-4636 -  Noon - 1 PM. See HERE for a blurb by co-sponsor, Elliot Bay Books, advertising my appearance. Get Directions.

Labor Day Weekend, September 4, 2011 {Sunday} - Castle Air Museum Biennial Open Cockpit Event, 5050 Santa Fe Dr., Atwater, CA 95301-5154 [11:00 AM and 1:30 PM].  (209) 723-2178. Get Directions.

April 23, 2011 {Saturday} - Oakland Aviation Museum, 8252 Earhart Rd. Oakland, CA  94621 [1:00 - 2:30 PM]. Event description HERE. 510.638.7100 Get Directions

April 22, 2011 {Friday} - Books Inc. 1760 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710 [7:00 - 8:30 PM]. Event description HERE [TBA]. 510.525.7777 Get Directions.

April 21, 2011 {Thursday} - Trilogy Retirement Community, Rio Vista. 1201 Clubhouse Dr. Rio Vista CA 94571 [6:00 - 8:30 PM]. 707.374.1055 Get Directions

April 20, 2011 {Wednesday} - Pacific Coast Air Museum, Mesa Beverage Company, Inc. 3200 N. Laughlin Road. Santa Rosa, CA 95403 [7-9 PM]. 707-575-7900.

April 18, 2011 {Monday} - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Three Rivers, CA 93271. [12-1 PM]. A special presentation to the rangers and staff at the Ash Mountain Park Headquarters in Three Rivers.

April 16, 2011  {Saturday} Western Museum of Flight, Torrance Airport, 3315 Airport Drive, Red Baron #3, Torrance, CA  90505  [10-11:30 AM - yes, it's in the morning]. 310-326-9544 Get Directions. Event poster HERE.

April 13, 2011 {Wednesday} - Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert, 230 Ridgecrest Boulevard, Ridgecrest, CA [7-8:30 PM]. 760.375.8456. Get Directions.

April 12, 2011 {Tuesday} - Crescenta Chapter, Sierra Club. County of Los Angeles Public Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta, CA 91214. [7:30 - 9:00 PM] Located at the corner of Foothill and La Crescenta Ave. 818-248-5313. Get Directions

April 10, 2011 {Sunday} - California State Military Museum. 1119 Second Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 [noon - 2PM]. (916) 854-1900. Get Directions or Get Directions

April 9, 2011 {Saturday} - Society for Aviation History. Presentation will occur at Moffett Field Museum, located on the former NAS Moffett Field in Mountain View, CA. P.O. Box 16, Moffett Field, CA 94035-0016 650/964-4024. This is a $29.00 catered dinner event. Fee includes dinner, Final Flight presentation, admission to museum, and docent-guided museum tour either before or after dinner. Reservations are required to attend, and the deadline for reservations is Tuesday, April 5. Non-members of SAH who plan on attending can make a reservation and pay using PayPal. [11:30-4PM]. Get Directions.

April 7, 2011 {Thursday} - Newport Beach Public Library, sponsored by the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation, 1000 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92660 [7 - 8:30 PM] (949) 717-3890. Get Directions or Get Directions

April 6, 2011 {Wednesday} - Sun City Roseville Veteran's Club. 7050 Del Webb Blvd. Roseville, CA 95747. [10:30 - noon]. 916.774.3880. Get Directions.

April 2, 2011 {Saturday} - Planes of Fame Air Museum, 7000 Merrill Ave., #17, Chino, CA 91710. [10 AM - Noon] (909) 597-3722. Get Directions

April 1, 2011 {Friday} - A-16 Outdoor and Travel Outfitters [retail store], 4620 Alvarado Canyon Rd. San Diego, CA 92120 [7 - 8:30 PM] (619) 283-2374. Get Directions and Get Directions

January 15, 2011 {Saturday} - Museum of Flight William M. Allen Theater. 9404 East Marginal Way S. Seattle, WA 98108. [2-3 PM]. 206.768.7230. Get Directions. Program details HERE.

January 8, 2011 {Saturday} Cascade Warbirds monthly meeting. Museum of Flight. 9404 East Marginal Way S. Seattle, WA 98108. [10 AM]. Get Directions.

December 4, 2010 {Saturday} - Book Release Party at the author's home in Seattle. Send email to: peter@FinalFlightTheBook.com for more information and location.

November 18, 2010 {Thursday} - Third Place Books. 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155 [7 PM]. 206-366-3333  Get Directions

November 11, 2010 {Thursday} [Veteran's Day] - University Books. 1319 4th Avenue Seattle, WA 98101.  [7 PM] 206.685.9920. Get Directions and Bookstore Info.

November 10, 2010 {Wednesday} - Village Books. 1200 11th St. Bellingham, WA 98225. [7 PM]. 360.733.1599. Get directions

November 1, 2010  {Monday} Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005. [7 PM]. 503-228-4651. Get Directions or Get Directions

October 21, 2010 {Thursday} - Alki Community Council monthly meeting. Alki UCC Church, 6115 SW Hinds St. Seattle, WA. [7 PM]. Get Directions

October 5, 2010 {Tuesday} - University Press Books. 2430 Bancroft Way. Berkeley CA. [6PM] 510.548.0585. Get Directions

October 3, 2010 {Sunday} - The Avid Reader at The Tower. 1600 Broadway. Sacramento, CA 95818. [4 PM]. 916.441.4400. Get directions

October 2, 2010 {Saturday} - The Avid Reader. 617 Second Street. Davis, CA 95616. [7:30 PM]. 530.758.4040. Get directions

September 25, 2010 {Saturday} - Spellbinder Books. 124 S. Main Street. Bishop, CA. 93514 [6-8 PM] 760.873.4511. spellbinderbooks@verizon.net. Get directions

September 18, 2010 {Saturday} - Grassroots Bookstore. 227 Southwest 2nd Street.  Corvallis, OR 97333-4633 [3 PM]. (541) 754-7668. Get directions


 

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Contact peter[@]FinalFlightTheBook.com

This website is © 2011 by Peter Stekel, All Rights Reserved. This page revised: May 21, 2012