Gary Graham

Gary conducted research on bats and birds in Peru for his PhD at the University of New Mexico. He camped in cloud forests, caves, and next to a wonderful Quechua family while conducting his research. That research, camping and visiting unexcavated ruins all inspired parts of Parallels That Cross.

One of his earliest memories as a child is of his father telling him scary stories about nighttime creatures living in the Louisiana backwoods. Gary continued the tradition by telling similar stories to his children and to cub scouts around campfires. In doing so, he discovered the joys of a story well told and of an active imagination.

Gary’s career path took him to Austin, Texas where he worked for Bat Conservation International and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as Director of the Wildlife Division until 2002. He then became Executive Director of Audubon Colorado until 2009 when he moved to Western Resource Advocates also in Boulder. While in Colorado Gary climbed twenty-two 14,000 ft mountains (14ers).

Gary retired early to tell more stories. He has published two nonfiction books, Bats of the World and the Texas Wildlife Viewing Guide, plus numerous scientific and popular articles. He now enjoys life, especially the ocean, in Massachusetts where he is married to Dr. Lauren Sullivan, an archaeologist that has worked in Belize for over 30 years. Gary has two adventurous adult sons who help keep him on his toes.