Fred Whissel

I was born at a very early age, on July 19, 1946. My parents had a grocery/service station/post office/home in the small Ohio village of Sonora. In 1962, I played trumpet in astronaut John Glenn's homecoming parade in New Concord, where I edited the John Glenn High School newspaper and graduated in 1964. In 1968, I graduated from Ohio University with a BSj. I've written or edited for the Zanesville Times Recorder, Coshocton Tribune, and The Athens Messenger, winning numerous awards, including a National Headliners Club Community Service Award for a series of articles that achieved the consturction of dozens of miles of sorely needed economic development highways in southern Ohio. In 1969, I enlisted in the US Army Security Agency, wrote for its worldwide magazine, and was honored for editing post newspapers in Ethiopia and Virginia. In 1977, I was hired by Ohio Power Company, rose to public affairs manager, and wrote or delivered dozens of executive talks. In 1978, I married an Ohio Power secretary, Barbara Decker. In 1984, we moved our three children to Jackson Hole, WY, where we owned and operated an Audio/Video store until I injured my back in 2004. In 2010, I joined astronaut Glenn as a member of the East Muskingum School District's Distinguished Alumnus Hall of Fame. In 2012, I was honored by Jackson's mayor and council as a Hometown Hero for leading a CERT team following a propane tank explosion. In 2004, after sustaining a back injury, we closed our business. Since then, I have enjoyed writing, photography, drawing, painting, and other creative arts. In 2017, I was one of only a handful of local artists invited to exhibit and sell my creations in Yellowstone National Park. Since "retiring," I have published more than a dozen books on amazon and lulu--with plans to publish dozens more!