Following the loss of Dennis, his life-partner of 30 years in addition to having lost all members of his family except for a few distant cousins, Art looks back on his life in an attempt to understand the forces that controlled and ultimately destroyed his father while crippling his mother with decades of alcohol and drug dependency. Now in his 80s, and living with a sense of freedom, accomplishment and contentment, he carefully considers and ultimately rejects the whispered fear of a "Copleston Curse". Late in life, he has re-united with distant cousins and he finds great joy and satisfaction in "paying forward" the many benefits of his life to a younger generation of Coplestons to help insure that the Copleston family name flourishes. This is a story that reaches from the dark days of the Great Depression, through the fearful periods of the infamous Johns Committee inquisition and the worst of the AIDS pandemic, to the bright horizons of a life well-lived and a loving plan to help two remarkable little boys.
About the Author: Born in 1932 in Charleston, South Carolina, at the depths of the Great Depression, of English/German heritage, Art's father was from Charleston, while his mother was from West Palm Beach, Florida. Art and his parents lived in Miami during World War II and he completed primary and secondary schooling in Florida. Art enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War. Following his honorable discharge, he attended the University of Florida, Gainesville, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Management with a minor in Chemistry. During his time at the U of F, he became a target of the infamous Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, commonly known as the Johns Committee. Art was successful in withstanding their repeated attacks, and in 1961 he graduated with honors. His working career in Industrial Management took him to Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco. He Retired from Stauffer Chemical Company in San Francisco in 1985. He and his life partner, Dennis, were 30 year residents of the San Francisco Bay area. They then moved to Palm Springs, CA in 2001. Dennis died in 2002, and Art has made Palm Springs his permanent home. Since coming to Palm Springs, Art has been very active in the Democratic Party, both locally and nationally. He has held active leadership positions in several large local Democratic organizations and has served as financial Treasurer/Controller for several groups since 2005. He currently resides in Palm Springs.