Catalina Summer Sketches of the Past - Softcover

Gil Lefebvre

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0967217261 ISBN 13: 9780967217260

Publisher: Philadelphians Publications, 2012

Synopsis

Lefebvre's novel pivots around the Catalina Baseball Camp, but it's not limited to ballgames or campfires. It's about a time we've all passed through -some with ease, some dramatically complicated -but in the end a time that had a profound impact on the rest of our lives. Benny and Virginia Lefebvre had an idea to get their boys off the streets of Los Angeles: Start the Catalina Baseball Camp in Catalina's remote Isthmus. It became so popular in the '50s and '60s that thousands of boys experienced the best summers of their lives there. From its alumni come prominent athletes, businessmen and movie personalities. This is the true story of the Lefebvres' youngest son Gil and his last summer at the camp. Along with his best friends Tuck and Ross and a cast of local legends, in this wondrous, exotic and historic setting they became their own Huckleberries. The were imaginative, mischievous, roaring fun rascals and by some accounts irreverent, which blended well in that extravagant setting. Enjoy the loves, fears, trials and, above all the hilarious tenor in which they carry off their adventures. Catalina Summer is truly one of the most remarkable oral histories ever written about the Island's late '50s lifestyle. If you've been to Catalina and found it enchanting, you too will want to go back with Gil and once again come under its spell.

About this title

About the Author:

Gil is a product of the Southern California lifestyle. Most of his youth was spent at his family s popular baseball camp on Catalina Island. Gil was drafted out of high school with the Oakland Baseball Organization and later traded to the Angels. It became a short baseball career as life was interrupted by the ongoing Vietnam conflict. After fulfilling his obligations in the U.S. Army, he continued his education. As newly weds in 1969, Gil and his wife Marcia sailed around the world. The visit of over twenty-nine countries gave him profound incites to world issues. After working in a family law firm he became drawn in another direction, this time as a public educator. He went on to receive many distinguished awards for his innovative style of teaching. Lefebvre began his professional writing career with commentaries, essays and poems. The most prominent of his published books are: Unto Caesar Unto God and his first fiction, Not Too Far To Have Never Been. His new book Catalina Summer...Sketches of the Past., illuminates the Catalina splendor from the perspective of the legendary Lefebvre Catalina Baseball Camp, where, through humor and drama thousands of Southern Californian boys in the 60s, found passage to manhood. Gil feels truly blessed. He has been a man for all seasons, from professional athlete, on to Veteran, to politics and law, educator and now an accomplished writer. Gil and his wife enjoy their children and grandchildren as they continue to write and live in Lake Arrowhead, California

Review:

In Catalina Summer, Gil Lefebvre offers a definitive portrait of a summer spent on the island. Gil not only chronicles his remarkable summer, but he also sheds light on themes of self testing, goal setting, and moral development. His true life immersion in the island's history enriches his story telling and our understanding. A great read! --Donna Hester...Literary Critic

About this edition

• Publisher: Philadelphians Publications
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0967217261
• ISBN 13: 9780967217260
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 444
• Editor: Marcia Lefebvre, Sarah Womack
• Illustrator: Shelly Baugh, Yvonne Lefebvre Sharp