About the Authors
Andrea Louise Ambler earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Southern California. She also attended UCSB, UCLA, and the University of Hawaii. Andrea taught at the elementary through university levels in schools in California and for the US Defense Department in Germany. She has presented lessons on poetry at schools in California, Mississippi, and Massachusetts.
Andrea helped develop the California state-supported program for gifted and talented students. It was during that time that she began the work that resulted in creating this book series. Andrea was appointed the Language Arts Mentor Teacher for the middle schools in the Beverly Hills Unified School District and served as the district chairperson for the K-12 Writing Committee. Andrea was selected as a Fellow to participate in the UCLA Writing Project. She was a consultant for McGraw-Hill Publishing Company in the development of a K-8 literature series. Andrea co-authored with Jerald E Klocek the book Literature: the Book, the Place and the Pen A Teaching Resource Book.
Andrea received the Outstanding Teacher Service Award from the Beverly Hills
Chamber of Commerce, the Outstanding Teacher PTA Service Award from Hawthorne and El Rodeo Schools in Beverly Hills, and was the Apple Award recipient from the Beverly Hills Educational Foundation as “Teacher of the Year.” She received twice the Johns Hopkins University Teacher Recognition Award for her work with gifted students. Andrea is listed in Who’s Who in American Education. Andrea served as a university mentor for the Department of Teacher Education, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California.
Andrea has two adult children and several grandchildren and great grandchildren. She lives with her husband Charles I. Hargrove and their resident toy French poodle, Sophie Delamarre, in Pasadena, California. Andrea’s interests include reading, traveling, dancing, singing in a church choir, playing the cello, art history, opera, and the theater.
Jerald Eugene Klocek graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College, now called Baldwin-Wallace Universtiy, Berea, Ohio, with a B.A. degree in English. He completed graduate studies at California State University, Los Angeles and Northridge; UCLA; UC Riverside, where he earned his M.A. in Curriculum and Supervision; and his Administrative Credential at National University.
Jerald has taught at both the middle school and high school levels in Ohio and California at Monrovia High School, South Pasadena Junior High School, and La Canada High School. Later, he taught at Valley Preparatory School, a private-independent school in Redlands, California, where he later served as Headmaster.
Jerald made presentations at local and State English Conferences. He served as team leader and department chair at La Canada High School. He was elected twice resident of the La Canada Teachers Association.
Jerald resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Charles Ivan Hargrove was born in Redlands, California. He earned a BA Degree from California State University, Northridge, California. He enrolled at the University of Washington in a program to study Trust Administation. Also, he graduated from Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.
Professionally, Charles worked most of his career for Bank of America, from which he retired as a Vice President and Regional Trust Officer in Southern California. Following his retirement from the bank, Charles became a successful entrepreneur, forming his own fiduciary business. He served in the Armed Forces and simultaneously pursued acting on stage and the silver screen. He was on the Board of the Otis Art Institute, on the Investment Committee for Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, and on the Finance Committee for Descanso Gardens.
Charles loved golf from the time he was seventeen years old; many years later he became a five handicap player. And at a young age he met, then married, the love of his life. From such plentiful source material, and eagerly encouraged by friends and family, he produced his book, Touching Gently, A Memoir.
He currently lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife, Andrea, and their toy French poodle, Sophie. He continues to live a full life.
Illustrator
Christine Joanna Curry grew up in Redlands, California. While in high school she began painting with acrylics and at the age of nineteen painted her first large scale mural at the Frugal Frigate Children’s Bookstore in Redlands. This was the beginning of her art career. Christine went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.
An independent professional artist, muralist, and mural conservationist, Christine has painted murals on commercial buildings, schools, and in homes and has restored the Alfredo Ramos Martinez fresco mural in the Coronado Library, San Diego. She painted two large school mascots for private schools in Redlands. Additionally, she is an illustrator of fiction and non-fiction books.
Christine is very patient and understanding. Although she is a young woman, she has the talent of an Old World Master. Designer Jannike Petrovska commented on Christine’s work, saying, “I love bringing Christine onto a project, even when the
budget is tight. Her flourishes, no matter how small, always brought magic to the site. Christine is professional in every sense of the word and a pleasure to work with.”
Christine resides in Redlands, California with her daughter, Aurora. and their dog, Lucie. When not working, Christine enjoys traveling throughout the United States, nature walks, and cycling.