Item Detail
-
25619
-
0
-
0
-
English
-
Every Book Counts : The Stories of My Life
-
Cloverdale, CA
-
It Is What It Is Press
-
447
-
Samuel C. Chandler turned one of the loves of his life (books) into his life's work, Librarian. Samuel Call Chandler was the City Librarian for Daly City, California for 25 years. Sam was a husband, father, teacher, and author. Sam provided a lifetime of service to his church and community. Sam loved books and storytelling and in his memoir he tells some of the most important stories of his life, including how a child who grew up in rural Idaho would one day receive a Congressional Public Service Award for Daly City and be recognized by the Daly City Council at the city's 100th anniversary. Samuel Chandler comes from a line of men and women who moved to the United States from England and Wales in pursuit of religious freedom and a better life for themselves and their children. His ancestors crossed the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains on foot with handcarts, and in covered wagon to settle in Utah and Idaho as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sam begins by sharing stories of his ancestors and parents, describing the hardships and pleasures of pioneer life, homesteading and building new towns in Utah and Idaho. He writes about serving The Church, raising large families, plural marriage, births, deaths, and new beginnings. Born in 1919, Sam was one of 12 children. Sam's stories let us imagine what it was like to grow up during the depression in a large close-knit Mormon family. He describes the births and deaths of siblings, his parents' efforts to support the family, his struggles in school, his love of reading, the impact of F.D.R's New Deal, the jobs he held to help with family expenses, and the strong bonds he developed with his brothers and sisters. Sam describes the lessons learned as a child and the experiences that helped define who he became as an adult. Sam's stories move from childhood to college in Idaho, Utah, and Tennessee, culminating in Master's Degrees in English and Library Science. Sam writes about his church mission in Canada and service during WWII at an Army Air Force base in England. He also chronicles his marriage and life with Ruth Stowell and their six children, moving to California and working as the Daly City Librarian, his church service, including positions as bishop, stake executive secretary, temple ordinance worker, and patriarch. At the end of the book, Sam writes about the church mission that he and Ruth served in Argentina and about the annual Chandler family reunions started by his grandparents, and the importance of family and friends in his life; a life of Service. Sam passed away on July 29, 2012, at age 93. Surviving Sam are Ruth, his wife of 64 years and more than 52 descendants: children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.