Top
Search Robert-Hicks.com

A Separate Country - In Stores Now!

A Separate Country will be released September 23Set in New Orleans in the years after the Civil War, A SEPARATE COUNTRY is a novel based on the incredible life of John Bell Hood, arguably one of the  most controversial generals of the Confederate Army--and one of its most tragic figures.  Robert E. Lee promoted him to major general after the Battle of Antietam.  But the Civil War would mark him forever. At Gettysburg, he lost the use of his left arm. At the Battle of Chickamauga, his right leg was amputated. Starting fresh after the war, he married Anna Marie Hennen and fathered 11 children with her, including three sets of twins.  But fate had other plans. Crippled by his war wounds and defeat, ravaged by financial misfortune, Hood had one last foe to battle: Yellow Fever.

A SEPARATE COUNTRY is the heartrending story of a decent and good man who struggled with his inability to admit his failures--and the story of those who taught him to love, and to be loved, and transformed him.

LEARN MORE >>

ORDER NOW >>

THE WIDOW OF THE SOUTH

In an Author's Note at the end of his book The Widow of the South, Robert Hicks tells us that "when Oscar Wilde made his infamous tour of America in 1882, he told his hosts that his itinerary should include a visit to 'sunny Tennessee to meet the Widow McGavock, the high priestess of the temple of dead boys.'" Carrie McGavock, The Widow of the South, did indeed take it upon herself to grieve the loss of so many young men in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, which took place on November 30, 1864. Nine thousand men lost their lives that day. She and her husband John eventually re-buried on their own land 1,481 Confederate soldiers killed at Franklin, when the family that owned the land on which the original shallow graves had been dug decided to plow it under and put it into cultivation.

LEARN MORE >>

ORDER NOW >>

« A Walk Among the Dead | Main | As Requested, I Am ReIssuing My Food Guide to NOLA for Folks Who Couldn't Find it. »
Monday
May212012

A Spouse Event @ Carnton Plantation. 

DateMonday, May 21, 2012 at 04:57PM

This last week, I had the great pleasure to work with Well Planned Events in Nashville. They put together a spouse program for the National Board of Boilers & Pressure Vessel Inspectors. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what the group was all about when I first got there but after talking and meeting everyone have to say that I was impressed. It seems that the profession came out of a terrible incident where a boiler exploded in a elementry school killing hundreds of children back in the '30s. 

These kind of accidents had happened as long as their were boilers on a pretty regualr bases. So out of this explosion the decision was made that there needed to be a way to inspect boilers to be sure they are safe. My first question to the group was do we still make boilers? Turns out there are thousands of boilers in every city in America, Soemthimes tens of thousands of them.

And, since there have been inspections, there has not been one boiler blowup in the country. Besides, they have now moved into insopecting nuclear power plants - recently shut one down near NOLA. 

I am glad to know there is such a job and glad to knwo they are busily at work. Their wives were a great group to meet. 

 

CommentPost a Comment |

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

EmailEmail Article to Friend

Reader Comments

There are no comments for this journal entry. To create a new comment, use the form below.

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>

Notify me of follow-up comments via email.