Hello,
No, this is not a picture of JV Rootsey, although there’s a remarkable similarity. Actually, it is the very camel he rode into the desert to get the feel of what the three Wise Men must have endured to achieve their Melequest.
So who is JVRootsey?
He’s a guy who, after being raised in England and brought to America while still a teenager, became as restless and rebellious as an untamed camel. He left home at sixteen to support himself with odd jobs while attending a large San Francisco High School. Nothing slowed him down.
He became Student Body President in his senior year and then lit out on his own quest, working as a construction worker, bulldozer operator, aircraft mechanic, truck driver, soda jerk, warehouseman and a multitude of other roles until he had lots of money—the stuff it took to study at, and graduate from the University of California at Berkeley.
His BSEE and later MBA calmed him down enough to play engineer and manager, yet his real calling was America’s youth with whom he consistently interacts through Bible studies, recreational activities and public high school workshops. Amazed at what kids will do if given the chance, he became convinced that the Wise Men were not elderly gentlemen at all, but rather adventuresome teens.
While traveling on international business, he drafted a few novels and a multitude of short stories. After he won first prize in a sci-fi contest and had a short story published by Scholastic, he decided to polish up his manuscripts and publish them.
He currently lives in central Florida with his gorgeous devoted wife, not far from their two kids and six grandkids.