Bracha Goetz is a Harvard-educated author of 41 books that help children’s souls shine joins Joshua T Berglan for a powerful, inspiring conversation about life, love, healing from abuse,
Her books can be found at Goetz Bookshop .
Thank you for being a part of this broadcast!
The youngest of six children, William Delamar was born on December 15, 1927, and grew up in Durham, NC. ‘Billy’ and his next older brother, Chris, were close and encouraged each other’s mischief effectively. They used to go to the Baptist church down the street because there were doughnuts. Their parents were Episcopalian, but they didn’t mind the boys going to the Baptist church. It got them out from underfoot. Billy and Chris had contests to see who could eat the most doughnuts. The church let them, probably thinking they’d at least learn about the Lord while they were there. Bill told how he sang in Sunday school, “Yes, Jesus loves me, He is weak but we are strong.” The teacher was not amused. They sat at the back of the sanctuary and rolled acorns under the pews to see if they could hit the wood riser at the front.
A depression-era kid, he learned early the value of a penny, particularly when he lost his father at age 11. He got his first job at 14 in an ice cream shop and turned over his earnings to his mom to help with family expenses. Not long after that, he was hired at Duke University as an aide in the library. His job was to deliver books and papers to various university professors and to help the woman running the library in any way he could. He told a story about how his boss, Exie Duncan, liked to feed the squirrels, especially one named Pee Wee, until he bit her hand as she held out a peanut to him. The university blog archives still carry a news article on this stunning event.
He had a one-day job in 1942, the one and only time that the Rose Bowl was not played in Pasadena. Because of the attack on Pearl Harbor less than a month before, the game was moved to Duke, where he and several of his buddies were hired to sell bottled sodas to the crowd. He sold a few sodas, and as soon as the game started, sat down and enjoyed every minute, selling additional sodas only to himself.
At 17, he decided he would join the Navy. A string bean kid, he didn’t weigh enough and was rejected. Determined, he went back and was rejected again. He was told he needed to gain 15 pounds. On the morning of his next attempt, he ate 15 pounds of bananas. The doctor kept poking his protruding stomach and finally said, “anyone who wants to get into the Navy that bad, I will accept!” He was trained as a meteorologist and spent the war mostly in Bermuda, far from battle activity. It was a tough assignment, but he “weathered” it out.
After his stint with the Navy, he enrolled at Pitt University, near one of his sisters with whom he lived. In those days, many colleges had “tall clubs.” Students had to be at least 5’ 10” to join. He joined the Tip Toppers. One evening, his club had a dance party with another tall club from the campus, the Star Dusters, where he met his wife-to-be, Gloria. Not long afterwards, they were both leaving a campus building at the same time and he made a disparaging remark about her beloved Pitt football team. She handed him her pile of books and said, “Here, hold these.” She then proceeded to playfully slap him in the face and calmly take her books back. That was the moment they knew they were meant for each other. Married at Heinz Chapel on campus in 1951, they went on to have 5 children.
Bill Delamar graduated as an English major, but by a series of connections and flukes, ended up being offered a job in hospital management. He eventually earned a master’s degree in hospital administration and instituted important changes in how hospitals would be run for years to come. He was one of the first members of HIMSS (Hospital Information Management Systems Society) and received a special award a few years ago recognizing his contributions to what has now become an international guidance organization for hospitals.
He was hired as a hospital administrator at MCV hospital in Richmond, VA in 1967, where one of his first actions was to close the segregated ER for people of color, not only shutting its doors but having renovation done so it could never serve its previous purpose again. Forever after, all patients were treated in the same ER. While in Virginia, he and his wife, Gloria, were active in the Unitarian Church, which began the Richmond Public Forum, now known as the Richmond Forum. They rubbed shoulders with a number of dignitaries and helped bring fascinating, educational, and entertaining guests to Richmond.
After 10 years with MCV, Bill accepted a job in Philadelphia. There, he served at Einstein Hospital, Temple University Hospital, and Metropolitan Hospital, making vital changes in each. At retirement, not being one to actually retire, he began a consulting business for hospitals and other organizations needing help with reformatting their business models. He and Gloria were active in the Unitarian Society of Germantown, both serving as board members multiple times.
He was a diligent writer and has several published novels: The Hidden Congregation, Patients in Purgatory, and The CareTakers — all published by Open Road Media. His other novel, published by Rogue Phoenix Press, The Brother Voice, is a work of well-researched historical fiction about twin brothers during the Civil War, one fighting for the south and one for the north. He and his wife were active in the Philadelphia Writer’s Club, both serving on the board in various capacities.
In 2016, he lost his beloved wife of 55 years. He was eventually persuaded by his daughter Keltcie to move to Virginia to live with his youngest daughter Keallie and her husband. He was with them for 3 years and was active, working on a sequel to one of his novels, enjoying his great-grandchildren, and entertaining the family with many stories from his childhood.
William T Delamar passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, November 20, 2022. He was less than a month away from his 95th birthday. He is survived by all of his children: Graelie, Keltcie, Keallie, Dawson, and Crohan; two of his grandchildren, Hayley and Stephen; and two great-grandchildren, Winnie and King. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Gloria, all of his siblings, and one of his grandchildren, Trevor. He is now at peace.
~Written/edited by daughters Keallie Wozny and Keltcie Delamar.
Open Road Integrated Media has just released Daniel C. Lorti’s The Missing F_ctor!
A former international arms dealer brings his unique expertise to this twisting, action-packed spy thriller.
From his elegant home in Southern California, Jim Factor negotiates legitimate weapons deals for his clients in Europe. But when he’s approached with a shady job that pays too well to refuse, the one-time deal may be his last. With the Russian mafia after him, Factor must disappear quick—and telling his wife, Diane, anything about the situation would only put her in danger.
Hiding out in San Francisco and preparing for a life on the run, Factor is tracked down by a private detective—and the Russians aren’t far behind. Now his only chance at survival is to fight a ruthless, deadly enemy face-to-face. From Alcatraz Island to Spain and the Balkans, The Missing Factor is an international spy thriller shot through with authentic spy craft.
A writer of mainly factual and historical fiction, Daniel C. Lorti is the author of the Jean Termonde Novels: The Avignon Legacy, Knights of Honor, Knights in Action, and The Neptune Project; the Jim Factor Novels: The Missing F_ctor and The Business End, which embody Lorti’s professional background as an arms broker in outstanding suspense thrillers; The Mulligan, a parody on do-overs/second chances, which includes part of his A Two-Man Play – An Interview with Bobby Jones, Jr.; and The Writer’s Tool Box, a clear, concise, and inclusive guide for aspiring, beginning, or accomplished writers in all facets of creating, sustaining, and completing a first draft. It provides a step-by-step description with examples of the major phases right up to the finished manuscript. Suggestions and recommendations concerning the next phase include external review, finding an agent, and promoting your accomplishment. All published by W&B Publishing, except The Missing F_ctor, which is published by Open Road Integrated Media.
An aerospace engineer with sensors, weapons, and intelligence background, he was the Chief Radar Engineer for the Northrop Grumman Corporation and was on President Clinton’s twenty-member committee for Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland. A former international arms broker, he conducted business in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. During his career, he, with partners, sold a successful aerospace company to the Northrop Grumman Corporation. A member of Mystery Writers of America, the Historical Writers of America, and the International Thriller Writers, he currently resides in Newport Coast, California. Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency.
Bred to the Bone: Deadly Secrets at Hunter’s Water Mill, the long-awaited novel by Lin Waterhouse, has been released by Open Road Publishing!!
Dark secrets, snakes, stalkings, and murders…
Retired schoolteacher Caroline Hudson has moved to Hickory Bend, Missouri to embrace small-town life, but her eagerness to join the community only rouses the suspicions of longtime residents. Luckily, her friend Terry needs help fixing up the old Hunter’s Mill. Caroline is thrilled to learn about her new home through this historic building; especially when she discovers some fascinating documents hidden in the attic. These documents reveal family secrets of prejudice, pride, murder, and mayhem. Just the kind of story that piques Caroline’s curiosity, but some residents would prefer to keep the unpleasantness buried in the past. When someone launches a cover-up as shocking and foolhardy as the original crime, it could bring a permanent end to Caroline’s new career in sleuthing.
You, too, can enjoy the grandeur of that very water mill should you stop by on your way through the Ozarks. Hodgson’s Water Mill in Sycamore, Missouri was built in 1861, to harness the power of a massive spring flowing into Bryant Creek, and rebuilt in 1897 by Alva Hodgson. It is officially registered in the National Register of Historic Places. Being only about thirty foot above water level, when the creek crests the county puts marks on the door that is on the upper level. And to this day, you can go to any grocery store and purchase flour with the Hodgson name. Waterhouse only lived a couple of miles from this beautiful gift of history and is acquainted with the operators of the now must-see tourist site. It is located 17 miles northeast of Gainesville on Hwy. 181 in the Sycamore area. It is advertised as the most photographed mill in Missouri.
Waterhouse is a freelance journalist/writer who lived in Ozark County, Missouri for many years. She has written articles for local and regional newspapers and magazines, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Ozark Mountaineer, Ozark Magazine, and The Ozark County Times. Her nonfiction, The West Plains Dance Hall Explosion, the story and history behind the still unsolved Bond Hall explosion/fire Friday, April 13, 1928 in West Plains, Missouri, was published by The History Press/Arcadia Publishing. Its detailed research and personal interviews with residents of West Plains posed and answered many questions surrounding the ill-fated night so long ago. The sequel to Bred to the Bone, The Ghost of Timmy Wahl: Eternal Secrets at Hunter’s Mill (Argus Publishing), begins with the unfolding of a mystery dating back over eighty years. Four-year-old Timmy Wahl, in death, is about to impact the lives of more people than he ever knew when he was alive. www.linwaterhouse.org Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency
Let’s Stay Healthy with Bracha Goetz
Bracha Goetz reads from one of her recent books to her two grandchildren Chaim Szendro, 1 and a half, and Tzippy, 3 and half.
The Neptune Project by Dan Lorti, the Fourth in the Jean Termonde novels, has set sail!
Four adventurous men undertake the challenge of building an armed merchant ship, the Neptune, three times larger than any other of the time, to compete with the powerful Venice fleet for prized trade in the East. They will encounter the sea power and vengeance of Venice who will attempt to capture or sink the Neptune. Meanwhile, the ambitious Spanish navy wants the ship for its own and is prepared to field a squadron of warships to intercept and take possession of the ship as well. They must find a way to even the odds in the battle to overcome the treachery and greed of these formidable threats.
A writer of mainly factual and historical fiction, Daniel C. Lorti is the author of the Jean Termonde Novels: The Avignon Legacy, Knights of Honor, Knights in Action, and The Neptune Project; the Jim Factor Novels: The Missing F_ctor and The Business End, which embody Lorti’s professional background as an arms broker in outstanding suspense thrillers; The Mulligan, a parody on do-overs/second chances, which includes part of his A Two-Man Play – An Interview with Bobby Jones, Jr.; and The Writer’s Tool Box, a clear, concise, and inclusive guide for aspiring, beginning, or accomplished writers in all facets of creating, sustaining, and completing a first draft. It provides a step-by-step description with examples of the major phases right up to the finished manuscript. Suggestions and recommendations concerning the next phase include external review, finding an agent, and promoting your accomplishment. All published by W&B Publishing, except The Missing F_ctor, which has been recently acquired by Open Road Integrated Media and will be given new life December 6, 2022.
An aerospace engineer with sensors, weapons, and intelligence background, he was the Chief Radar Engineer for the Northrop Grumman Corporation and was on President Clinton’s twenty-member committee for Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland. A former international arms broker, he conducted business in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. During his career, he, with partners, sold a successful aerospace company to the Northrop Grumman Corporation. A member of Mystery Writers of America, the Historical Writers of America, and the International Thriller Writers, he currently resides in Newport Coast, California. Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency
