CONTRIBUTOR
BIOGRAPHIES

Full-time Mom, Web Designer; Imperial, Nebraska (just a bit  more south of right there)

Artist, Beautician, Dancer, Crafts and Design Work; Rapid City, SD.

X-Files Fan and Library Staff; Imperial, Nebraska.

College Student, Actress, Writer; New York.

I was conceived in San Francisco, California in 1943 and born in Hackensack, New Jersey in January of 1944. It seems like I've been drifting ever since.

My artistic and life influences include the following:
Danato Celentano, Jackson Pollack, Salvatore Dali, Klee, Jack Kerouac, J.R.R. Tolkein, New York Daily News' Letters to The Editor, Bob Seager, and Kermit the Frog.

I've traveled too much, yet not enough. My art reflects the moment -- a particular whim. It must be shared or it is not worth doing. There are many directions. Why limit yourself to one?

I have a wife, Judy, who tolerates my craziness. I also have two big dogs, lots of horses, and assorted smaller critters. When things get too crazy, I'm on my motorcycle re-sorting my priorities.

Bill Coe
Age 53
American

Editor's Note:

Bill enjoys creating masterpieces of artwork and photography, as well as writing. His work has been published in Easy Rider, In The Wind, Farm & Ranch (Sept. '92), Shelby American, Tigers East, The Western Horse magazine (March/April '97), McCook Daily Gazette, Hitchcock County News, Benkelman Post, Bergan Evening Record, and San Mateo Times.

Stand-Up Comic, Computer Trainer, and High School student; Imperial, Nebraska.

I have lived my entire sixty-five years in Imperial which, in these mobile times, is unusual.

I have been a practicing attorney in Imperial since 1957, after returning home from two years service in Germany (where I met my wife, Ruth). We have three grown children living in the Ft. Collins area, all of whom are strong advocates of self-government -- like myself.

I was the County Attorney of Chase County for 25 years as a prosecutor. Since then, I have been on the other side of the bar as defense counsel. I much prefer defending over prosecuting.

Philosophically, I am a libertarian. I believe in St. Augustine’s short credo of “Love and do as you will.” In other words, you should be able to live your life as you choose so long as you don’t interfere with the equal right of others to do the same. I believe, as our founders did, in limited government. My heroes would be Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson, who believed that the best government is the least government.

Consistent with my philosophy of liberty, I believe in free enterprise and abhor socialism. It is ironic that in America we have one of the largest socialist institutions in the world -- our government school system. It is interesting that a government-operated educational system was one of Karl Marx’s planks in his communist manifesto.

I was a member of the Imperial Grade School board for over ten years, and I have been a member of the Imperial City Council for the past three years. My experience in government has been that anything the government provides will cost at least twice as much as when the private market does it. Our schools are a good example.

Deven Fortkamp

I was raised on the family farm north of Wauneta, Nebraska. I spent my grade school days going to Garfield, a country school, where one teacher taught all 12 grades. I spent the first two years of high school in Imperial; then, when my parents moved back to Wauneta, I graduated from there.

I went to the License Practical Nurses training at St. Anthony's in Denver, Colorado. I graduated and, by then, had met a Colorado beet farmer and had married.

We had two girls and one boy. After 11 years, we moved back to Wauneta and took over the family farm when my parents retired. When the children were older, I went to work at Chase County Community Hospital. I worked there for 10½ years.

Then, I retired and became involved in a love affair with herbs. I have learned many things and continue to learn more as I grow and talk about herbs. The family members have become firm believers in what the herbs can do. Hubby, although he did think this was a strange love affair, now will ask what concoction I can make to help him over a cold or to help a burn or bruise.

My biggest fans, and the feeling is mutual, are the four grandchildren -- Alicea Cox, and the three boys: Nicholas Cox, Caleb, and Eli Haffner. They all help in the garden or at a craft fair when they can.

The herb garden gives many hours of pleasure. The herbs will emit so many different smells, making a peaceful time of weeding and harvesting the plants. Everyone should have even a small spot for herbs, just for the pleasure of it.

I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and was raised in Atkins, Arkansas, a small community of 3000 and an hour west of Little Rock.  I was fortunate enough to have grown up in an extended family where love, support, and encouragement was everywhere.  I lived the first 18 years of my life with my mom, dad, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and uncle.

My first college effort was at the University of Arkansas where I majored in extra-curricular activities.  I left without gaining a degree and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where I joined the police department.  I was a Tulsa police officer for almost six years before I returned to school.  I graduated Phi Theta Kappa with a degree in Criminal Justice from Connors State College in Oklahoma, obtained a B.A. in Political Science from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, an M.A. in Political Science from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, and all but the dissertation in the Sociology Ph.D. program at Oklahoma State.

I have taught Sociology, Political Science, and Criminal Justice at Oklahoma State University, St. Mary of the Plains College, Northwestern State University, Arkansas Tech University and my current job as Head of the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department at McCook College in McCook, Nebraska.

I have also worked as a Criminal Justice Planning Director in Beloit, Kansas; Executive Director of On The Bricks, an ex-offender social service agency in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Educational Coordinator for Counseling Associates, a regional mental health facility in Russellville, Arkansas; and, as the Director of Shelter of Sunshine, a temporary shelter for abused and neglected children in Russellville, Arkansas.

In addition to my full-time teaching and advising duties at McCook College, I am also involved in putting together a video tape series on love and relationships. The video was shot and produced by Integrated Media Concepts in Russellville, Arkansas and the first tape "The Process of Falling In Love" was released for distribution on Friday, September 3rd.  The second tape in the series, "12 steps to a long and happy loving relationship" is due out next week.

The same column that appears in Sodbuster also appears every Saturday in the McCook Daily Gazette.

My wife and I were recently divorced after 25 years of marriage.  We have three sons, Brandon, Michael, and William.

Emily Hoffman

No photograph available yet.

Emily is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature, and assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI Nebraska.

She's had numerous articles and stories published in a variety of magazines, including: Guideposts for Kids, Hopscotch, Boy's Quest, The Flicker, R-A-D-A-R, Junior Trails, and Counselor. One of her articles will be included in SIRS educational CD-ROM that will be in schools and libraries early in 1998. She's a regular contributor to Sodbuster and writes a market column for SCBWI Heartland-Nebraska newsletter. 

She is also a consultant for SkillsBank, writing stories for their educational software line.

Emily specializes in chapter books and early middle grade novels and has several books currently circulating among publishers.

She is a full-time mother of five who has home-schooled for the last ten years.

Political Consultant/Reporter, Writer, Husband, Father; Firth, Nebraska.

Health Food Expert and Business Owner; Imperial, Nebraska.

Arleigh Kincaid watching as Frankie hits her mark...............Frankie showing Sodbuster Editor some tips.


Arleigh, Frankie, and Steve Smith (Sodbuster Founder) discussing the art of the rifle.

Frankie Lou Nicholson -- Gun Expert, Farmer, Writer, Reporter, Political Consultant; Lebanon, Nebraska.

Sports Writer and High School student; Imperial, Nebraska.

Farmer, Father, Husband, Musician, Game Player, Writer, Golfer; Imperial, Nebraska.

Photo © 1997 Warren Block

I don't fully appreciate reptiles; Imperial, Nebraska.

Writer, Photographer, Nature Consultant, Fisherman; Imperial, Nebraska.

Steve Smith

Vernon Whetstone

The Kite-Flying Astronomer

To paraphrase David Copperfield, I am. Or, at least I think I am. Someone once said, "To be is to think." Someone else said, "To think is to be." Somebody else said, "I think; therefore, I am." Shakespeare said, "To be or not to be." Sinatra said, "Do, be, do, be, do." What that has to do with me, I haven't the foggiest idea.

I am a native of Joplin, Missouri -- a community of modest size located in the southwest corner of the state near the corners of Kansas and Oklahoma. Having obtained a diploma from Joplin High School, I enrolled in Missouri Southern College located in Joplin. Later, I transferred to Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri.

Other than the college, Marshall's only other claims to fame are the large Banquet Frozen Foods plant, and it was the capital of the Confederate State of Missouri.

Earning a bachelor's degree in Human Relations in 1970, I set off to conquer the world. Somewhere along the way, I was sidetracked and haven't found where I am supposed to be yet.

I have been happily married to my college-days sweetheart for 26 years -- fifteen for her, eleven for me; and, if anyone breathes a word, of that I will deny everything.

We have three children. Kimberly (the oldest) is 29, married, and living in Imperial, Nebraska. They have presented us with two exceptional grandsons, at least we think so.

Stephanie is the middle child. She is 20 and a junior at Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska. She is engaged in pursuit of a degree in piano performance. Please don't ask what that means, I just pay the bills. She also plays the organ for church services and accompanies various vocal vocalists to help pay for her education. She also plays in the college marching and concert bands. With the college grounds department, she plants flowers, mows grass, and pulls weeds.

Kenneth David is the youngest at age ten. We are really surprised he has made it this far. There were a few times where his big sisters came close to doing him in, especially when he was in their room without permission.

He is wreaking havoc in the fifth grade at the present time. He is involved in Cub Scouts and is learning to skateboard and ride a bicycle. He prefers the skateboard -- he doesn't have as far to fall when he falls off.

At the present time, I am employed as a dispatcher with the Dundy County Sheriff's Office. I also own and operate, along with my wife, a photography studio and a desktop publishing, mailing list management, and typing service.

In case you are going to ask: yes, we do have free time. It is between two and four in the morning.

I am also an ordained Southern Baptist minister and the interim pastor at the Parks Community Church in Parks, Nebraska. In fact, that is why we came to Nebraska in the first place. I was called as the pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Benkelman in December of 1979.

I cut my writing teeth as the assistant and, then, editor of my college newspaper and sharpened the skill by working at the Benkelman Post as a news writer. I eventually became sports and news editor. My writing style, for my personal work, is similar to that of Robert Fulghum. I don't pretend to have his wit. In fact, some people have said I have about half of what it takes.

By the way, I owe most of my success of writing when I was working at the newspaper to some very good editors who keep my infinitives from being split and my participles from dangling and reminding me that a preposition is not a good word to end a sentence with.

I also am deeply indebted to a good spell checker and grammar checker on my word processor. Other than that, it is all me.