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Hi Folks,
Here's what's happening. In January 2005 I was on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Even though I really wanted to be a millionaire, my potent combination of charm and humor didn't matter much when neither I nor my lifeline knew that Alfred Kinsey was considered an expert on the gall wasp. Although I had a ball with Meredith Viera, my visible plan to win a lot of cash evaporated as did my unspoken plan to create a scholarship in honor of my mother.
Here's why I wanted to do it.
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She was great. When she was in her 40s and raising five children, Lois Mercier McKechnie decided to set an example for us (and prove something to herself I'm sure) by returning to school and earning her degree. Four years later, she graduated from the University of Central Florida with a 3.7 GPA and a degree in communications. Now I'm around the age my mom was when she was completing college, and as I get older I have a greater appreciation for what she did then. I couldn't imagine raising five kids and having the determination to return to school after more than 20 years. What a woman, She was just incredible.
I write of her in the past tense because in 1989 she passed away from leukemia. Looking for a positive outlet, that's when I started to get serious about writing and it's supported me for the past 17 years. Still, without a windfall from a game show, I decided to resort to something I have some control over: My book.
As you know, I wrote Great American Motorcycle Tours and it turned out to do pretty well. In 2001, it received the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award and the Lowell Thomas Silver Award, marking the first time a motorcycle book has received these two literary honors and it remains the best-selling, most successful motorcycle tour book in the U.S.
The book, like my mom, has been great to me -- and now it can do some great things for others. To raise money for middle-aged moms returning to college, in October 2005, I auctioned off the co-dedication for the 3rd edition on eBay to go towards the Lois Mercier McKechnie Working Mothers' Scholarship that will provide financial assistance to one or more working moms attending the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Now that the dedication has been claimed, how else can my book help moms? Here's how: Make a $500 donation and you'll be our guest at the Coconut Cottage Inn, our bed and breakfast in Mount Dora, Florida. Plus, you'll receive an autographed copy of Great American Motorcycle Tours, and the following day I'll personally lead you on a back roads motorcycling day trip to Daytona Beach, the Valhalla of the V-Twin. If you don't ride, you can be my passenger or buy this gift package for a friend.
If you'd like to make a donation, every cent will go towards the scholarship fund. As of this writing, the head of the UCF Foundation suggests that you can write a check made out to UCF, mark it for the scholarship fund mentioned above, and it will go into that account. If you have any questions or need need details on where to send your donation, please contact me via e-mail.
Thanks for considering the opportunity to help women trying to improve their lives, and please forward this information to any and everyone you think may be interested.
Peace,
Gary McKechnie
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MEDIA NOTE: GARY MCKECHNIE IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS, RADIO, AND TV APPEARANCES.
To request a review copy of the current edition of Great
American Motorcycle Tours, or for more information please
contact:
Hannah Cox
Associate Publicist
ph: 510.595.3664 x324
Hannah.cox@avalonpub.com
