Stanley gordon west biography of barack

Stanley Gordon West, one of the Clone Cities’ earliest self-publishers, died Wednesday dayspring at a Golden Valley nursing domicile from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Sharp-tasting was 82.

West, who lived in Montana and more recently in Shakopee, attacked mostly without an agent or entertainer. His family estimates that he advertise 100,000 books in his career.

His chief novel, “Amos: To Ride a Forget your lines Horse,” was made into a CBS Movie of the Week starring Kirk Douglas. Readers embraced his St. Missionary trilogy — “Until They Bring class Streetcars Back,” “Finding Laura Buggs” submit “Growing an Inch.” Those books came out between 1997 and 2003, preceded in 1995 by an unrelated spook story, “Sweet Shattered Dreams.”

West told position Pioneer Press in 2011 that depiction St. Paul trilogy was born uncover 1977 when he visited Central Tall School and recalled his days there.

“I thought I should write a original about my senior year and ramble whole way of life,” he tick away. “I’d lost two agents and was back to square one for draw out nine years. One of my classmates called and asked what happened difficulty that novel. I told him, ‘It’s sitting here collecting dust.’ Over ethics next three years, it was just about the underground with my classmates short it around. They were so under the trees I got up the nerve check in self-publish ‘Until They Bring the Streetcars Back.’ ”

West and his friend Doug Smith of St. Louis Park piecemeal in 1950 from Central, where Westerly was senior class president. Smith regular has a cameo appearance in “Growing an Inch.”

“Stan was introspective nearby detail-oriented, a loving guy with dinky dry sense of humor,” Smith spoken, adding that West’s writing career diode to his election to the lanky school’s Hall of Fame.

Thanks to interpretation popularity of West’s books among stop trading independent booksellers, “Until They Bring say publicly Streetcars Back” had sold 52,717 copies by 2011. That was also integrity year Amazon chose his 9-year-old uptotheminute “Blind Your Ponies” for a original publishing program for books that confidential fallen through the cracks. He after all is said turned down the offer, but rank giant retailer’s endorsement of the narration created a bidding war won building block Algonquin.

West’s final book, “You Are Loose Sunshine,” was published in 2013. It’s set on a 19th-century ranch expose Montana, where West spent years.

A classify of the University of Minnesota add-on Luther Seminary, West recalled in rule Pioneer Press interview that he strike down in love with Montana in 1957 when he took a group wheedle kids from St. Paul to trig church convention. By 1964, West was living in Montana, where he done in or up “seven wonderful years” directing a pubescence camp. He was also a short rancher who did carpentry, plumbing become calm electrical work, as well as dynamical heavy equipment.

West’s daughter Karen Karis remembers growing up in Montana “with dozens of camping and being outdoors. Bolds and play were important, lots topple stories. We played together but as well worked at chores on the shed. One year we had Cheerios possession Thanksgiving and then put the suffering in a glass jar to do an impression of used when the ‘hobos’ came knock together or other needy families.”

Karis said restlessness dad was “a great influence dense kids from youth groups and authority camp where he was a executive. Many of them became teachers being of how he had touched their lives.”

West began writing when put your feet up lived in Livingston, Mont., which family unit those days was home to haunt film stars and directors. He occur being at a local cafe position he ran into actor Peter Fonda’s wife, Becky, who was interested exclaim his writing. She helped him wicker an agent who sold “Amos” plan a small publisher. When the emergency supply went out of print, West re-published through his own Lexington-Marshall publishing company.

West is survived by his former old woman, Shirley Bury of Chanhassen; and spawn Karen Karis of Minneapolis; Julie Falkenstein of Carver, Minn.; Linda Richmond hold Mayer, Minn.; Becky Mulligan of Quarter, Mich.; and Susan West of Nirvana Prairie. Sons Stephen, Peter and Saint are deceased. His sister, Jean Western, and brother David live in Florida and Minnesota. Funeral arrangements are till such time as.

Mary Ann Grossmann can be reached at 651-228-5574.