Tom Speaker was born in West Lafayette, Indiana in 1939 and attended St. James Lutheran Elementary and then West Lafayette High School. He joined the Army after high school graduation and served in Hawaii for two years.

After the military he attended Purdue University and graduated with a B.S. in 1963, M.S. in 1967 and an EDS in 1980.  His first career of 21 years was spent as a teacher, counselor, guidance director and basketball coach in Indiana Secondary Schools.

He retired from teaching in 1986 and opened a travel company in West Lafayette, which he owns and operates with his family.  The company, Speaker’s Travel also operates a religious pilgrimage company, Lion and Lamb Journeys (www.lion-lamb.com).

Tom is married to Rosemary Cassidy.  They have three sons Thomas, Jonathan, and Brian.

This book, The Battle of Waikiki, is the author’s first novel to be published.  He has however completed a second novel, The Coach, which will be published in the future.  The Coach is a fictional book about a basketball coach and his experiences through life that make him successful as a coach.  The reason for his success is really not the coaching but his Christian outlook that makes him a successful mentor, husband, father and person.

Presently the author is working on his third novel Born to Sing, which features the life of a young man that loves Gospel Music.  Later he goes away from Gospel Music to the music of the 50’s which bring him fame and fortune, but also brings him to the lifestyle that makes him unhappy and to dislike himself.  Events occur where the love of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit bring him back to finding the meaning of true joy.

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