The Friends of the Port O Connor Library Inc. are sponsoring book signings and entertaining and informative programs by former local teacher and award winning author, Curt Locklear who will present on January 24, 2022 and retired War veteran turned romance writer William (Bill) Innocenti, Project Manager for our library construction who will present on Feburary 7, 2022. Programs are scheduled from 6 – 7:30 pm in the Multipurpose Room of the POC Library.
Curt Locklear
Award Winning Storyteller And Author
CURT LOCKLEAR
Curt Locklear is an award-winning author, historian, teacher, education consultant, and public speaker. He has presented to thousands from Texas to Louisiana to Mississippi to Georgia to Minnesota to Maryland. He generally plays his guitar and banjo at his speaking engagements and enlivens the presentation with songs, stories and jokes.
His banjo picking is featured at the beginning of the hit Texas PBS TV show, “The Daytripper.”
He is a historian of elements of the Civil War west of the Mississippi – the TransMississippi and of Texas history.
He has won short story awards, and his three published novels are rated 5 Stars – highest rating. ASUNDER, A NOVEL OF THE CIVIL WAR and SPLINTERED (ASUNDER 2) which took first place in the 2018 International Laramie Awards. The third novel, RECONCILED, has been hailed as a masterpiece of storytelling. His fourth book is a mystery tale set in Dickens’ time. SCROOGE AND CRATCHIT, DETECTIVES. The fifth book is THE DARK MALEVOLENCE, (A SCROOGE AND CRATCHIT, DETECTIVES MYSTERY.) Both are receiving high marks.
Charles William
‘Bill’ Innocenti
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel
CHARLES WILLIAM INNOCENTI III
Charles William Innocenti III, or simply “Bill” as his friends call him, retired from the US Army in 2008 as Lieutenant Colonel after twenty-one years of service. As a career Army officer he never imagined writing about romance but it’s said people write about what they know.
Bill spent a total of six years fighting, working and living in a war zone giving him a unique perspective on war and life. Bill says, ‘”the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the dust strewn streets of Baghdad are as familiar to me as the numerous Army posts I lived or my high school haunts in Victoria.”
His service started on the East West German Border in Fulda, Germany in the waning days of the Cold War and ended after his third deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007.
After retiring from the Army in 2008, Charles worked as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan with officers and Soldiers of the Afghan military in support of Operation Enduring Freedom until 2011.
Charles was born and raised Victoria, Texas until he left for the Army and an adventure that would take him around the world with opportunities to work with and lead this generation’s “greatest Americans.”
The day after he graduated Basic Training, Charles married an amazing lady named JoAnne who is the cornerstone of their wonderful family with three children, Will, Jessica, and Rachel.
Charles holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Houston, Victoria, and two Masters degrees from the Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
