Gary Weart approached me in December, 2004. He was a social studies teacher and baseball coach who had worked for over thirty years in secondary education, and he told me that he had a story to tell. He was right. During his career, Gary saw thirteen of his students buried because of campus violence. In 1989, he finally started SAVE, Students Against Violence Everywhere, with the aid of a student at his high school. The organization now has chapters in forty-six states and six countries.
The sad reality is that school violence occurs every day, not just when it is reported on the nightly news because multiple slayings have occured, such as those at Columbine or Virginia Tech. Gary has worked tirelessly through the years with celebrities, mayors, governors, senators, congessmen, and presidents to champion the cause of safe learning environments.
I was privileged to help Gary by polishing his prose and doing developmental edits on his manuscript, which I am happy to say was published in the fall of 2006. His book, A TEACHER SHOOTS BACK, not only examines school violence but advocates a new world ethic of peace, involvment, giving, and responsibility. His story also includes many poignant and humorous moments from his personal life.
Gary and I still email and talk on the phone. He was a great client from beginning to end, and I am proud to call him my friend.
