Get to know the author: My wife Melody and I are avid movie buffs. That is one reason that I have made many movie references in my book Standing Tall and Looking Good. We have ten grandchildren, which means that many of our movie choices these days include the names Moana, Elsa, and Poppins. My hope with Standing Tall is that the grandchildren will one day read it and find out more about their Poppy (my grandfatherly nick name). My current project is a memoir of my cancer experience going back to discovery, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. Most of us have experienced cancer either directly or indirectly through family and friends. I am writing this book to help others who are going through cancer. One of the outcomes of a cancer encounter is a fresh insight into the wonder of the world around us. It does raise the question – why does it take a stark encounter with death’s messenger to open our eyes to the goodness of life? Maybe I’ll pose some answers to that question in this book. For more about my academic career and life prior to retirement, my current life in Dallas, TX, and the marathons I have run, see my blog posts and a longer bio at http://authors.coskrey-biz.com/zuker. R. Fred Zuker January, 2019