Pete and I shared forty-eight years together. By the time we met, he had a Ph.D. in English and was teaching at Ferrum College. Even before we married, he shared his love for the outdoors with me on backpacking adventures to Dolly Sods, West Virginia. I can remember as clearly as if it were yesterday Pete telling his mother that our three-month-old daughter, Amy, did fine camping once we covered her with leaves; his mother was not impressed.
Our children, Amy and Rob, grew up around nature and storytelling. Like Pete had done with his campers years earlier, he would make up stories to distract them from complaining about the hiking. Our yellow child-carrying backpack became Big Bird, and fallen trees along the path were discarded toothpicks from area giants.
Old Joe Grady was as much a part of our family as any relative. Many of the stories within Staying Alive in Bear Country were shared during soccer practice, canoe trips, or around a campfire. There were also many stories about Pete’s adventures in the wilderness, such as his own encounter with a black bear—a story we often attributed to his tall-tales.
Pete was a man of honor, an individual who truly worked hard at seeing the good in all people. He was a mentor to so many, not just his students and his children. One of the young adults from Botswana with whom Pete worked during the program I coordinated in 2015–2017 recently wrote:
“Thank you to you and Uncle Pete for being such a great impact in our lives, Aunty Beth. Each time I am going through it and feel like the world is closing in on me, I remember a conversation I had with Uncle Pete in Cape Town in 2016 where he told me to appreciate chaos because the character development that comes from it makes me the leader I am. This has become something akin to Philippians 4:13—a personal mantra.”
I miss him beyond words, but the publication of this book has helped keep his spirit alive. I am so very proud of my children for all they have done to ensure Pete’s book would be published, from Rob working through this past year with Professor Lana Whited and Black Rose Writing, to Amy using her graphic design skills to create flyers to promote upcoming book launches. Pete would be so proud as well.