Beverley Whitaker Rodgers discusses Reflections from Box 150: Chronicles of a Childhood Growing Up on the U.S. Horticultural Field Station near Torrey Pines, La Jolla, California

Capturing a bygone era through short stories and vignettes, Beverley Whitaker Rodgers chronicles her childhood growing up on the U.S. Horticultural Field Station near La Jolla, California from the 1930s to when she graduated from La Jolla High School in 1952. Her stories explore such topics as war, childrearing, disease, politics, religion and typical childhood hobbies like horseback riding, playing with friends and school activities. During her childhood, Beverley’s father, Dr. Thomas W. Whitaker, of Hispanic and Irish decent—descending from the first settlers of Los Angeles (Pobladores)—became an accomplished ethnobotanist, experimenting with growing vegetation in the dry, Southern California terrain, specializing in iceberg lettuce and Cucurbits (melons and gourds). He instilled in Beverley an inherent interest in agriculture, as well as the Mexican-American Experience. Her mother, Mary Beverley Somerville Whitaker, descended from the First Families of Virginia and instilled in Beverley southern values and manner, as well as an insatiable interest in history. These stories are told with humor, wit and historical accuracy, weaving narratives that will hold the reader’s attention, passing on tales of a more innocent time.

Shawn Brown-Brumfield discusses The Purpose Driven School

The Purpose-Driven School is a guide to creating vitality in schools—allowing our educational institutions to have purposeful existence and to thrive long-term. With chapters on vision, hiring practices, leadership, the achievement gap, distance learning, and more, The Purpose-Driven School will help educational leaders build great schools that contribute to a better America.

Vroman’s Local Author Day featuring Beverley Whitaker Rodgers and Shawn Brown-Brumfield