forever17jay

I am sending information about an exciting new book by Don McMurry, Jefferson City High School class of 1963. McMurry will be in Centralia, Mo, at the First Baptist Church Sunday, Dec. 17 from 12:30 till 3 p.m. and at Kinkead Pharmacy Monday, Dec. 18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Jackson Street Diner in Mexico, Mo. will host McMurry Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 9 a.m. till 2 p.m. McMurry will be at the 9^th Street Book Store in Columbia, Mo., Tuesday Dec. 19 from 3:30-6:30 pm.

As the guys sat around the room and talked about their high school days of football, other sports, cars and, of course, girls, one said, “Someone needs to write a book about Coach Adkins.” That someone became Don McMurry, Jefferson City High School graduate in the class of 1963. Forever Seventeen: Proud to be a Jay gives an inside the locker room glimpse of high school football. Games are described with detail and fervor, especially those against the Columbia Hickman Kewpies.

Jefferson City integrated its schools and in 1956 and the redistricting of students placed McMurry with sixth-graders he did not know. With the blacks and him as outsiders to East School, they bonded in special ways. All-American Dr. Charlie Brown, class of 1963, writes about McMurry’s book, “Don McMurry has probably chronicled the single most important piece of Jefferson City history. The story is as much about breaking down racial barriers and the power of building positive human relationships as it is about how to win football games.”

Coach Pete Adkins, a native of Mexico, Mo., came to Jefferson City in 1958 from Centralia, Missouri. Many were skeptical of the harsh guy from a small school. From the pages of Forever Seventeen: Proud to be a Jay the reader watches character be molded on the gridiron under the mentoring of the legendary coach. As Jerry Cox, one of Adkins’ Centralia quarterbacks said to a gathering in Jeff City honoring the retiring Adkins, “We in Centralia took a lot of the ‘rough’ off him before he came to you.” The book gives the seven years of success Coach Adkins had in Centralia with each of his teams.

McMurry writes of Jay after Jay who their senior year were kings of the hill. He sequences to his football playing days with Brian Piccolo and John Mackovic at Wake Forest College. He writes of his days in ministry, his life with his family and how his life intersected with Coach throughout Adkins’ career.

Themes of struggles in relationships, self-confidence and fair play run through the book. The lives of grown men in countless occupations bear the marks of the kings at 17, and Jay Pride never fades.

Coach Adkins penned the forward for Forever Seventeen: Proud to be a Jay, acknowledging his love for “his guys.”

Don McMurry now lives in Fairborn, Ohio, where he directs the Greater Dayton Association of Baptists, a group of 100 churches in ten counties. He and his wife of forty years, Norma, are parents of three children and grandparents of eight.

Forever Seventeen: Proud to be a Jay is available for $20.00 plus $5.00 shipping from Don McMurry, 15 W. Xenia Dr. Fairborn, OH 45324, by calling 937-879-0618 or from the web site www.foreverseventeen.net. Books will be available at Kinkead Pharmacy after the signing Dec. 18.

THE BOOKS ARE READY TO BE DELIVERED!!!
THE "MISSOURI BOOK TOUR" BEGINS DEC. 14

Don't miss a chance to purchase your own copy of Forever Seventeen:
Proud to be a Jay. Don McMurry will be in Jeff City Dec. 14, 15, and 16
at the Central Dairy from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm each day. COACH PETE
ADKINS will make a special appearance to sign books Dec. 14 from 2:00-6:00
pm.

Those of you who have already purchased a copy can pick your
inscribed, autographed copy up at Central Dairy during the same time frame as
above. Thank you for your purchase.

Listen to KLIK Radio Wednesday night, Dec. 13 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
for Carolyn McDowell's talk show hosting Don McMurry talking about his
new book.

Listen to KWOS Radio Thursday morning, Dec. 14 from 8:20 to 8:50 and
Warren's talk show featuring Pete Adkins and Don McMurry talking about
Jay football and Don's book, Forever Seventeen.

Watch KRCG Sports with Rod Smith Thursday in the local evening news
and in the late news for a clip about the book signing.

If you miss buying a book at Central Dairy, Don will be at the Jay
Basketball game Friday night after the book signing until after the game,
courtesy of the Jay Athletic Director, Tim Thompson.

SUNDAY- the tour journeys to Centralia, Mo., and at 12:30 First
Baptist Church will host a reception for its former pastor Don McMurry and
have a book signing until 3:00.

MONDAY-Kinkead Pharmacy in Centralia, Mo., will be the site for
another book signing from 11:00 to 6:00 pm.

TUESDAY-Jackson Street Diner in Mexico, Mo., will be the location of
another signing from 9:00 to 2:00.

TUESDAY-Columbia, Mo., 9th Street Book Store, Downtown Columbia from 3:30 to 8:30.

BOOKS MAY BE PURCHASED AT THE BOOK SIGNINGS FOR $20.00 OR YOU CAN
STILL GO ON LINE AND PURCHASE THE BOOK FOR THE SAME PRICE, BUT A SHIPPING
FEE IS AUTOMATICALLY ADDED. You can also order by sending a check for
the number of book you desire, plus $5.00 per book for shipping to: Don
McMurry, 15 W. Xenia Dr., Fairborn, Ohio 45324.

HARDBACK COPIES WILL BE AVAILABLE BUT NOT UNTIL RIGHT BEFORE
CHRISTMAS. Our first order of hardbacks is sold out! Cost for a hardback is
$33.00 and shipping is $5.00.

Remember When You Were 17?
Forever Seventeen: Proud to be a Jay will take you back to those
fun-filled, challenging days.

First-time author Don McMurry rekindles memories of days gone by
in his book Forever Seventeen: Proud to be a Jay. Coach John V. "Pete"
Adkins writes the forward and numerous former Jays along with McMurry
tell their football stories in this historical sports novel.
Racial integration in Jefferson City , Missouri , creates
friendships and binds a group of teammates through their senior year. Playing
for the legendary Pete Adkins molds boys into men.

The book gives Coach Adkins' storied 44-year coaching history,
McMurry's high school and college football career and the intersecting of
their lives through the years. McMurry includes Jay football highlights
up to the 2006 season including the Jay-Columbia Hickman Kewpies bitter
rivalry.
In his 342-page book the author tells his stories to his eight
grandchildren at family gatherings. The concluding chapter is a surprise
birthday tribute to Coach Adkins from scores of former Jays.
Gain insights into the lives of former athletes who fought the
honor of the "Red and Black" and how one man impacted their lives forever.

Send $20.00 plus $5.00 per book to cover postage and handling to:
(Make checks payable to Don McMurry)