A letter penned in 1944 uncovers the powerful and heartfelt story of Helen Gregg, the daughter of Irish immigrant parents who grew up in the miseries of Hell's Kitchen during the Great Depression, and Clarence Raymond Stephenson, a young aspiring B-17 pilot raised in the small, struggling city of Ironton, Ohio. Fate brings them together in New York's Central Park in 1942 and from the moment their eyes first meet, they know their lives will never be the same.
This captivating and poignant story of their struggles and romance, his exploits as a highly decorated B-17 pilot during World War II, and the tragedy that tears them apart, inspires while tugging at your heart. A screenplay adaptation of the book is in development.
Ray O'Conor has been a newspaper columnist and written articles and opinion pieces published in several newspapers and magazines. Ray left his position as a bank CEO and senior officer of a publicly traded company to pursue his writing career. He also served in the past as a Special Agent with the United States Department of Defense. Ray has a lifetime of involvement with many charitable causes. Among other recognitions, he was named a General Mills' "Wheaties Everyday Champion," is the recipient of the Distinguished Leadership Award by the National Association for Community Leadership, the American Bar Association's Liberty Bell Award, the Centennial Good Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Community Action Award.