Enchanted Valley and Worlds Beyond

About the Book

Blind parents James and Iola Penland, who did magnificent feats, set the stage for Bill Grays memoirs. Bill includes wonderful stories that involve other people and gives a special realism to life as lived from the 1930s until today.  

   The events take place in both rural and city settings and in all kinds of circumstances. The stories are filled with human emotions and will cause readers to laugh, cry, get frustrated, have compassion, adore the romantic passion, feel the political battles, and become exasperated at some of the crazy circumstances.  

    The book contains a vast array of settings. Just as in life, there are always changes taking place with new surprises and challenges.

     There is some history of Western North Carolina.  There are the dynamics of the USAF, NASA and the malestrom of White House politics. There is the everyday trials and tribulations of family living with some joyous triumphs and terrible tragedies. There is nostalgia and inspiration in this book for almost anyone.

About the Author

Bill was born in a country house near Hayesville, NC during the Great Depression. He worked his way through college, joined the USAF and was awarded a direct commission. He graduated from Stanford University while in the USAF. He joined NASA and lead the development of computer based systems in support of Apollo missions. Then, he consecutively became the Director of two government computer centers in Washington, DC. He ended his government career as a Computer Center manager at the White House. Bill, is now retired and enjoys writing. He and his wife of forty-nine years have three sons and a daughter.