Local Author: Steven R. Jones

Steven R. Jones
51 years of age
Married 18 years, Wife’s name: Meg
Seven children: Scott, Christopher, Shelley, Jane, Cori, Robin and Bonnie
Five grandchildren: Brian, Samantha, Michael, Nicole and Tyler

Veteran United States Navy, Hospital Corpsman- 6 years
Graduate-College of Lake County
Graduate-Columbia Heights High School (Minnesota)

Waukegan Police Officer-25 years
Evidence Technician-24 years
Major Crime Scene Unit-19 years
Lake County Major Crime Task Force- 11 years

Lecturer on the Holocaust-8 years
Waukegan High School, Grant High School, Jack Benny Middle School, Jefferson Middle School, Central Jr. High, Columbia College of Missouri, Carthage College, Waukegan Historical Society

Author of two books on the Holocaust: Through Another’s Eyes, published November 2001, and Masada Mine, published June 2002.

Hobbies: Fishing, calligraphy, photography, collecting (just about everything)

Favorite T.V. shows: Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Simpsons

Most Memorable Person Met: Dr. Elie Wiesel, 1987 Nobelist, teacher, author, and my personal hero.
“I sat at my computer a few years ago and attempted to improve my lecture material for an upcoming presentation at the High School. I had been lecturing about the Holocaust for a number of years at that point and I had been troubled by my lack of information regarding the plight of the victims of the attempted erasure of Judaism.

I began typing. My right little finger kept hitting the Enter key, beginning a new paragraph. Three and a half hours later I had 18 pages of “notes.” My wife stood back and watched me typing away. When I was finished she asked, “Why don’t you continue and turn it into a book?” I hadn’t really considered such a thing before, but she was right. The result was Through Another’s Eyes.

That book had a sibling seven months later. Masada Mine was my second literary child. I have since been working diligently on a new book, one in a completely different area. I was a Waukegan police officer for 25 years and I decided that I would make an attempt at writing about something I had worked on during my career. I had been an evidence technician and so had plenty of fodder for the new work.

Since the beginning I have sought help and information from the library. The Second World War was an intricate and intense period of time and the reference material it generated is extensive, far beyond my ability (or room) to amass. Although I have 200 + books in my personal library, there are many, many more that are available. It was these to which I referred during the research for both of my first two books. I spent a good deal of time at the tables and shelves searching for the knowledge recorded by others. It was all there.

I wrote while I was in college, of course. It’s one of the requirements of higher education. Essays, poetry, short stories and the like were the beginnings for me. The writings of Elie Wiesel, in particular, urged me to give it a try. I, in turn, have urged others to give it a try as well.

It’s quite something to be asked for my autograph on a copy of one of my books. It gives me a tremendous sense of accomplishment and makes me feel that I have, indeed, done something with my life beyond my family and my career.”

“I sat at my computer a few years ago and attempted to improve my lecture material for an upcoming presentation at the High School. I had been lecturing about the Holocaust for a number of years at that point and I had been troubled by my lack of information regarding the plight of the victims of the attempted erasure of Judaism.

I began typing. My right little finger kept hitting the Enter key, beginning a new paragraph. Three and a half hours later I had 18 pages of “notes.” My wife stood back and watched me typing away. When I was finished she asked, “Why don’t you continue and turn it into a book?” I hadn’t really considered such a thing before, but she was right. The result was Through Another’s Eyes.

That book had a sibling seven months later. Masada Mine was my second literary child. I have since been working diligently on a new book, one in a completely different area. I was a Waukegan police officer for 25 years and I decided that I would make an attempt at writing about something I had worked on during my career. I had been an evidence technician and so had plenty of fodder for the new work.

Since the beginning I have sought help and information from the library. The Second World War was an intricate and intense period of time and the reference material it generated is extensive, far beyond my ability (or room) to amass. Although I have 200 + books in my personal library, there are many, many more that are available. It was these to which I referred during the research for both of my first two books. I spent a good deal of time at the tables and shelves searching for the knowledge recorded by others. It was all there.

I wrote while I was in college, of course. It’s one of the requirements of higher education. Essays, poetry, short stories and the like were the beginnings for me. The writings of Elie Wiesel, in particular, urged me to give it a try. I, in turn, have urged others to give it a try as well.

It’s quite something to be asked for my autograph on a copy of one of my books. It gives me a tremendous sense of accomplishment and makes me feel that I have, indeed, done something with my life beyond my family and my career.”

Links:
Waukegan Public Library Online Catalog: Steven R. Jones