Sergeant Alvin C. York: The Making of a Hero and Legend, Paperback

This carefully researched book presents a unique view of the Sgt. York story. Through diligent study of contemporary newspaper reporting, the author Sandra Turner reveals little known facts about the man who became a true American war hero and legend. How the press built his public image and maintained his status through the years from 1919 until his death in 1964 makes an interesting and engrossing read, even for those who think they know every detail of York's story.

About the Author:

Sandra S. Turner wrote her Sgt. York book originally as a thesis for a master's degree in Communications at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is a graduate of Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute, Jamestown, Tennessee, as was her mother, her sister, and her daughter, plus numerous extended family members. "My daddy took me as a little girl to meet Sergeant York at his home once in the 1950s. The hero was not well at the time, but I still remember his smile and warm greeting." Turner previously taught English at York Institute, as does her daughter currently, and at Clarkrange High School. She worked as a writer/editor for the Tennessee Valley Authority in Chattanooga and as a reporter for the Tennessean newspaper in Nashville and for the Herald Citizen in Cookeville. She was editor of a weekly newspaper in Campbell County, Tennessee. Currently, since 1981, she writes, edits, and publishes a bi-monthly Christian tabloid for singles, "Singles Scene/Spirit & Life." She has edited books for authors and has written many hundreds of resumes for an online church staffing service. She is currently a volunteer publicist for the Allardt Great Pumpkin Festival and Weigh-off, held each year the first Saturday in October in Allardt, Tennessee.