The Life and Times of an Iowa Man: Cherokee to Chicago, Geneva, Hanover, Port-de-France, Washington, Petropolis, Tokyo, & Marbella

From a small farming town in Iowa -- to Europe, South America and Japan -- Dick Cleaves had a personal history that symbolized the American spirit of adventure, public service, and entrepreneurship in the 20th century. In this memoir compiled from recorded tapes, letters, and photos, he describes youthful antics, small town culture, his physician father in WWI, his own athletic prowess, and escapades in the Caribbean and Brazil. Other stories touch on the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the US Occupation of Japan after WWII, successful and less successful investments, and smuggling contraband in the Mediterranean. The editors have assembled this collection of anecdotes in the belief that all lives have meaning, and when they reflect a family's aspirations and achievements in historical context, they can help define an American century. Read more