The Legacy of Eulan Brown

As most of you probably know by now, we are very close to releasing a new book entitled, “The Legacy of Eulan Brown.” If you have been a reader of this blog the last three years, you will recognize much of the content of the book. I have made an attempt to gather and organize some of the stuff I’ve written to illustrate the life lessons from a man who probably didn’t think his life counted for much.

I have no idea how the book will be received but I do know the lessons he unknowingly taught me are real. And my hope is the lessons can become real to the folks who read the book.

The book is now at the printer in Minnesota. We are expecting them (hardback edition) to be shipped in a couple of weeks in time for you to consider it for a last minute Christmas gift. . There will be updates on Twitter and Facebook as well as an announcement as to how to actually get the book. Of course, you will be able to get the book online, but I am also hoping to have a release party where I will talk about the book and do some selected readings and do a book signing. We are trying to figure all that out. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

My lifelong friend and Reynolds native, Jimmy Childre, Jr,, honored me by writing the Foreword to the book and did an exceptional job. Jimmy has plenty of credentials to take on such as task, not the least of which is the fact that we have been close friends for 55 years. The following is an excerpt from Jimmy’s Foreword:

Bruce’s demanding travel schedule, for both his corporate work and his numerous public speaking engagements, offers him many opportunities to meet new people. He seems to always position himself for that unique personal encounter where he comes away touched by someone’s story and then he shares it through his blogs, speeches and books. Bruce doesn’t seek out the rich and famous, although from time to time he may give us an unexpected view of them. He more often sees the special qualities of the unnoticed people and then effortlessly brings them into our lives where we can benefit from the lessons learned through his observations.

In this book, Bruce compiles stories about people he has met in his travels as well as people who grew up in Reynolds. One of those people is Eulan Brown. He was physically challenged and made a very meager living selling Grit newspapers from his bicycle. He was always wrecking his bicycle in a ditch or against a curb, spilling the newspapers from his basket and finding himself on the ground. As young boys, we would point and laugh while he got up, gathered his newspapers, and brushed himself off in an awkward kind of way to continue on his journey. This continued day after day and year after year.

Through Bruce’s God given gift of seeing what the rest of us can’t see, he has written The Legacy of Eulan Brown. With his talent for storytelling, he uses the stories to illustrate the lessons he observed from Eulan Brown, a man that essentially went unnoticed except when he failed.

Bruce’s writing and speeches have inspired thousands of people and I am confident many more are about to be inspired as a result of this book. Bruce’s unique view gained from being a funeral director in the little town of Reynolds, coupled with his keen sense of humor and sincere appreciation of life formed the perfect combination for what he accomplishes in this book.

Please stay tuned. I’ll keep you posted.