Jim Burkett was born in a small coal mining town of West Virginia
while his father was serving in Korea. Once his father returned, the
family was transferred to Hawaii were they spent the next five years
stationed at Hickum Air Force Base. While stationed in Hawaii, Jim
spent as much time touring the submarines while they were in port as he
was allowed.
Their next
tour took them to MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. For six years, he
spent his weekends going with his father to the different base
facilities, often allowed permission to spend time with the airmen and
officers listening to and watching as they went about their
assignments, working on the planes and transports mechanics. At the age
of 13, he lost his father who by this time was serving overseas once
again.
Years
later, while pursuing a Computer Science degree, he met his future wife
Cathy and they were married a year and a half later. Still married
after 35 years, they have two sons and have been blessed with two
grandchildren.
In
addition to his current Senior Systems Analyst position, he also serves
as a senior staff photographer for a local magazine in the Tampa Bay
area. Previously, he wrote a column for the SouthWinds Sailing magazine
and worked on several projects including spending a week photographing
the Canadian Olympic Team prior to the Beijing Olympics and the
“Earthrace” boat which would later set a world speed record
circumnavigating the globe. In 2006, he received the “Volunteer of the
Year” award for his work with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
Through
his photography and writing, he feels privileged to have met and spent
time with such men as General Tommy Franks, George Steinbrenner, Pete
Bethune and Steve Yerrid to name only a few. One of his closest friends
is a retired Secret Service agent who once served on Presidential
detail under six presidents.
Holding
close to his military roots, he has continued to study military history
and high-tech science and blends these into his first book Declaration of Surrender. He uses his skill with a camera, and his devotion to his grandchildren to build his series Read With Me Pops, for pre-readers and early readers.
