Charles W. Edwards was born at the turn of the 20th century, on November 21, 1899, outside the town of Otterville, IL. He married Thirza Edith Noble in July 1921, in Granite City, IL. He was an educator for 45 years, starting out in one room schoolhouses.
One of his many grandchildren, Jeffrey Druce, remembers his grandfather as a "serious bird watcher and history buff" and that, "he had a flat rock in his garden that he told us leprechauns danced on when the moon was full."
Charles passed away in 1985, however, his love of nature, family, and country shines through his writings and he lives on through his poetry. He self-published a book of poetry, "Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax" in 1971. "Charley, Tie Your Shoes" is a poem from this work and is a great reminder for young and old to "get up and try again."
Kayla Druce lives in the greater Philadelphia area with a few fabulous humans: her husband, Jonathan, the great grandson of Charles W. Edwards; their babies, Emerson and Eliza, the cutest ever, if they do say so; and their grandmother, Mary Elizabeth, a.k.a GG, who championed the publishing of this book. Kayla and Jonathan worked with kiddos on the autism spectrum for many years. These days, you can find her playing with her two under 2 babies, sneaking a nap, and generally trying to wrangle her lovely ADHD brain to do something awesome and productive. Charley, Tie Your Shoes is the perfect marriage of her sister Amelia's design talent, Charles' timeless words of wisdom, and a lifelong love of children's literature, puppies, and shoes. Amelia Detwiler is a multidisciplinary designer based out of the greater Philadelphia area. She has over six years of professional experience in the design industry, ranging in illustration, animation, and web and branding design. Amelia never misses a chance to reveal her love for animals, plants, and mid-century style through her work. You can see more of her work at ameliadetwiler.com or connect on LinkedIn!
