SUBMITTED TO CONNECT-BRIDGEPORT

 

Timothy Neff Gocke's book, The List: Shooting For Another New Old, which was published in August, 2018 by BookLocker, is a candid portrayal of what getting older is like and how we can magically change the number of years to fit our new old. His book discusses what a 50th reunion is like when classmates meet after a half-century has passed.

 

Gocke is a 1967 Graduate of Bridgeport High School.

 

Every element and issue in Gocke’s book are common to many of us who have attended a high school reunion where the years have slipped away. When you read his book, you will notice that the most common element of all is the list of a very special group of classmates.

 

As Gocke did in his first book, Number Twelve Son: An Outside Shot, he continues to do in his second book with his unique style of writing that is both refreshing and candid. He also continues to use his signature word "shot," which you will find in one form or another in every chapter heading of his book.

 

The uniqueness of his book lies in his biographies of each classmate who attended this special 50th class reunion. Gocke crafts a series of survey questions which brings out the personal issues in each classmate's lives. His keen ability to retrieve and disseminate information from each of his classmates allows for each biography to be written differently adding a touch of distinctness to each one of them.

 

Gocke dedicated his book to Coach Wayne "Smiley" Jamison who passed away on February 23, 2018. Tim uses a special quote in his book, "Don't cry because he is over, smile because he happened." Coach Jamison won four state football championships and never had a losing season at Bridgeport High School spanning four decades.

 

"Smiley," who is considered a legendary coach by many, has a football field named in his honor called Wayne Jamison Field in Bridgeport. Tim also dedicated his book to his four closest friends since childhood: Mike Buchanan, Joe Deegan, Jay Mullen, and Bob Thompson. Gocke states that friends don't come any better than these four.

 

The author is a retired Associate Professor of Business Management who has taught at Marshall University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Terra State Community College. Gocke has received many different awards during his teaching career including: Teacher of the Year at Terra State Community College, nominated for Ohio Community College Teacher of the Year, and awarded Who's Who four times for excellence in teaching which placed Gocke in the top 1 percent for all community college professors in the country. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Relations from West Virginia University. Tim and his wife, Mary, live in Fremont, Ohio. They have one daughter, Molly, and a son, Tim Jr.

 

His book can be purchased from Barnes and Noble or from the publisher, BockLocker.