John Stover
John Stover was born in Brockton, Mass on June 1, 1951, the fourth child of seven. It was in Brockton, Mass., that Mr. Stover spent his youth at his father's hotel, The West Elm Hotel, where he observed men from the Brockton VA Hospital. Much of Mr. Stover's writing is culled from these dysfunctional men. As a child, Mr. Stover observed several unexpected, sudden and violent deaths. As a youth of fifteen, Mr. Stover was involved in a bizarre accident that took the life of his elderly neighbor....See more
John Stover was born in Brockton, Mass on June 1, 1951, the fourth child of seven. It was in Brockton, Mass., that Mr. Stover spent his youth at his father's hotel, The West Elm Hotel, where he observed men from the Brockton VA Hospital. Much of Mr. Stover's writing is culled from these dysfunctional men. As a child, Mr. Stover observed several unexpected, sudden and violent deaths. As a youth of fifteen, Mr. Stover was involved in a bizarre accident that took the life of his elderly neighbor. He steadfastly maintains his innocence. The author attended Boston University and the University of California at Los Angeles, where he majored in English literature and writing. Mr. Stover began his college career as a pre-med major. He was forced to leave the university after waking up restrained in a straitjacket, the result of a bad LSD trip. The author was picked up running naked through the streets of Boston on Christmas Eve. That episode pretty much ended any thoughts of an academic or medical career. In 1974, Mr. Stover spent a year hitch-hiking around the south, working at various odd jobs, as well as hopping freight cars, guessing astrological signs for money and working for the local moonshiners and drug dealers. In six months Mr. Stover logged over 20,000 miles on his thumb, sleeping under bridges, accepting the hospitality of strangers and living by his wits. Today, this living situation would be described as homeless. In 1973, it was merely living "On the Road." In 1976, Mr. Stover moved to California where he worked as a personal assistant to Edwin W. Pauley, Chairman of the Board of Regents, for the Universities of California and Treasurer of the Democratic Party. He also worked at several of the local area hospitals, UCLA Medical Center and St. John's Hospital, among others. Mr. Stover stayed four years with Edwin W. Pauley, spending summers with the Pauleys on their private Island in Hawaii. Some of the guests who spent time on Coconut Island were Jerry Brown, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Meredith Willson, composer of "The Music Man." The author also worked for several foreign ambassadors as well as for the Academy Award winning director Lewis Milestone. In 1984, Mr. Stover entered the world of fashion, working for several international clothing companies, winning several awards and achieving considerable success and acclaim. In 1989, he opened his own concern. My Stover has written seven novels and one memoir. See less