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AJ Rodriguez I was born in 1945, in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, a small steel mill town outside of Pittsburgh. I am the eldest daughter, of six children, born to John and Mildred Cymbalak. The first nineteen years of my life were a typical small town existence. All that changed in 1965, when I met and married my husband David, a soldier in the U.S. Army. The next 20 years found us traveling the world with our four sons. The idea of Theodore was created during a tour of duty in Germany. Since American TV programs were scarce, I would entertain our sons with stories of a magical bear and his struggles to realize his dreams. These stories kept my children entertained for hours on end. However, as all children must, they grew up and were no longer interested in my tales. These stories were placed to the back of my mind as I continued my life. The Army took us to many exciting places. I had the opportunity to live in five different states, Europe and the Far East. In 1984, David retired and we moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Here I began my career in State service. I worked at Louisiana State University, Southern University, The Louisiana State School for the Deaf and various other State Agencies. In 1995, I retired from State service. In 1999, David and I moved to Crestview, Florida. It was there in Florida that Theodore was reborn. During the summer of 2000, our grandchildren came for a visit. While they were visiting us, I began to tell them the tales of Theodore. They were excited by the misadventures of this magical bear and when they returned home, they shared these tales with their friends. Taylor, my granddaughter, began asking for more stories to share with her friends. However, since I had never written the stories down, I could not recall them. In 2001, when Taylor and her siblings came for their visit, I was prepared. I purchased a small tape recorder and as I told my stories, I began to record them. During a family reunion that summer, I played the tapes for the children at the reunion. They enjoyed the stories so much, that I decided I would try to get them published, so that other children could enjoy them too. I spent the next two years writing and rewriting the stories until Theodore DaBaer became the story it is today. In 2004, my dream became a reality when Publish America decided to publish my book. Currently, I am residing in LaPlace, Louisiana with David, my husband of almost 40 years, and our two dogs, Chula and Annie. |
Send mail to Theodore@TheodoreDaBaer.com with questions or comments about the book or web site. |
