The Death of Will Dodican

DAVID PORTER worked for decades as director ofhistory museums and related institutions in Oregon.He always had a passion for stories of the past.He wrote stories and poems from the time he was a teenager and was first published in 'PortlandReview' when in college. That led him to work as afreelance writer and poet during the ’70s. He is theauthor of 'Clearing The Sky Of Thickets' a collectionof poetry with a distinct Pacific Northwest voice.'The Death of Will Dodican' originated from a promiseto his paternal grandmother that he would try tounravel the mystery of her uncle William Dodican’sdeath far from home in the New Mexican desert inOctober 1905. The puzzle had tormented Will’ssisters throughout their lives. Is there a clear answer to the question 'Who killedWill?' Read Porter’s diligent effort to sort throughthe available evidence as well as to understand thetime and places through which the characters playedout the sad story. The search led him to discoverieswhich he hadn’t known about his family. Porter admires Erik Larson’s style and scholarship in 'The Devil in the White City' and other works. His intent is to bring a touch of that flavor to this first work of historic dramatization.Porter lives in the Portland area with his wife Mary and acat named Tiger. He hopes that his children will beinspired to learn more about the people who camebefore them because of the book.