Forsaken Patriot: The Strange Life and Times of Samuel May Williams (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781514184288)

Marshall Riggan
Marshall has been a professional writer for more than thirty years. He has written documentary projects for National Geographic, The Smithsonian, the History Channel, Arts and Entertainment and PBS. Many of his scripts have been centerpiece films or videos for museum displays, including traveling exhibits for Catherine The Great, Ramses II, and the history of Soviet Space Flight.

Twice, Marshall's scripts on the environment were selected as Best Nature Film of the Year by the Outdoor Writers Association. Two years running, films he wrote were selected for the PBS Eudora Welty Americana Award as the best short American films of the year. Another film he researched and wrote for ABC was awarded an Emmy.

Gordon Blocker
Gordon's work with the Galveston Historical Foundation, creating a living museum in the Samuel May Williams Home in the 1980s, sparked his fascination with Williams, his life and his times. It was the beginning of a decades-long project of original research that became the heart of Forsaken Patriot.

Since Gordon began his career in 1970 at CBS (KHOU-TV) in Houston, he has combined his love of story-telling with a wide range of communication skills, including photography, editing, videography, and film-making. He is especially known for his cutting-edge techniques involving interactive high technology for Macromedia, American Airlines and Coca-Cola. Over the years, his films, interactive products and creative solutions have earned him recognition at numerous film festivals, both national and international.

The Author's Together
Gordon, as producer, director and cinematographer, Marshall, as writer, have collaborated on many award-winning projects over the years. Among these films was Broken Rhymes, produced for a national PBS audience and narrated by Richard Burton, and a sequel, Journey From Flanders. The films focused on the struggles of young people who suffered severe brain injury in accidents, and their courageous fight to regain their physical, intellectual and emotional capacities. Both films were awarded top prizes at multiple national and international film festivals.