For Fulton-area author Jim Barton, putting his thoughts to the page was about more than just reliving the past. He did it to share a piece of the town he loves with his children.
"I always wanted to write a memoir for my two kids," he said. "I feel very strongly that it's important to leave your memories for your children. They don't know what life was like before they came along."
Barton said his roots in the Missouri town of Bland run deep.
"I spent much of my life in Bland," he said. "I moved there when I was 6, was educated in the Bland School District. In all honesty, that is what gave me the incentive to write the book. That town has given me so much."
After attending Lincoln University and the University of Missouri, Barton said he started working in several different school districts, including Bland.
"I was a 1964 graduate of Bland High, got my first teaching contract at 20 years old, and became the principal the very next year," he said. "Then, in 1983, we lost the school because of the economics. They were consolidated with another district."
The loss of the school, Barton said, was painful for him and all other alumni.
"About two years ago, there was an alumni gathering in Bland," he said. "I saw the compassion everyone had and how sad they were about the loss of the school. It inspired me to write a book for them and for my children. A book about the Bland we remembered."
The memoir "A Tale of Two Schools: Bland, Missouri and Scarletville USA" begins during his earliest years, Barton said.
"I started the book out with my life on the farm with my mom, dad and siblings," he said. "That part of the book talks about all the life lessons I learned from my parents, lessons that are still very meaningful in my life. I talk about my life on the farm and my love for my family."
Barton said the next section of the book focuses on a different, but no less meaningful, topic.
"The section on Scarletville is a story about bullying in schools," he said. "That is a topic that is very big in the culture today. I talk about an experience a person had with bullying while in school. I feel it is important to try and eliminate bulling anywhere and everywhere. It is something we have to stop, and I feel that so strongly."
His book, Barton said, offers suggestions he feels could bring bullying to an end, and what school districts can do to help protect students against it.
Barton said becoming a first-time author presented unique challenges.
"The book took about two years to write," he said. "This is my first book, and I was surprised it took that long. It was difficult to meet time-lines, to do research and editing and reviewing. Believe it or not, now that it's done it's still stressful. I had the books delivered to me Friday and then had a book signing in Bland on Saturday, which was really stressful."
Barton feels two parts of the book really stand out.
"One thing I really enjoy about the book is a gift I was able to give my parents," he said. "I included a very special letter in the book. I wrote a letter to the Vatican expressing a desire to offer them a gift in the name of my parents. Pope Francis has excepted that gift, and I have a copy of the letter written to me in the book."
Barton said more than anything, it is the people he met throughout his career that made it so memorable.
"The other thing that stands out to me in the book is just how lucky I was to be able to work with so many amazing young people," he said. "They taught me so much. Also, the parents and teachers I worked with have always been like a second family to me, and I hope people get that feeling from the book."
Now that the book is printed, packaged, and ready to roll, Barton said he is now looking for retailers to help him get his memories out to the people.
"We are looking for different places to sell the book," he said. "It will be available at Well Read Books on Court Street today, for $20. Other than that, people can contact me directly at (573) 642-8803 if they would like a copy."
Inside the front cover, the book's dedication serves as a reminder of what his memoir is all about, Barton said.
"The book is dedicated to my mom and dad, for all the life lessons they taught me," he said. "It is also to my wife and two kids. I hope that people who buy the book enjoy it, and find something in there they can relate to."