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**Cancelled** Author Talk with Rob Penfield, author of “A Life of Obstructions”

May 17, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Come meet Rob Penfield in person at Canton Public Library.  He will read from his book and answer questions.  Registration is requested to help with seating set-up.  You can register online in this listing or call the library at 860-693-5800.

 

 

A Life of Obstructions

 

On November 17, 1973, the world changed and a legend was born. A band of girls from tiny Granby High School won Connecticut’s first-ever state field hockey tournament. They beat Guilford High School scoring the winning goal in the second sudden-death overtime.

This is a journey through a life of highs and lows. A regular season of sticks and obstructions. Games against long-time rivals and emerging powerhouse teams. The joy and pain of a single elimination tournament.

This memorable season is a bridge to a 50-year journey for the game of field hockey in Connecticut’s public high schools; overcoming the barriers of systemic oppositions by state municipalities to federal guidelines for Title IX, the institutionalized practices of gender bias, discrimination and homophobia.

A Life of Obstructions by Rob Penfield tells a story about common people and their accomplishments playing a game, not because they had to, but because they wanted to be a part of something special. Because on November 17, 1973, the world really did change and a legend was born.

 

 

Rob Penfield is a Simsbury, CT native with a passion for writing stories about his hometown. He attended Northampton Commercial College where he captained the basketball team and is a graduate of American International College in Springfield, MA. He is a twice wounded and decorated Vietnam veteran who served with the 9th Infantry Division during the TET offensive.

Rob was the Farmington Valley Herald’s Sports Editor during the 1970’s, the lone sportswriter covering women’s high school sports on a fulltime basis, including 1973’s first ever field hockey tournament. He covered the World Series, The Super Bowl, NCAA tournaments, professional golf, tennis tournaments, NASCAR and local stock car racing and the Montreal Olympics for nationally known sports publications.

He worked as a professional consultant developing business training programs in every US state and for more than 200 clients in over 30 countries worldwide.

He ran his own boutique consulting company for 27 years. He’s a lifelong athlete including his playing field hockey at Fort Sill, OK. An opportunity which provided him with a special insight and understanding to tell the story of Connecticut’s first-ever high school field hockey tournament.  To tell that story before those memories were lost forever.

As a published writer, Rob has previously authored the riveting books, “The Monsters That Never Die” and “The Last Echoes From Down ‘N The Hole.”

Rob and his wife, Bonnie, originally from Shamokin, PA, live a comfortable retired lifestyle in Phoenix, MD with their cats and rebuilt Model A Fords.

Details

Date:
May 17, 2023
Time:
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Programs Category:

Location:

Canton Public Library
40 Dyer Avenue
Canton, CT 06019 United States
+ Google Map
Phone
860-693-5800

Inclement weather policy: If Canton schools or afterschool activities are cancelled for weather-related reasons, so too are events for teens and children at the Canton Public Library. The library is often still open, please contact us with questions or concerns at 860.693.5800.

Canton Public Library • 40 Dyer Avenue • Canton, CT 06019 • 860-693-5800 • Fax 860-693-5804