By Daniel Bowen, Friends of the Chadron Public Library
Author, biologist and Chadron State grad Mark Peyton will be presenting his talk, “The Accidental Author” at the annual Friends of the Library banquet on October 18 at 6 p.m.
Peyton is the author of three books; "The Village Naturalist," a book of essays about natural history, "It Won’t Go Through Skin," a personal narrative about his tenure as a bartender at the Favorite Bar in Chadron, Nebraska, and soon to be released, More Than a Reference, essays about the people associated with scientific discoveries that changed the world.
A member of the Nebraska Writers’ Guild, Peyton has written essays for the Rural Electric Association’s Nebraska Magazine for the past twenty-one years, and has also published multiple essays in the Prairie Fire, the Chicken Dance Trail Newsletter and the Nebraska Writers’ Guild’s “Voices From the Plains” Anthologies.
Mark M. Peyton is both a Chadron High School and Chadron State College graduate who went on to become a teacher and biologist. He has twenty years of experience in the classroom and another twenty-three years of experience as the Senior District Biologist for the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District. Peyton still considers himself a teacher, but he is also a storyteller, amateur historian, and author.
Peyton spent time in the field studying a variety of different animals including clams, whooping cranes, bald eagles, least terns, piping plovers, various kinds of fish, toads, snakes, turtles, dragon flies, and American burying beetles.
He is a charter Board Member of the Nebraska Environment Education Association, he served two terms on the Board of Directors of Keep Nebraska Beautiful, nine years on the Gothenburg School Board, six as President, and he is presently the President of the Local Branch Advisory Board for the YMCA in Gothenburg, which is the smallest community in the United States to host a YMCA.
A master scuba diver, Peyton has traveled “almost” around the world on hundreds of dives, both professionally and for pleasure. He and his wife, Cindy, also a CSC graduate and a retired special-education teacher, are the proud parents of two boys, Reece and Alex, and they have two beautiful granddaughters Ellie and Emmie. Rounding out the family are spoiled cats, a fat dog, some snakes, turtles, and occasionally, a spider or two.
This year’s Friends of the Library banquet will be held at the Country Kitchen at 1250 W 10th St. in Chadron, and will also feature local broadcaster Mike Kesselring. Guests will have the choice of a meal featuring roast beef or smothered chicken.
People interested in attending the Friends of the Library Banquet, can pick up Friends of the Library membership and banquet ticket forms at the Chadron Public Library on 507 Bordeaux Street, or sign up electronically at Eventbrite (this option costs a couple dollars more because Eventbrite charges a small processing fee)