Dr. Rob Thompson, an Atlanta pediatrician and now novelist, was a first-generation college student at Georgetown. He proudly pointed to two first cousins who attended GC after him – Tarra Williams Hutchinson ’06 and Cristina Williams ‘10.
“I’m also looking forward to connecting with a lot of my college friends,” said the Atlanta pediatrician, whom classmates will know as Rob.
“I chose the pseudonym Ashland Menshouse for a couple reasons. It’s a family name and it separates my professional career from my glorified hobby,” said the native of Ashland (hence the first name). “Also, the name Rob Thompson is a little generic.”
The Last Seer and the Tomb of Enoch is about five kids who stumbled into a battle between a clan of Bigfoot and a ghost over an ancient tomb of buried angels. Thompson wrote, “It’s a young adult adventure blend of science fiction and spiritual fantasy, but so far adults who have read it have enjoyed it as well.”
The website is www.hoaker-croaker.com for a very kid-friendly reason that parents will appreciate. “There is no profanity, or sexual innuendo in the novel, since it’s written for kids,” he said. “And, instead of using ‘Darn’ or ‘Jeez’ – which are derivatives of other words – I created novel expletives for the kids to use. Hoaker Croaker! is one of them.”
Thompson had such a rich Georgetown College experience it’s no surprise some of that might be felt in the reading of The Last Seer… “My spiritual growth at GC certainly helped create a fruitful fund of knowledge on which to draw spiritual lessons and references written in the book,” he said.
A Dean’s List Chemistry and Biology double major who claimed both the General Chemistry and Organic Chem awards, Thompson also found time to be President of the Academic Team, a member of the Forensics Team and a copy editor for The Georgetonian. He was also a President’s Ambassador, a member of Lambda Chi fraternity and did some behind-the-scenes (sound and light) duty with College Maskrafters.
Thompson said he loves his “real job” as a pediatrician in the Emergency Department at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. “Writing is something I’ve always enjoyed, but I have no intention of giving up my day job,” he wrote. “I went to school way too long to learn how to do it.”
But, take heart, Hoaker-Croaker fans! Thompson – er, Menshouse – is 30 chapters into his second novel and hopes to have a first draft by year’s end. For a title, he’s trying to choose between The Last Guardian and the Keeper of the Magi or The Last Seer and the Keeper of the Magi.
“I haven’t reconciled all the details yet,” Thompson wrote. “The second book is a continuation of the first, approximately six months later in book time, when an old and a new dark enemy attempt to rear an army of hidden creatures in Lake Julian.”
Calling All Alumni/Faculty Authors!
We are expecting close to 30 “GC authors” for the annual Homecoming Book-signing, but to participate you must confirm with Holly Hardesty at The Store. Contact her at holly_hardesty@georgetowncollege.edu or (502) 863-8135. Be certain to give her information such as: your graduation year (if a GC grad), what you are doing now (e.g. “English teacher at Scott County High), or what you did (and where) just prior to retirement.
In addition to Thompson, those confirmed are: current professors Joe Lunceford (New Testament) and James Klotter (History, the state historian of Kentucky; retired History professor Lindsey Apple; Interim Campus Minister Bryan Langlands; and alumni Phyllis Stump ’60, Bill Ellis ’62, and Rosalee Anderson ‘70 alum.
