KEMNITZ, Thomas Milton, Jr. 1984-
(Tom Kemnitz, Jr.)

Personal

Born March 2, 1984, in New York, NY; son of Thomas Milton (a publisher) and Myrna Kay (a publisher) Kemnitz. Hobbies and other interests: Track, football.

Addresses

Home —247 High St., Monroe, NY 10958. E-mail —Tkem1@hotmail.com.

Career

Writer.

Writings

(As Tom Kemnitz, Jr.) Space: The Race to the Moon, Royal Fireworks Publishing (Unionville, NY), 2002.

Also author of a book on problem-solving skills.

Work in Progress

What to Do? Book D, Automobiles Cross the Frontiers, a child's history of computers in America, and research for a history of film in America, all for Royal Fireworks Publishing (Unionville, NY).

Sidelights

Thomas Milton Kemnitz, Jr., told SATA: "My parents are publishers who have focused on the education of gifted children. They have added a great deal of literature to the curriculum. I have begun to make it my life's work to continue to expand their efforts to improve the quality of American education. I have in mind three innovations in the next four or so years.

"First, I will make science and engineering and math subjects more exciting to young American students. To that end, I have become involved with a series of books called 'Adventures on the American Frontiers.' I published Space: The Race to the Moon, and I am working on two other books, one about the development of the automobile, the other about the development of the film industry. The 'lessons' in each of these books are imparted through a collection of four to seven action stories/adventures of real people, told from the viewpoint of one of the story's protagonists as the action is unfolding with the protagonist participating.

"Second, I want to develop a great many more creative problem-solving materials in a wide variety of media for the instruction of children. I spent three summers at the Creative Problem Solving Institute and have written one book on the subject. I am committed to creative problem solving because I think the process gives students a sense of confidence and the capacity to cease being victims of circumstances.

"Third, I want to take my parents' company's extensive library and use it to develop materials much like industry training films on such subjects as leadership lessons, problem-solving lessons, and lessons to promote the use of higher-order thinking skills."

Biographical and Critical Sources

periodicals

School Library Journal, November, 2001, John Peters, review of Space: The Race to the Moon, p. 180.