Local author Randy Grigsby has written two books on the Holocaust – A Train To Palestine and This Labyrinth of Darkness and Light – and he will share his experiences with the public April 10 at the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum.
Grigsby was born in Minden and graduated Minden High School in 1969. After working several jobs, including the oilfield, he enrolled in Louisiana Tech, graduating in 1978 with degrees in Journalism and History.
He moved to Shreveport in the spring of 1978 and worked on the wire desk of the Shreveport Times. In November 1978, Randy began a sales career which spanned 35 years – including copiers and computer sales, and the last 25 years in the medical equipment industry. After retiring from General Electric Healthcare in June 2011, he pursued his desire to write.
However, in 2014, Grigsby found his true purpose in writing while in Israel with his wife, Joyce. One night before the tour group was to visit the Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum), he had a dream about the Tehran Children, which is the theme of his book, A Train to Palestine, which he worked on for more than three years. It is his first non-fiction book.
The book is published by Vallentine Mitchell, a London publishing company who was the first to publish Anne Frank’s Diary in English in the late 1950s.
His wife is from Shreveport, and she also possesses a love for God and the land of Israel. Grigsby has a stepdaughter, Natalie and son-in-law Neal, and three grandchildren. Randy and Joyce like to travel to the mountains during their downtime.
Grigsby will also sign books that evening.
The museum events are held in the Media/Learning room at the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, 116 Pearl Street, Minden. Museum doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with first-come, first-serve seating. Program begins at 6 p.m. Admission is free with potluck desserts and snacks welcome.
For more information contact Schelley Brown Francis at 318-377-3002 or visit www.museuminminden.blogspot.com to sign up for the museum email blast. You can also find the museum on Facebook. To learn more about Webster Parish’s rich history visit the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum located at 116 Pearl Street in Minden. Museum hours; Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (closed from 1-2 for lunch). Open by appointment only on other days. The museum admission is free. Also open for special tours and rental by appointment.