Essays in Idleness

About the Author

R. Duane Seaman served in the U.S. Air Force before becoming an aviation pioneer and then the president and CEO of his own company so he wasn't exactly idle. During those rare times he was bored, he wrote down his thoughts to pass the time. That's how he came to title his autobiography Essays in Idleness.

Book Content

The collection of memories, reflections, and observations take the form of short stories and poems that provide important insights about war, technology, God, and living a happy life. He shares his life's highs and lows, including his role as a project supervisor on the Apollo Moonshot Program, which successfully reached the moon. He also examines the Columbia Shuttle disaster, and the reports he challenged after the tragedy. Although he was no longer involved in the space program when the disaster occurred, future reports would prove him right.

He shares memories from growing up during the Great Depression and World War II—including one of his only attempts at fiction—as well as observations on the extraordinary, bizarre, and outrageous.