Swanson, Barry Lee: - Dr. Barry Swanson is an assistant professor emeritus from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Illinois Wesleyan University and a master's degree in educational administration from Western Illinois University. He has served as president of the Carl Sandburg Historic Site Association and was a founding member of the Galesburg Public Art Commission. Barry has published various articles and poetry for regional publications, coauthored a textbook for a course in educational studies, and currently writes a column for a local newspaper in his hometown of Galesburg, Illinois. He is in the process of writing his second novel. Preceding his professorship at Knox, he served in the United States Army, was an English teacher, basketball coach, and school administrator. He also served as a full-time lecturer in the College of Education at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where he earned his Doctor of Education degree in 2001. Barry and his wife, Gail, reside on Lake Norman in North Carolina. They have three children and five grandchildren.