Staff report
news@wbcowqel.com
Martha Keller turned stories about her father in World War II into a book about a dog that followed a Navy battalion from California to the South Pacific and back to Bucyrus.
The book, Brownie: Mascot of the Seventy-fifth Naval Construction Battalion, follows the adventures of a dog rescued in real life by Keller’s father, Roy Althouse, at Camp Hueneme in California in 1943. The rescue began a friendship between man (and his fellow members of the Seventy-Fifth Naval Construction Battalion) and dog as they traveled to nine different islands in the South Pacific during the war. Remarkably, Brownie returned with Althouse to live out the remainder of his life in Bucyrus. Keller’s novel captures the tales of Brownie told to her by her father and utilizes her own research to fill out the story, a heart-warming snapshot of loyalty and care in the face of war.
Keller will be available to greet the public and to sign copies of her most recent book, Brownie: Mascot of the Seventy-Fifth Naval Construction Battalion on the library’s Main Floor (the upper level) from 2 – 4 pm on Saturday, February 8, 2014.
Copies of Keller’s book will be available for purchase. No registration is required for this event; simply stop by at any time during Keller’s visit.