Paul “Pauly” Freeman (’91, ’98) authored The Legendary Hunters of Texas: A True Story of Honor, Courage and Commitment, which was published in 2016. It documents the history of VF-201/VFA-201, the first Naval Reserve Jet Fighter Squadron to perform live combat missions during a Naval Reserve Fighter Squadron’s unit mobilization into active duty service (Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003). Freeman was the F-18 unit maintenance chief for the North Texas squadron, which was decommissioned in 2007. A former adjunct faculty member for Embry-Riddle, he currently works as a Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector/program manager. He earned a B.S. in Professional Aeronautics and a Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle. All sale proceeds from the book are donated to support veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Elliot J. Gindis (’08) coauthored Up and Running with AutoCAD 2019: 2D Drafting and Design, which was published by Elsevier, Inc., in 2018. It is the 10th edition of his original book, Up and Running with AutoCAD 2009. Gindis, who was a professional AutoCAD draftsman prior to enrolling at Embry-Riddle, started writing the first edition of the book while he was a student at the Daytona Beach Campus. “After being introduced to the managing editor of Elsevier Science & Technology division by one of my professors, Dr. Howard Curtis, I was signed to a publishing contract and got my first edition published,” he says. Gindis, who earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, is a flight test engineer for the U.S. Air Force. He updates his book each year as new AutoCAD software is developed. Gindis also owns and operates Vertical Technologies Consulting and Design, an AutoCAD training firm.

Benjamin Jones Jr. (’18) authored a book of poetry titled Inside a King’s Mind, which was published in 2019. Jones is an aircraft service technician who works at Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Georgia, as a contractor. He earned an associate degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle.

Herbert McKinley (’86) authored Thayer’s Return: Early History of West Point in Verse, which was published in 2019. This narrative poem presents a fictional discussion between Sylvanus Thayer, the father of West Point, and a modern-day cadet. The author, who uses the pen name H.J. Koch, earned a B.S. in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle. He is a Captain on the Airbus 330 for American Airlines and resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Wes Oleszewski (’87) authored Invisible Evil, which was published in 2018. The suspense novel subsequently became a No. 1 Amazon.com Bestseller in three categories: Aviation, Aviation World History and Aviation Piloting and Flight Instruction. “It’s a stunning aviation thriller with a twist you won’t see coming,” Oleszewski says. The author of 25 books since 1991, Oleszewski is a former commercial airline captain and corporate pilot, and the creator/illustrator of the syndicated Klyde Morris comic strip. He holds a B.S. in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle.

Donna Roberts (’10), an associate professor and chair of the social sciences and economics department and undergraduate research at Embry-Riddle’s College of Arts & Sciences in Germany, authored two poetry books: Sometimes the Runner Stumbles: Brief Glimpses of Descent Vol. I, published in 2016; and Sometimes the Angel Falls: Brief Glimpses of Descent, Vol. II, published in 2019. Roberts earned an MBA – Aviation and a Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle.

James Sowell (’99) authored Making Larger Space Station Ships for Solar System Exploration, published in 2016 by Lambert Academic Publishing. Based on Sowell’s master’s thesis conducted at American Public University, the book addresses the history of space stations and optimal space station design, and includes a space station design invented by the author. Sowell earned a B.S. in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle. He is an aerospace consultant, a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the AIAA Space Colonization Technical Committee.

Shane Twede (’05) authored Escape from Ludomania, an aviation-based adventure novel that was published in 2018. Twede is a commercially rated pilot and lives in Washington. He earned a B.S. in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle, and is also the author of the Derby & Charlie children’s book series.