Testimonials from a Writing Life

I never entered the writing profession for testimonials and endorsements. I chose to become a writer because that's who I am, what I identify most strongly about myself. I've always enjoyed putting words on paper and making stories come to life. I've written for as long as I can remember and can still recall the first poem I wrote in school in maybe second grade at Broken Arrow Elementary School on a piece of construction paper. As a child growing up in Lawrence, I used to write poetry to reflect my thoughts and what I was going through in life. I've always written my parents homemade greeting cards for birthdays and holidays, sharing my love with them through the written word. And now I cherish those cards more than ever since they have passed as I read the old cards and how much they meant to my life and my late parents' lives. 

I think I first realized the power my words had on other people when I wrote my dad a long, heartfelt letter as a teenager urging him to quit his longtime pipe smoking habit. After reading my letter, my dad was so moved by my words that he quit cold turkey and never smoked again. I first realized he had stopped when I was standing outside our house on the porch when my dear mom said dad read the letter that day and hadn't smoked all day. And he never smoked again. Dad always credited me for being the reason he stopped. 

I strongly believe words can move mountains, and that is such a definingexample. Realizing later, I basically saved my dad's life. While I used to enjoy writing letters to the editor in college at KU about Kansas basketball, I'll never forget my first byline on a story I wrote for my Reporting I class in 1990 in the University Daily Kansan, a long feature on non-traditional students. I was the first student (and I believe the only one) in that class to have an article published in the UDK that semester. It was such a thrill to see my name in print for a story I worked on so tirelessly. While I've always loved to write, I think from that moment I found my calling and was hooked on becoming a professional writer.

I'm also inspired to write by this wonderful quote by the late Sufi mystic Hazrat Inayat Khan: "Words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels." It is one of my all-time favorite quotes and says so much about the beauty of words and writing.

Now, after 29 years in the writing profession, I've written countless stories and interviewed people ranging from Hall of Famers and prominent sports figures like George Brett (Hall of Fame cover story), Larry Brown, Phil Jackson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry Sloan,  LeBron James, Larry Brown, John Stockton, Warren Moon, Roy Williams,  Lynette Woodard, Dwayne Wade, Anna Kournikova, Bob Costas, Frank DeFord, Dolph Schayes (the best Jewish basketball player of all time), Tonya Knight (famous former bodybuilder who was featured on the TV show American Gladiator), and Bill Self to the common man/woman, including about 200 volunteers in the community in the Lawrence Journal-World. These inspiring people and my heroes included rape, incest and cancer survivors, former homeless people, recovering alcoholics, businessmen, attorneys, doctors, dentists, nurses, and idealist college students who wanted to change the world. It's been quite gratifying telling these stories and having people welcome me into their homes with open arms and hearts. I was so moved and humbled when I heard one of the volunteers cried when she read my story for the first time, believing I captured her sentiments so well.

In addition, I've interviewed people from all walks of life, including entreprenneurs, fitness competitors, inspiring KU graduates, Miss Kansas Annika Wooton, high school athletes, Voice of the Jayhawks Brian Hanni and so many more.  Annika and I both got emotional when I asked her in person at a library in Wichita how the arts saved her life. As she paused for about 10 seconds, wiping tears from her eyes and composed herself (I composed myself, too, from my emotions), she spoke quite openly and candidly about being bullied in high school, having suicide thoughts and finding sanctuary in the art room and theatre with like-minded people. That open-ended question and Annika's answer completely made that sidebar. We spoke for 80 minutes, and afterwards, she asked me if I had any more questions. She smiled and said I had her whole bio with me. I always do extensive research on my interview subjects, and this was especially the case with Annika, such a lovely, inspiring and genuine young woman. Thank you Annika from the bottom of my heart for sharing your story with me, and helping people relate to what you went through in high school and overcome their tremendous adversity.

Looking back, I knew I had a gift for asking life-searching questions and getting people to open up to me and share the most intimate details of their lives when I interviewed this non-traditional female student in my Reporting I class at KU, taught by my legendary and now sadly late professor Ted Frederickson ("Ted-Fred"). During the middle of my interview with this woman, she broke down and cried, telling me she had never told any of this information to a person in her life. I was grateful that she felt comfortable in confiding in me and letting me tell her story, just like countless people I've interviewed over the decades have done with me. 

My most inspirational story likely was about a KU graduate and Marysville, Kan., resident, Eric Swim, who traveled to Israel to donate his kidney to a 10-year-old boy named Moshiko. He saved Moshiko's life, and was hailed as a "big hero" in Israel, made front-page news, and met the Prime Minister and Holocaust survivors. This was about a 90-minute phone interview, as Eric kindly shared his fascinating story with me. While he wasn't Jewish like me, he and his wife closely observed Jewish customs. I was very humbled and flattered that Eric loved the story so much that he asked me to write a book about his story. While the timing wasn't right in my life at that time for this project, I'm forever grateful that Eric believed in me so much to write a book about his incredible and inspiring story.

In addition, I've written Where are They Now? stories on former KU athletes. This was a dream come true for me when I did this for acclaimed Jayhawk Insider from 1999 through 2003.  I'll never forget how thrilled I was  when my editor told me to go ahead and write these profiles. After I hung up the phone that morning, I went outside my home and took some deeply peaceful breaths and exhaled the start of a great new adventure.

I interviewed KU legends to walk-on basketball player T.J. Whatley. Some former Jayhawks I interviewed included B.H. Born, Otto Schnellbacher, George Mrkonic, Walt Wesley, Darnell Valentine, Bruce Kallmeyer, Kurt Knoff, Terry Beeson, Emmett Edwards (my first KU football hero), Dallas Dobbs, Delvin Williams, Frank Pattee (member of KU's 1947 Orange Bowl team and father of Erin Brockovich, who graduated from Lawrence High School in 1978, right between my brother in 1977 and sister in 1979), national champions Al Kelley, Bill Lienhard, friendly childhood classmate Chris Piper (Stephenson was his last name back then), Kevin Pritchard, Mike Maddox,, childhood heroes like my all-time favorite Jayhawk Tony Guy, Roger Morningstar, Bruce Adams, John Crawford, Booty Neal and Dale Greenlee. 

Also, I've interviewed Dallas Dobbs (All-Big 7 under Phog Allen), Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Sherron Collins, Julian Wright, Marcus and Markieff Morris, Ryan Robertson, Rob Allen, Phog Allen's grandoson (cover story),Jerry Waugh, Terry Brown, Alonzo Jamison, Delvy Lewis, Riney Lochmann, Mark Randall (my hero since 1999, when he called me at home and said my story "might have been the best article ever written about me." That was one of the nicest compliments I've ever received and I'm forever grateful for Mark's kindness. As great a player as Mark was, he is even a better person.) I've also interviewed my Lawrence High School 1984 classmate Daniel Ricardo Manning, Chris "Boomer" Berman of ESPN fame and Tom Hedrick, former Voice of the Jayhawks who called the first Super Bowl and the Chiefs first Super Bowl victory.

I've written my articles over the years with the main motivation to do the best work possible and portray my subjects' true feelings. However, I'm only human so I can honestly say I've been overwhelmed and moved by the many endorsements and testimonials I've received. From the many thank-you calls from people like Randall and Rob Allen, Phog Allen's grandson, to the thank-you letters I've received and endorsements on LinkedIn, I owe these grand people many thanks and gratitude for their kindness, thoughtful words, and unwavering hearffelt compassion.

Here are some of the testimonials I've received during my writing career.

"That might have been the best article ever written about me."-- Mark Randall, former KU basketball star and NBA player, on my Where are they Now? story on him on Feb. 11, 2000.

"You have a gift." --Mark Randall, February 2000

"Thank you for your superior article you wrote about me for the Roger Hill Volunteer Center published in the Lawrence Journal-World recently. I believe your journalistic abilities were shown in the newspaper item to be with keen sensibility and emotional awareness in my voluntary services to persons attending the Douglas County Senior Center. Yours truly, Ailene Bocquin,"

"David Garfield did a very professional job conducting my interview and writing the story about me.  He is an accurate reporter and a most competent writer. You are quite fortunate to have his services! I would like to have four more copies of this particular issue if they are still available. My check in the amount of $15.00 is enclosed to cover the cost of these extra copies and their mailing. Your early response to this request will by greatly appreciated. Thank you! Very truly yours."  --Frank Pattee, former KU football standout, member of KU's first bowl team (Orange Bowl winner) and late father of Erin Brockovich, in a letter to my publisher of Jayhawk Insider, on Oct. 8, 1999

"Nice job David!!" Frank. (personalized note to me in Pattee's letter to my publisher.

"David, 1st (First), thanks for all your hard work! Don't ever think I don't know what a great job you are doing." --Amy Griggs, volunteer coordinator at Roger Hill Volunteer Center about my inspirational profiles on volunteers in the Lawrence community.

"Thank you for writing such a nice article and thanks for sending the two copies of the Jayhawk Insider. My phone interview with you and reading the article brought back a flood of great memories about KU and all of the fine people I have met. You’ve captured my feelings about my family well. I wish you good luck in your future endeavors."--Dale Greenlee, former KU basketball standout, on March 25, 2000

"Thank you very much for the two copies of Jayhawk Insider which I received last week. My compliments to you in the way the information was structured and presented. I thought it was handled in a very skillful way."

--Dallas Dobbs, two-time All-Big Seven selection under Phog Allen, on Jan. 21, 2002

"I was just giving you a call to thank you for really what I thought an outstanding article that you did on the Phog Allen story and my lower level memorabilia collection. I just wanted to call and let you know I appreciated all your good work. You really did an outstanding job. People actually thought it was far too articulate to be coming out of my mouth. I said, 'You're right. It's a young man named David Garfield, who did such a good job on that.'" --Rob Allen, Phog Allen's grandson, on Jan. 17, 2004

"I wanted to let you know that I thought you did a great job with the article. My wife even commented how nice a job of telling our story you did. Thank you for helping us spread the word out about TNT. Hopefully we will get some participants from the article. Thanks again for taking the time to put the article together. I hope our paths cross again. Warmest regards, Tom.”

--Tom Coones, participant in the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society Team in Training, on June 15, 2005  

"Thanks to David Garfield for the great feature article on my life and fitness career."

  Myra Michaels on the front page of her website in 2004 on my cover story in June 2004. Myra, a world-class fitness competitor, was named Ms. Internet World 2003,.

'David requested an interview with me and wrote an article about my life and career as a fitness competitor for the Kansas City Sports and Fitness magazine. Our interview was very comprehensive and David did a great job of choosing the most interesting highlights and weaving them together into a great article. I was on the cover of Kansas City Sports and Fitness magazine that month and I credit David's great article to helping me get there." --Myra Schulze on Jan. 17, 2008

"It has been my privilege to work with David Garfield on multiple occasions in the past. The detailed research he conducts related to the subjects of his articles, his strong command of the English language, and ability to craft uncommon but interesting questions for interviews set him apart in the writing profession." --Gregory Kovsky, longtime president and CEO of IBA business brokerage firm, on June 29, 2009

"David and I write for the same monthly publication. I always make sure to read what he writes, even though I don't like the team he covers because he's knowledgeable about his subject and does a good job communicating it in an entertaining way." --David Smale on Sept. 15, 2011

"I have been interviewed by David on a couple of occasions and found him to be a professional in every sense of the word. As a writer, he has the ability to make the interview feel like a normal conversation and then portray it perfectly into a story that grabs people's interest. In my experience working with David, he always uses the quotes in the perfect context and always made me feel good about how I was portrayed. I would absolutely work with David again if the opportunity ever presented itself."--Brian Martin, former KU basketball standout and NBA player, on Aug. 27, 2014

"I had the privilege to be interviewed by David for a story he wrote on me as a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader for the Kansas City Sports & Fitness magazine. David did a great job interviewing me and made the conversation flow easily. He was very professional, asked great questions that were portrayed well in the article, and had a nice, easy-going personality which (makes) people feel very comfortable. I enjoyed reading the article and felt that it was an excellent representation of myself and the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleading organization. I highly recommend David for his professionalism, creative writing talents, and his strong work ethic." 

--Michelle Reiter on Jan. 28, 2016

"You are an inspiration, David. Thank you for sharing your talents." --Michelle Reiter on July 31, 2018

"Congratulations on a very fine profile of the legendary career of Tom Hedrick. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have Tom as an instructor and/or mentor can only echo your conclusion that he deservedly made it big." --John Nance, former staff writer of the National Broadcasting Company who later created the role of Judge Harrison Prescott for the Perry Mason TV series, on May 25, 2019

"You did a terrific job! I’m so glad they chose you to write the article and I’m really thrilled with how it came out. You’re a tremendous writer.  Hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season." Brian Hanni, Voice of the Jayhawks, on Dec. 23, 2019

"How awesome! Thank you so much for your time and hard work putting together the article. It was so great to meet you - please let me know if I can ever do anything for you in the future!" --Paige Albert, owner of Something White Bridal Boutique (voted Kansas City's best bridal shop in 2020) on Feb. 28, 2020

"Wow. Took a lot of guts to write/publish this view into your soul. Much respect and admiration to you and for doing what you did. Again, wow!!! Great personal insight and self-reflections." --Phillip Hart, criminal justice advocate, on June 12, 2020 on my essay in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle about my lifetime of anti-Semitism and my journey toward embracing Judaism.

"This is extraordinary - you can weave the words." --Patrick Wilbur, technical business analyst and activist, on June 12, 2020 about my essay in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle.

"Thank you so much for the copies of the magazine and for the incredibly thoughtful note. The article was amazing, thank you so much. We are very much looking forward to sharing it with all our friends and family. I really appreciate the way you captured our story and made it into a beautiful article! Thanks again!" --Tatum Clopton, pitching phenom from Free State High School in Lawrence KS, two-time Gatorade Kansas Softball Player of the Year in 2018-19 and 2019-2020, and No. 7 ranked player in the 2021 class by FloSoftball on March 15, 2021

"Beautiful. You are an artist painting with words." --Gregory Kovsky regarding my speech about my dad's Celebration of Life on April 23, 2021

"Very excited to be working on a project as professionals. I can't think of anyone I would rather have as the author of my American Dream Achieved profile series of entrepreneurs who IBA has successfully represented in the sale of their businesses." Gregory Kovsky on June 27, 2021

"Ideas circulating in the office for your next four articles after Jason Abboud. People are loving your stuff. I have the best staff writer in the world. You will get a per article raise for your next six. Compensation on performance is a business model I embrace. You are exceeding my high expectations and I was high on you at the start." Gregory Kovsky on Sept. 1, 2021.

"Oh David. What a wonderful piece. It just conveys so much-the love for AFH (Allen Fieldhouse) that so many readers can identify with, and a little (then bigger!) boy bonding with his dad over a shared love of basketball. I know that Goody (my dad) wouldn't have been such an aficionado of the game if you had not been so enthusiastic, so you both gave each other something. I just think that, whether the reader knows Goody and David or not, there is something for every reader in this piece. It was just great." Alice Lieberman, former professor of Social Welfare at KU and 1998 HOPE winner (Honor for the Outstanding Progressive Educator) Award, the only teaching excellence award given exclusively by students, on Dec. 11, 2021.

David, Thank you for the 2 copies of KU Today & Tomorrow, and thank you for the wonderful article that captured the comaradarie of our team. The closeness we have and the joy to excel is a rare and beautiful combination. You were too kind with the the many quotes from me. My daughter loved the article. Hope all is well - Dale."  Dale Greenlee, former standout guard at KU, in a thank-you letter to me about my 50-year anniversary of the magical and miracle Kansas basketball 1973-74 team. August 2024