FALCONARA
A Family Odyssey
By Rose Musacchio Higdon and Hal Higdon
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FALCONARA
A Family Odyssey
By Rose Musacchio Higdon and Hal Higdon |
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Rose Musacchio graduated from Chicago Teachers College in 1956 and taught third and fourth grade at Howland and Wentworth ElementaIy Schools in Chicago. She met and married Hal Higdon at this time, then temporarily left teaching to raise their three children.
Hal grew up on the south side of Chicago. He graduated in 1953 from Carleton College and worked several years as a free lance artist and writer before becoming Assistant Editor for The Kiwanis Magazine. He left that position in 1959 to return to writing full-time. The Higdons soon moved to their present home in Long Beach, Indiana.
While her children were young. Rose helped in several volunteer organizations and was president of the Dunes Arts Foundation for two years. She remains a member of the American Association of University Women and Delta Kappa Gamma. She also did some substitute teaching and in 1974 returned to teaching full-time at Mullen Elementary School and eventually Long Beach Elementary School. where she taught various grades from third to sixth.
When time permitted, Rose assisted her husband with research on his articles. During his 34-year career as a free lance writer, Hal has sold articles to magazines as diverse as Reader's Digest, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated. Playboy, American Health and Boys' life. A champion long distance runner, he is a Contributing Editor for Runner's World. He has authored nearly three dozen books, including The Union vs. Dr. Mudd (about the Lincoln assassination) and The Crime of the Century (about the Leopold and Loeb murder case). ABC made a TV movie of his children's book, The Horse That Played Center Field. In 1986, Hal was one of 40 semifinalists in NASA's Journalist-in-Space program. He is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the North American Ski Journalists Association and the Authors Guild.
The Higdons lead an active life. In addition to babysitting with their grandchildren, they walk, bike, ski and attend concerts of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. They enjoy travel, particularly in connection with writing assignments.