Duke's Storm: A Story of CourageIllustrated by Allison Disch and Written by Ted Neitzke On a sunny day in the spring of 2024, Ted was leading a student leadership certification program for high school students. This training for students emphasizes the ability for each of us to make choices and own our engagement and happiness. Ted tells a story about buffaloes and cows and how he met a rancher that explained how differently each animal responds to thunderstorms and blizzards. Allison was a freshman and sitting in the front row watching Ted. He had picked on Allison a few times but neither of them knew that their first meeting would spark a book. Allison was dealing with “teenager stuff” and the story Ted told resonated, and she made some tough decisions in her life. Allison couldn’t stop thinking about the buffaloes and how they go to the storm, so her mom encouraged her to draw one. A few months later Allison’s dad, Doug, was at Ted’s Smart Thinking leadership retreat. Doug walked up to Ted and asked him to look at a picture he had on his phone. It was Allison’s first version of Duke and a mockup of a book cover. Ted was amazed and sent Allison a video telling her that they should write a book together. That is how a 15-year-old and a 53-year-old found each other and collaborated to tell the important story of Duke and his friend Tootsie. Their story is a powerful reminder for each of us to be engaged and listen when people nudge us into thinking about our world and how we can all make a difference. |
