Terrence Tuthill is the author of The Bend.  After a successful career spanning over 30 years in sales and marketing management in the medical device industry, he, along with his  wife Joan have now moved into their so called retirement years. Their family has been blessed with three successful children and six grand children, bearing witness to a life well lived.

However, he is not retiring.  His passion for history and the written word, and the historical times in which he lived growing up has been something he has wanted to write about for many years.  As a young boy during the 50’s living on the beaches of southern California, he and his family witnessed the meteoric growth of those years, post WWII.  The new and growing surf culture of southern California impacted his family dramatically.  His father only saw a bunch of bums with no jobs or ambition, but little did he realize these bums were entrepreneurs and full of creativity and a spirit of can do, between good days at the beach of course. These “bums” would create a cultural phenomenon and go on to build a worldwide multi-million dollar industry.

As the 50’s gave way to the 60’s his life and that of his brothers and sister became embroiled in even greater change for themselves and America.  America was a cauldron of social and racial upheaval.  The law and its equal application for All Americans became the overdue cry of minorities, Black, Latino and others.  High School was no problem as he lived in the wealthy area just south of Los Angeles.  Palos Verdes California.  This place on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific looking west with a view of Catalina Island each day was in fact 90210 with a far better view!  College kept him somehow ambivalent about the war in Vietnam.  Hell, he had his 2-S deferment, so why worry?  However, with the death of his college roommate in a place called An Hoa in 1968 and another close friend who died tragically just a few hours after graduating from Marine Officer Candidate School, his ambivalence was shredded.  Time to take a stand and learn some truths about this war!  He was not the type to burn his Draft Card or leave the country.  He had some understanding now for those who did, but this just was not him, so he volunteered and joined the Marine Corps.

His service in the Marine Corps and the men he met from Watts and south central and the barrios of east LA during the crucible of training changed him deeply. The personal traits of honor, greater understanding, commitment, and to never give up have become ingrained into him. The Bend is his first novel and a testament and a gift for his family.  A  sequel is planned. The author and his wife now live in North Carolina.