Books

Alumni

Alum Remembers the “Forgotten Regiment”

Sgt. Bob L. Bearden, BBA ’55, was only 17 when he enlisted in the Texas National Guard in August of 1940, looking for an adventure and some extra spending money. The amateur boxer, intrigued by military training, also wanted to add some weight to his 5’6”, 90 pound frame, with hopes of making his high school football team.

A little more than a year after Bearden joined the military, the United States would go to war against Japan and Germany. Three years later, on June 6, 1944, otherwise known as D-Day, Bearden and fellow soldiers in the 507th Parachute infantry Regiment landed on the beaches of Normandy.

He chronicles his war experience in “To D-Day and Back: Adventures with the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment and Life as a World War II POW” (Zenith Press).

Bearden’s regiment flew from the northernmost airbases in England, lagging two hours behind the other parachute regiments who dropped on D-Day and losing the element of a surprise attack. German anti-aircraft fire scattered the men of the 507th, and they never had the chance to fight together as a regiment. Known as the “forgotten regiment,” Bearden felt the 507th had a story that needed to be told.

His World War II service includes a POW experience where he spent a few days in a makeshift prison camp on the outskirts of Alençon, in southern Normandy. The camp consisted of two barracks-like structures with one large door and no windows. There were 50 prisoners in each barrack and everyone slept on the floor. The barracks had no plumbing facilities or running water. Restroom arrangements consisted of a series of slit trenches in the ground.

He also experienced two combat wounds, liberation by the Russian Army and a hike through the German frontier, Poland and Odessa, Russia.

“I walked away from the war realizing freedom is not free; it is very expensive,” Bearden says.

Since the war, Bearden has traveled to Normandy four times, always visiting the American Cemetery.

“I always just kneel at their crosses and tell them how I appreciate the price they paid in their 20s,” Bearden says. “Their sacrifice allowed me to come home and enjoy a great college experience at The University of Texas.”

For more information, visit www.boblbearden.com

- Nariman Ahmed

Bill Bailey, MPA ’68, Ph.D. ’78, has been on the faculty at UCLA, the University of Illinois and the Ohio State University and was frustrated with unclear writing by professionals. Matters came to a head when Bailey had to write class notes for his students to accompany poorly written graduate-level textbooks. The experience prompted him to write “A Thinker’s Guide To Effective Writing” (Echo Mountain Press), which teaches how to write simply and efficiently. For more information about the book and to see his examples of clear writing, visit www.echomountainpress.com.

John B. Guerard Jr., Ph.D. ’80, director of Quantitative Research at McKinley Capital Management, co- authored “Quantitative Corporate Finance” (Springer). It focuses on global optimal capital structure, dividend policy, sales forecasting, the regulatory environment, bankruptcy and management-shareholder relations. The text provides detailed work examples and practical problems and can be used by graduate students as well as serve as a reference for practitioners, analysts and regulators.

Observing how young people worship professional athletes, Charisse Richardson, MBA ’90, used them as role models when she wrote “The Real Slam Dunk” and “The Real Lucky Charm” (Puffin). The books acknowledge the joy children feel in emulating their heroes but also encourage them to excel in avenues other than sports. Richardson is also a motivational speaker, helping parents set realistic goals with their children and working hard to achieve them. The National Basketball Association named Richardson to its “Read to Achieve All-Star Team.”

David Shepherd, MBA ’88, published his first novel, “Resurrecting Randi” (Balios Publishing), about a troubled coed who demolishes a professor’s carefully arranged life. The main character is Travis Harrison, a historian at The University of Texas at Austin who encounters 19-year-old Layla at his book signing. He soon realizes that his attempts to help Layla are driven by her resemblance to his daughter, Randi, who died in a horrific car crash. Shepherd, a former lecturer in McCombs’ Department of Finance, felt compelled to write the novel after his father and brother both died young with unfinished manuscripts on their bedside tables.

Thomas Tunstall, BBA ’79, prepares the CEOs of today for the business reality of tomorrow in his book “Outsourcing and Management: Why the Market Benchmark Will Topple Old School Management Styles” (Palgrave Macmillan). Tunstall says the book is a wake-up call for business leaders to understand outsourcing, which he predicts will reshape management styles and completely change organizations that are traditionally hierarchical. Tunstall is co-chair for the Dallas chapter of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals and a former senior manager with BearingPoint (KPMG Consulting). Prior to his work at BearingPoint, Tunstall was the business development manager for Everest Group, an outsourcing advisory firm.

In his book “Sales and Marketing Careers in the Tech Sector” (Swordfish Communications), David K. Wolpert, MBA ’99, outlines common sales and marketing roles in a high-tech environment. Wolpert covers important skills and typical career paths for each role and discusses factors to consider when joining a tech company. The book is a guide for people in all phases of their career, from graduate students to experienced sales and marketing professionals, or those switching careers. Wolpert’s first book, “Scoliosis Surgery: The Definitive Patient’s Reference” (Swordfish Communications) was published in 2003 and is now in its third edition. He also coauthored “The Human Fabric: Unleashing the Power of Core Energy in Everyone” (Aviri Publishing) in 2004.

Faculty

Mahajan Wins Award for Best Book in Marketing

Marketing Professor Vijay Mahajan received the 2007 Berry-AMA Book Prize for the Best Book in Marketing from the American Marketing Association Foundation. His book, “The 86 Percent Solution: How To Succeed In the Biggest Market Opportunity of the 21st Century” (Wharton School Publishing), explains that the developing world now holds the greatest market potential for global companies and presents techniques and strategies necessary to win in this market.

In his 2008 follow-up, “Africa Rising” (Wharton School Publishing), Mahajan lifts the veil on Africa, revealing the continent to be a marketplace brimming with opportunity for western companies. He details lessons learned by companies that have ventured into Africa and offers accounts of how local entrepreneurs are thriving despite political, economic and resource challenges