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Biography
Bill
McKell began creating and telling campfire stories while he
was in high school and has been doing so ever since.
As a scout leader for almost 20 years, Bill perfected his
stories around the campfire on monthly troop campouts and
then used them to entertain large gatherings at scout camps
and other events. He now shares his stories at church,
school and business events throughout the Midwest. Bill
will be sharing his stories this summer at the Swansboro Storytelling
Festival in North Carolina and the Ohio Postmaster's Convention.
Inspired
by personal experiences and special people in his life, Bill's
stories are filled with authentic characters, traditional
values, heartwarming messages, and surprise endings.
Although crafted primarily for young people, these stories
have universal appeal. Bill's most recent recording
is a collection of stories related to his childhood summers
spent at Grandmother's farm in Kentucky.
As
a college student, Bill discovered a unique and personal way
to extend Christmas blessings to his family and friends.
For over 20 years he has written an original story as his
"Christmas card". In celebration of the 20th
year of this tradition in 2001, Bill returned to the oral
roots of his story crafting and recorded all 20 stories.
Compiled in a CD collection entitled "Christmas Presence,"
the stories are enhanced by the art of friend Dave Rogers
whose illustrations also grace the covers of the print versions. In celebration of the 25th
year of the tradition in 2006, Bill created a DVD of his best known campfire story, "Approaching Storms", that combines video of a live storytelling performance with scenes from the story as it unfolds. The DVD also includes audio versions (in DVD and MP3 format) for all 25 annual stories created to that point.
Bill
graduated from Ohio Northern University with a Bachelor of
Arts degree in Elementary Education. After five years
as a middle school teacher, Bill joined The Chillicothe Telephone
Company. The company, founded by the McKell family in
1895, is headquartered in the southern Ohio community where
Bill resides with his wife, Peggy, and their daughters
Kristen, Lauren, Meghan, Caitlyn, Shaelyn and Jaidyn.
Today,
Bill McKell is president and CEO of Horizon Telcom, the parent
company of The Chillicothe Telephone Company, a provider of broadband services throughout southern Ohio. He previously
served as CEO of sister company, Horizon PCS, a PCS Affiliate of Sprint that
provided Sprint wireless services to approximately 200,000
customers in 10 states. For many years, Horizon PCS
sent one of Bill's stories to each of its customers as a Christmas
greeting. Until 2002, the author was described merely
as "an employee who writes stories." In 2002,
however, Bill's title was revealed. Customers responded
with calls, letters and e-mails, saying they were delighted
and gratified to learn that this corporate CEO is also a warm,
thoughtful, creative person who writes wonderful stories and
cares enough to share them
Bill is a co-founder of and regular teller at the Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival held in Chillicothe, Ohio the Friday and Saturday after Labor Day every year. For more information, check out www.sostoryfest.com. Bill is also a key participant and frequent teacher at The Loft, a worship experience for seekers, believers and doubters who are not comfortable in a church setting. The Loft meets every Sunday evening 6:00-8:00 at 30 E Main Street in Chillicothe. Dinner is included. For more information, check out www.james218.com.
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