Author Visits Scales

Published May 8, 2008

Pursue your dreams and never give up. That's the message author Dale Christopher is bringing to students at Scales Elementary School. Christopher, a New York resident, traveled to Brentwood May 5 to speak with third graders at Scales. His father, Matt Christopher, was a well-known author of children's books before his death in 1997. Dale previously wrote a biography about his father and enjoys sharing his legacy with others.

During his visit to Scales, Dale Christopher surprised the students by wearing a vintage 1938 New York Yankees uniform. He told them of how his father played baseball for a semi-professional New York Yankees team, and how his dad grew

up poor, but always had a love for reading and writing. Dale's father eventually achieved his life-long goal of becoming an author and penned more than 130 books about baseball, football and other sports.

Dale says he enjoys sharing his father's story with children. "Dad’s humble life, his character, his family values is something I like to share with kids because they’re all part of his books," said Christopher. "I think his message of keep trying and not giving up is so important to kids that I like to give it to them in my way of talking about his life."

It's a message that Dale carries with him everyday as he travels the nation encouraging children to put down the video games and pick up a book. After all, it was his father who taught him to follow his heart and teach others about the joy of reading. "He would say don’t give up, don’t be afraid of making mistakes and just keep pursuing your dreams.”