Bill Pike, born and raised in North Carolina, Bill Pike spent 31 years as an educator in the public schools of Virginia. After retirement from the school system, Bill continued to work on a part-time basis with assorted education projects in Virginia. In January of 2010, he was hired as the Director of Facilities and Administration at Trinity United Methodist Church in Henrico County, Virginia.

About the Illustrator, Nell Chesley, born in Marion, N.C., living in Richmond most of her adult life, Nell is devoted to her family and art. A graduate of Meredith College and VCU’s School of the Arts, Nell was an elementary school teacher before becoming an oil painter over thirty years ago.