Take Me Back Inc. has edited, designed, and printed another new book about the Mad River Valley just in time for the holidays. Find it wherever books are sold including online venues and local shops. A keepsake limited edition will be printed late spring by our nonprofit as well. The purpose of that extra step is to reap more money per book if I hand sell it throughout the summer of 2024. All proceeds will go to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to raise awareness about and money for individuals and organizations that showcase the history of the Mad River Valley.
The book is the latest from author Kevin Eurich, who has donated all profits.
Kevin is a sixth generation Vermonter born in Montpelier, Vermont, on April 19, 1947, at the old Heaton Hospital. He spent the first 18 years of his life in Waitsfield and Waterbury, Vermont, often visiting or working on his grandparent’s (Earl and Etta Baird) farm in Waitsfield. After graduation from Waitsfield High School in 1965, Kevin enlisted in the United States Navy for four years. He was trained as a communications technician in Bainbridge, Maryland, and then transferred to the USS Newman K. Perry, a naval destroyer based out of Newport, Rhode Island. He spent three years on the Perry, very fortunate to travel around the world. There were also several Mediterranean and Caribbean cruises. His tour of duty included 1 months in Vietnam.
After an honorable discharge from the Navy in October of 1969, Kevin landed a job at Waitsfield-Fayston Telephone Company in Waitsfield, Vermont, as a central office technician. There he received in-depth training in telecommunications technology and management skills. He worked his way up the ladder at Waitsfield Telecom retiring in 2002 as vice president of customer service. Kevin also served on many local, regional and national telecommunication committees setting guidelines for training, technical operational procedures and standards.
In 1968, Kevin married his wife, Sheila, and they had a daughter, Ginger, in 1969. In 1989 they were blessed with a grandchild, Ryan Cubit. Kevin became interested in writing as a young adult, dabbling in poetry and short stories. He never took any courses in writing, but relied on his instincts and whatever God-given talent he may have received. After years of trial and error, his writing improved based on feedback from those who read his work. Many times these works were “Letters to the Editor” or eulogies in the local newspaper. People made the effort to stop him on the street or call him by phone to say how much they enjoyed what he had written. The praise increased Kevin’s confidence in what he could produce.
Kevin had a wonderful youth and had always looked back at it reminiscently. The light dawned that he could tell a story of memoirs from a certain time period in his young life. He felt it was generic enough to be enjoyed by others who grew up during the 1950s and early 1960s. It was the final incentive to sit down at his computer and open up Microsoft Word and start pounding the keyboard. He has often thanked the powers that be that he took typing in high school.
In 2002 Kevin undertook the project of writing the history of Waitsfield-Fayston Telephone Co., now operating as Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom. The work was an extensive research of interviews, visits to town clerks’ offices, historical societies, both local and statewide. The history was completed and launched in 2004, for the 100th anniversary celebration, of the family-owned and -operated telephone company.
His first book, “Waterbury, The Other Love of my Life,” was published in 2004. The experience and satisfaction of completing his goal of writing a book and then seeing it in print was indescribable. The feedback has been wonderful. Kevin followed this nonfiction Waterbury book with two fiction stories titled, “I See Her In You,” and “A Miracle On Short Top Peak,” both taking place in Vermont.
Kevin wrote and published a historical pictorial of the Mad River Valley in 2022 titled, “Once Upon a Time: The Mad River Valley.” Though I have published my own book as an anecdotal historical look at The Valley, the two of us created very different writings. I suggested re-releasing, “Once Upon a Time,” as a coffee table book. So, the work began with Kitty Werner joining the collaboration.
Kevin turned 76 in April of 2023 and lives in North Myrtle Beach, SC, now, his heart remains connected to The Valley he grew up in and all things historical there. He has assembled a collage of photos and an in-depth narrative that will take the reader on a nostalgic trip back to the days of “Once Upon a Time: The Mad River Valley.”
Kitty got her start in publishing after landing a contract with Random House's House of Collectibles to edit their
Official Guide to US Flea Markets” from Dottie Harris at the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Writers Conference. When working on the second edition, she mentioned to the new editor that the first "bluelines" that she was given to edit looked as if the typesetter had fallen asleep half-way through, making a mess of the book. The next five editions were typeset by Kitty. Edition four went on to Macmillan and she was offered a contract for “The Unofficial Guide to Owning a Home” but their new editor killed the contract. She started RSBPress (Really Savvy Broads Press) and published the book herself as “The Savvy Woman's Guide to Owning a Home.” Since then, she's been designing books for authors and publishers from France to Alaska. In 2022, she helped former Valleyite Leo Cohen publish his novels before his death this past March.
Mary Kathleen Mehuron lives in Waitsfield and writes novels. Reach her at
