Author R. B. Phillips
R.B. Phillips taught English composition, criminology, journalism, and political science classes for 36 years as a secondary, community college, and university instructor. He is a former county commissioner, township supervisor, and Michigan state-certified firefighter.
As a child, Phillips’ interest in writing was inspired by his mother, a part-time clerk and homemaker. Her love of books and reading coupled with the encouragement and influence of his high school English teacher James T. Hayes, led Phillips to discover the literary works of Mark Twain, Jack London, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway.
At Alpena (MI) Community College Phillips received an Associate’s degree (AA) in liberal arts and was named Journalist of the Year as editor of the school paper, the Timber Cruiser. He holds a BA degree in English and a MA degree (political science) from Central Michigan University. Working as a part-time free-lance writer, Phillips has had articles published in the Detroit Free Press, the Las Vegas Weekly, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
During his teaching career, he was named Teacher of the Year three times, listed in the premiere issue of Who’s Who Among American Teachers, and a recipient of an Excellence In Education Award. In 1987 the University of Michigan honored his high school journalism teachings as an “exemplary program” – one of the five best in the state. More recently - in 2005 and 2006 - Phillips taught English classes in China at university and high school levels.
As a county commissioner, Phillips played an instrumental role in blocking attempts by the federal government in the late 1970s to target Northeastern Michigan regarding a critical environmental issue. That issue and those experiences coupled with his teachings as a high school journalism advisor provide the foundation for A Private Hope, a trilogy and his first novel.
A Private Hope represents a work of fiction based on factual happenings and personal experiences. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Single, Phillips is a parent to his son Jason, who resides in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, with his wife Lisa and grandchildren Cam and Carlee.
Currently, Phillips resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.