About the Authors

About the Authors

Winfield Line was born in Linesville, Pennsylvania, founded by his and Francis’s great-great-grandfather. Francis’s birthplace was New London, Ohio. In 1910 the family moved to Howell, Michigan, where they both started school together, although 15 months apart in age. They continued together through elementary grades, high school, and college, both graduating with honors from the University of Michigan in 1928, the same year in which each was married. Taking over their father’s Variety Store business together, Francis soon sold out to Win who, with his wife Grace, expanded the stores to a large chain in southern Michigan.

Winfield and Grace became air pilots and during World War II, selling his businesses, Winfield volunteered as an army aviation instructor. His wife Grace, a Korean medical doctor who was fluent in Japanese, taught that language to service men at Michigan State College. Following the Korean conflict, Win and Grace made frequent trips to South Korea, producing a color motion picture about that country which they showed frequently to raise funds for Korean relief. The two of them still do deep sea diving and are both still licensed air pilots, having flown their own plane throughout much of the United States, with junkets to Alaska.

Francis and Helen, moving to California in 1929, became producers of adventure travel motion pictures, with which Francis lectured personally for more than 25 years in most of the largest auditoriums of America, from Washington D.C. ‘s Constitution Hall to Pasadena’s Civic Auditorium. He and Helen then began producing documentary educational films for distribution to schools, universities, and film libraries in nearly every state. During the last nine years they have devoted most of their time to writing. Francis has written for National Geographic Magazine, Arizona Highways, Boys’ Life, and Wide World of England. With Helen, or separately, he has authored five books, the latest of these being SHEEP, STARS, AND SOLITUDE, the story of a wilderness trek he made on assignment for National Geographic Magazine. GRAND CANYON LOVE STORY, co-authored with Helen, tells of their 60 year love affair with the Canyon, which is in Helen’s native state. To celebrate their 50th anniversary the two of them made the 20 mile round trip hike to the Canyon’s bottom. This has become an annual affair and they are now looking forward to their 60th wedding anniversary hike in Grand Canyon, when they will be accompanied by their daughter Adrienne, their grandchildren Jeff, Jan and Krista, and their great-grandson Brian, as well as many friends.

Winfield and Francis are also looking forward to attending the 65th anniversary reunion of their graduation from high school in Howell, Michigan.