Two Gaston County authors have won the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award for their individual books, which intertwine their family and friends with North Carolina history.

Two Gaston County authors have won the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award for their individual books, which intertwine their family and friends with North Carolina history.

Gastonia residents Joy Sparrow and Bobby Brown, who were both born and raised in Belmont, were chosen recipients for this honor by the North Carolina Society of Historians and awarded on Oct. 20 at the society’s annual banquet, held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mooresville.

Sparrow, 80, is a retired schoolteacher who lives on a farm in Gaston County that was once a dairy farm and originally part of a plantation owned by her late husband’s grandfather, Thomas Sparrow.

Grandfather Thomas is the son of the main character, George Sparrow, in her “Sparrows’ Nest of Letters.” The nonfiction book centers around the Sparrow family during the years of 1856 through 1922, with an emphasis on the Civil War era and is primarily about the relationship between Maj. Thomas Sparrow, and his son, George Atmore Sparrow, and their trials and tribulations before, during and after the war.

The story is mostly told through the letters of George Atmore Sparrow to his father, along with narratives from the elder’s diary.

“Sparrows’ Nest of Letters” takes the reader on a real-life journey beginning with George’s childhood to teenage Confederate soldier to country preacher, while Maj. Sparrow’s diary gives the vivid account of the Battle of Fort Hatteras, in which he barely escapes death, only to become a prisoner of war.

“The theme that becomes quite evident in the book is that despite the hardships the family suffered, their faith and hope in God sustained them and gave them strength to reach personal and collective victories against seemingly overwhelming odds,” wrote Joy Sparrow.

Sparrow believes providence played a role in the survival and discovery of the letters and diary – which survived two house fires as well as a near discarding by her husband. She said as he was cleaning out a desk his father had given him, “he tossed a bundle of old papers in the trash.” Her mother pulled the papers from the trash and discovered the George A. Sparrow letters. “I read them and realized they were a real treasure,” Sparrow said. She said it took her two years to write the book.

The collective comments from the society’s judges included, “If you pick the book up, you will not want to put it down. It is interesting, exciting, detailed and documented … it is a military, educational, social, family experience, and so much more.” Sparrow said that winning the award was a great honor.

“I’ve never won anything like that before,” she said.

Author and historian Bobby Brown said he was “humbled by this experience and the recognition of his work.” Brown’s two books, “Laughin’, Livin’ and Learnin’ ” and “Guy Brown Is Back” were both recognized for excellence by the society’s judges.

“Laughin’, Livin’ and Learnin’ ” is a collection of humorous and witty true short stories about folks who grew up in Belmont, a real American cotton mill town, from the 1920s to the 1950s. Brown brings back to life a time when the Southern cotton mill village life was thriving.

The judges’ collective comments on this book included, “We absolutely loved this book! As one judge put it, ‘It’s a real hoot!’ And it’s full of some down-to-earth stories of life experienced by the author. … This book is earning recognition by the unanimous decision of our group!”

Brown’s second book, “Guy Brown is Back” is about the author’s big brother, “One Punch” Guy Brown, told from the perspective of a kid who watched as his big brother fought his way out of the cotton mills to become the middleweight and light heavyweight champion of the South in 1947, a Carolinas Boxing Hall of Fame inductee and a Belmont Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

The judges’ comments on this book included, “The book covers Guy’s boxing career but it also takes us on a journey of a lifetime, a true rags-to-riches type tale. It is more than just about a boxer. It’s about a man from a cotton mill town who through hard work and determination, goes from local fights to becoming ‘One Punch’ Guy Brown. ...”

Bobby Brown said that his motivation for writing these books stems from his belief that the past needs to be preserved in some form so that it is not lost or forgotten. “To be able to do these things after becoming beyond 70 years of age is very satisfying,” he said. He hopes to continue writing additional humorous and informative stories of the past.

The North Carolina Society of Historians was established in 1941 for the purpose of recognizing and honoring writers for outstanding work preserving the stories and history of North Carolina people, places and events. Their goal is to reward those persons who fulfill their objectives in exceptional ways.

These two Gaston County authors have certainly met those criteria.