Whatever Happened to the C___ Family?

(from left to right)

W. Martin

After a brief stint teaching creative writing, W.'s poetry began appearing regularly in prestigious publications. By his late 20's, W. had published three collections of his work, winning several literary prizes and garnering respectable criticism. His true breakthrough, however, came with the publication of his novel, The Oaths of the Body, which told in excruciatingly sharp detail the story of a family beset by alcoholism and physical violence. W. also adapted his novel into a screenplay. The resulting film, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Jessica Lange, won several Academy Awards for acting and direction. W. currently lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter.

C. Thomas, Sr.

A radar technician for the U.S. Air Force, C. was instrumental in the development of the radar shield, a means of detecting and nullifying high-velocity missiles launched from enemy locations. C.'s innovations brought him to the attention of NASA, where he supervised the installation and refinement of instrumentation for the Dawn Treader, the first manned spacecraft to land on Mars. After the success of the 1985-6 Mars landing, C. retired from the Air Force and settled in Coral Gables, Florida. He spends most of his time at sea in his sloop, the Beatrice.

S. Westin

Frustrated at the restrictions of a military life, S. divorced C. in 1976 and moved to San Francisco where she began work as an editorial assistant for a Bay Area fashion magazine. Finding the world of publishing stimulating, S. began contributing regular columns and articles to a variety of local publications. Her work was noticed by several publications in New York, where S. moved in the mid-1980's. She eventually rose to the position of assistant editor at Redbook magazine. During her tenure there, she began experiencing bouts of depression and exhaustion. She took her own life in 1994.

C. Thomas, Jr.

After graduating high school in 1985, C. briefly enrolled at a local college where he was heavily influenced by a class in 1960's literature. Deciding that he wanted to experience "life on the road," C. dropped out of school and became licensed to drive tractor trailers. C. seemed to enjoy his time on the nation's highways, but rarely kept in contact with friends or family. Much of his travels were undocumented, leading to his termination from several hauling companies. Eventually, C. was unable to find continued employment and began experimenting with alcohol and hallucinogenic drugs. After failing to complete a series of wildly incomprehensible manuscripts, C. spent 18 months wandering the mountain forests of the Pacific Northwest. Shortly thereafter, in 2001, C. was killed in a highway accident.

Frisky (family dog, not pictured)

During a family road trip in Seattle in 1973, Frisky jumped from the back of the family camper onto an interstate highway. Managing to dodge traffic, Frisky eventually found shelter beneath the porch of an itinerant family's trailer. Frisky was soon adopted into the daily life of the family's youngest son, Stephen, and eventually died on the day of Stephen's marriage, 22 years later.