MORNINGS with MORLEY

When author Ann Hauprich stopped by the office of 85-year-old Ballston Spa History Consultant Maurice “Christopher” Morley in 2007 to present him with a signed and numbered copy of a bicentennial book he had helped her research, she expected it would be their last visit. Instead the encounter marked the start of an unofficial apprentice-mentor relationship that would continue on weekday mornings for the next four years. By the time Morley passed away at age 89 in 2011, the lessons he had imparted had as much to do with the value of carving a lifetime legacy of caring and sharing as they did with the importance of preserving the past for future generations.

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The Prayer Lines
Behind the Bylines

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about how heavenly assignments placed author Ann Hauprich in the paths of powerful souls, kindred spirits and earthly angels — some of whom were earning their wings the hard way. Uplifting tales of unshakable faith, unsinkable hope and unconditional love abound within this book’s covers. Bonus chapters include reflections on the softer side of late 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney, a stroll down Memory Lane led by actor David Hyde Pierce and why there’s much ado about Marylou Whitney. This richly illustrated nearly 300-page literary labor of love also takes a behind-the-scenes look at a film project based upon the true story of a courageous young immigrant’s fight for justice in upstate New York a century ago that continues to inspire today.

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BALLSTON SPA Legacies Unlimited

"Preserving the past & present for future generations" is the goal of Ballston Spa: Legacies Unlimited (Peckhaven Publishing, 2009). Subtitled The Way We Were, The Way We Are, The Way We Hope To Be, the limited edition book by seasoned journalist Ann Hauprich, photographer Antonio Bucca and Village History Consultant Maurice “Christopher” Morley consists of nearly 300 pages – 24 of them featuring full process color photographs.

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BALLSTON SPA
The Way We Were,
The Way We Are

It is said that in this life we often start out writing one book and end up with quite another. That has literally been the case with the limited edition volume book pictured on this web page. What began as a simple 200-page souvenir of the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the Village of Ballston Spa somehow blossomed over a two-year period into a literary labor of love nearly twice that size, filled with more inspiring stories and unforgettable images than I ever dreamed possible.
... I soon realized this was not going to be a traditional history book framed by the dates 1807 - 2007, but rather a vibrant living history book that would span the thousands of years before the coming of the first white settlers with no definite ending. It ultimately evolved into an open door leading from the way things were and are to the way they hopefully will be many moons from now.

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DEADLINES, HEADLINES & PORCUPINES
The Laugh Lines Behind the Bylines

Dedicated to my FUNderful parents, Donald & Audrey Hauprich, who built a home for their 10 children on a firm foundation of faith, hope, love & laughter and to my three daughters, Tara, Marietje & Kiersten, who humored me each time I cried: “Someday we’ll look back on this and laugh.”

Stopping in mid-sentence so quills could be removed from a dog’s mouth was just one of the misadventures that awaited Ann Hauprich when she left the city to begin writing from a rustic office in the foothills of the Adirondacks. Having three chicken-loving children under the rafters simply made the plucky rural writer more determined than ever to produce a manuscript that was worthy of a Pullet Surprise. With a wood stove as her sole heating source in the winter, Ann also perfected the art of keeping the home fires burning while literally waiting for the smoke to clear in between deadlines for national publications, and later for a regional magazine she founded in a spare bedroom of her abode.

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