Eric Rudolph and Me: A Parallel of Two Unconnected Lives

Front Cover
AuthorHouse, 5 Apr 2005 - Biography & Autobiography - 196 pages
This is the story of how the song changed his life and eventually inspired the book about the parallel of their two lives and events leading to the present. As in the song, Gene does not express any opinion about Eric's guilt or innocense. He simply tells the story as it appears to have happened and what he can glean from various accounts that are available. It will be interesting reading for those who are acquainted with the Great Smoky Mountains and Nantahala National Forest. During the spring and summer of 2005, Eric Robert Rudolph will probably face trial in Birmingham, Alabama, being accused of the bombing of an abortion clinic there, resulting in the death of an off-duty policeman and serious injury of a nurse.

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About the author (2005)

Gene Collett was born January 25, 1935, at Roark, Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains. He was the youngest of three children by James and Phrona Collett.

James Farmer Collett died just before Gene’s third birthday and his mom was left to raise the three children by herself in post-depression Appalachia. Times were hard in that area during the 30’s and his mom had to take in washing and odd jobs to feed her family.

In a similar vein, Patricia Rudolph was widowed with small children, one of them being Eric Robert Rudolph who is the focus of this book. She had a struggle keeping the family together during the 80’s with no man in the family to bring home a paycheck.

These two lives came together at least metaphorically on June 29, 2003, when Gene woke up one morning with Eric on his mind. He didn’t understand it then and doesn’t to this day, but being a gospel music singer and songwriter, he was inspired to write a ballade about Rudolph’s life and that is when everything changed for him

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