The Link

9/14/2012
Edgerton Chamber of Commerce

Packers historian featured at Edgerton Book Festival

Held Sept. 29, 2012, at the Edgerton High School, 200 Elm High Drive, Edgerton, Wis.

Green Bay Packers historian William Povletich, who comes this year from California to attend the seventh-annual Edgerton (Wis.) Sterling North Book and Film Festival on Sept. 29, is the author of "Green Bay Packers: Trials, Triumphs and Tradition."

The 416-page book was published on June 15, 2012, by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

Povletich is also the author of "Some Like It Cold: A Sheboygan Surfin' Safari" (Clerisy Press, 2010); "Milwaukee Braves: Heroes and Heartbreak" (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2009); and "Green Bay Packers: Legends in Green and Gold" (Arcadia Publishing, 2005), as well as many magazine articles on sports and entertainment.

Many die-hard members of Packer Nation might rightly claim sweeping knowledge of the Pack's on-field heroics, but Povletich reveals what went on behind the scenes to drive the Green and Gold Machine to its storied heights.

The history of the National Football League's only small-town franchise is as much a tale of business creativity as gridiron supremacy. Standing alongside every athletic superstar - such as Don Hutson, Ray Nitschke, Bart Starr, Reggie White and Brett Favre - there was as astute business person such as Andrew Turnbull, Dominic Olejniczak, and Bob Harlan.

Among these leaders of the Packers tribe, the dedication and creativity in preserving the franchise was unwavering, Povletich notes in his massive and all-encompassing tome.

"Green Bay Packers: Trials, Triumphs and Tradition" tells the improbable story of professional football's most iconic team, and along the way gives a unique window into the rise of modern professional sports. As the NFL has evolved into a financial juggernaut, the Green Bay Packers, with more than 364,000 stockholders, stand alone as the only professional sports franchise owned by fans, thus providing the only public record of how a sports team is run.

Featuring more than 300 photographs, some never before seen, the book illustrates how the most creative team in sports is also one of the most successful. Providing a complete history of the Green Bay team, the historian shows readers how a storied set of strategists named Lambeau, Canadeo, Lombardi, Hornung, and Holmgren lead the Pack to a league-best 13 NFL titles and 21 Hall of Fame inductees. This comprehensive, up-to-date history of the Packers includes the 2011 season.

The powerhouse behind Povletich Productions, Inc., Stevenson Ranch, Calif., William Povletich has been the producer of the television shows and films "Johnson County: CSI," "A Braves New World," "Milwaukee Braves: A Golden Legacy," "Henry Aaron's Summer Up North," "The Nuclear Football," "Hell: The Devil's Domain," "Rwanda: Do Scars Ever Fade?," "The True Story of Hidalgo," "Inside North Korea," "Saddam's Bombmaker," "Soviet UFO Secrets Revealed," "Police Women of Broward County," "Beach Patrol: San Diego," "Beach Patrol: Miami Beach," and "Inside Pol Pot's Secret Prison."

His productions have been telecast on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, Court TV, the Game Show Network, The Learning Channel (TLC), the Travel Channel, ABC, CBS, VH1, PBS, Fox Sports Net, and DIRECT TV.

Born in Wisconsin, Povletich has earned both critical acclaim and audience success with his projects, both as a producer and writer. In 2005, his History Channel documentary on Rwanda earned a 2005 Peabody Award and an Emmy Award nomination for outstanding informational program. His History Channel documentary about Pol Pot was nominated for two National News and Documentary Emmy Awards in 2003. The production was also named best documentary in a continuing series for 2002's International Documentary Association Distinguished Achievement Awards.

His Wisconsin Magazine of History cover story, "Liberace: The Milwaukee Maestro," won the 43rd Annual William Best Hesseltine Award for Best Article of the Year.

Among 16 other featured authors at this year's book festival - which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Edgerton High School, 200 Elm High Drive - will be:

•Nationally known actors Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker, perhaps best known for their portrayals of Ann Kelsey and Stuart Markowitz on NBC's long-running hit series "L.A. Law."

Michael Tucker's first book - 1995's "I Never Forget a Meal: An Indulgent Reminiscence" - was part memoir, part cookbook. His second book, 2008's "Living in a Foreign Language," chronicles the couple's experience as homeowners in Italy. Tucker's 2010 book, "Family Meals: Coming Together to Care for an Aging Parent," explores the meaning of family and examines the sacrifices we make for those we love. Tucker's debut novel, "After Annie," was published in March 2012.

Eikenberry has been nominated for four Emmy and two Golden Globe awards. On stage, Eikenberry has won Obie Awards for her performances in Lanford Wilson's "Lemon Sky" and Richard Greenberg's "Life Under Water."

•Lori Schneider, who became the first person in the world with multiple sclerosis to summit Mt. Everest in 2009.

Schneider is also the first person with this condition to scale the highest peak on each continent. Her memoirs include "Everest: Climbing Beyond Our Limits" and "On Top of the Bottom of the World."

•Stanley I. Kutler, the premiere historian of the Watergate controversy, which toppled an American president. Kutler, emeritus professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the author of "The Wars of Watergate" (Knopf, 1990) and "Abuse of Power: The New Nixon Tapes" (Free Press, 1997).

•Barbara Joosse, of Cedarburg, Wis., who has published some 40 books for children.

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(Contact: Mark Scarborough, Featured Author Coordinator, Edgerton Sterling North Book & Film Festival, 608-884-3367, mdscarby@yahoo.com)

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	William Povletich
	Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker