Author Patrick “Packy” Mader will present programs to Tracy Area High School seventh, eighth, and ninth graders Friday, Feb. 24.
Mader will give a group presentation in the TAHS gym at 8 a.m. The public is invited to attend. Afterward, he will meet with individual classes.
Mader’s programs will center on his sports legacy book, “Minnesota Gold,” a 400-page coffee table book that features 57 Minnesota athletes who competed on a world stage, primarily the Olympics. He will share stories and video clips explaining the process he used for writing the book.
Mader interviewed 50 of the featured athletes in person. Athletes in the book include gold medalists Lindsay Whalen (basketball), John Mayasich (hockey), Tom Malchow (swimming), and 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey player Buzz Schneider. Athletes with roots in the region include Carrie Tollefson of Dawson, Kris Kuehl of Cottonwood County, and Ali Bernard of New Ulm.
Mader, who grew up on a farm near St. Bonifacius, resides in Northfield. He has taught at Morristown Elementary for the past 27 years.
The author visit is made possible by a grant from SAMMIE, co-sponsored by Tracy Area Public Schools and Tracy Public Library.