The story chronicles a unique relationship I had from January to August of 1977 with an 82-year-old man who owned and operated a shoeshine stand in Phoenix, Arizona. I fondly called him Uncle and he addressed me as Nephew. We were not biologically related.

What you will find to be amazing about the story is the way it explores such subjects as male-female relationships, religion, issues of manipulation and other points of interest; all told through Uncle and other characters.

You also will be amazed to know that 25 years passed before I finally took the time to write the story. Most of the story was written from memory. However, I recorded conversations with Uncle while I lived in Phoenix in 1977, and I kept the cassette tapes that contained those conversations in storage for 25 years until I began to pen this remarkable story.

A number of the experiences I recalled in the story may sound farfetched, but I pledge that my memoir was written as accurately as I remembered. Some of the material may not be suitable for young children.

I was 24 years old when I met Uncle. He had a girlfriend who was my age, although his relationship with her was questionable at best. Uncle never made excuses for himself, and through dogged efforts he seldom, if ever, let obstacles stop him from reaching his goals. He motivated me to raise the bar, and he motivated everyone who knew him.

• Author: Willie Wofford
• Publisher: PublishAmerica 
• US SRP: $ 19.95 US
• Binding: Paperback
• Pub Date: May 2004
• Ages: High School  

Publisher Marketing: Willie Wofford Jr. was born in Marion, Indiana, and lived in his hometown for nearly 30 years. He graduated from Marion High School in 1970 and earned a Bachelor's Degree in journalism in 1974 from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Willie returned home after he left college. He moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in January of 1977 when friends who lived there convinced him that Phoenix was a good place to relocate. Although Willie returned home seven months later to begin a career in journalism as a reporter at the Chronicle-Tribune Newspaper, the brief residence he established in Phoenix was, perhaps, the most memorable period of his life. That's when he met a cantankerous 82-year-old entrepreneur named Daniel Jay. They immediately became friends and formed a relationship that blossomed. Willie never forgot about his dear friend, although they never saw each other again after Willie returned home in August of 1977. It took nearly 25 years before Willie finally took the time to write Notes On Uncle and Me: My Amazing Friend.