Willoughby, Robert J. 1949-
WILLOUGHBY, Robert J. 1949-
PERSONAL: Born November 7, 1949, in MO; son of Robert Willoughby (a farmer) and Conception Alvarez; married Christine Moyer; children: Rob, Sean, Kevin, Eric, Amy. Education: Missouri Western State College, B.A.; Northwest Missouri State, M.A.; University of Missouri, Kansas City, Ph.D.
ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, McFarland & Company, P.O. Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640.
CAREER: Writer.
WRITINGS:
Robidoux's Town: A Nineteenth-Century History of St. Joseph, Missouri, Westphalia Publishing (Westphalia, MO), 1997.
The Great Western Migration to the Gold Fields of California, 1849–1850, McFarland (Jefferson, NC), 2003.
SIDELIGHTS: Robert J. Willoughby told CA: "I write for the intellectual stimulation and enjoyment. Popular historians like David McCullough appeal to me more than strictly academic writers. History is best written and read as a good story. I do my research, find primary sources, then do an outline. After that, I tell my story. Generally, I work through until it's finished, be it an article or a book-length piece. I write on those things that reflect human challenge and, of course, topics that I find interesting."