Clayton C. Barbeau

The motley crew on either side of me in the photo are my grown children who came from near and far to attend a surprise birthday party for me in Golden Gate Park. I have good reason to be very proud of each of them and their accomplishments, including their

having presented me with grandchildren who are all, as Garrison would have it "above average."

"The Father of the Family" was written in seven weeks, a chapter a week. It was published in 1961. It was awarded the Spiritual Life Award as the best writing on the spiritual life published that year. At the request of Cardinal Tisserant it was translated into Italian for the Bishops dealing with family issues during Vatican Council II. After the council, the Italian translation was published and, to my surprise, each chapter was preceded by a quotation from one of the Vatican Council documents.

All subsequent editions, and the Croation translation, included those quotes. The book

is now in its 54th year in print.

The book led to my being asked to lecture. One lecture series, five talks on "Creating Family" were filmed and presented on 49 PBS stations.

Meanwhile, I have a private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist, with a clientele that is truly international.