Mark Cote, geography and environmental studies instructor and independent author, was awarded the Whistler Independent Book Award (non-fiction) at the Whistler Writing Festival this past October.

The award was for his book, That Lucky Old Son, a tribute to his father’s experiences as a World War II bomber air crew, and prisoner of war. Cote was on a decade-long mission to learn all he could about the man that passed away when he was only a child – and to tell his story. Gathering the many stories and memories that are now contained within the pages of the book meant having countless conversations with his father’s crew mates, other veterans, and their families.