Scott Martin

Fred Bruner: I'm the Luckiest Man Alive Scott Martin

Publisher Marketing: Fred Bruner likes to say that he's "the luckiest man alive" but perhaps he's proof that, with a positive attitude, you can make your own luck. The son of a strict Baptist minister, Bruner ran away in his teens in the midst of the Great Depression. He lived on the streets and "rode the rails" cross country, hopping rides on freight trains with "hobos" and other folks hit hard by the economic times. Bruner eventually came home and reluctantly went to Oklahoma Military Academy. He went on to graduate from Baylor University and then SMU Law School. Although he was blind in one eye from a childhood accident, Bruner enlisted in the Signal Corps, and served his country during World War II. After the war, Fred met the love of his life, Joy Jean Groves. Together they created a wonderful life consisting of a huge family and a wide array of friends. Fred, and his brilliant legal career, has always been at the center of it all. Bruner's life is full of wonderful stories, epic characters, and frequent brushes with American history. As one of the top criminal defense lawyers in Dallas, Fred Bruner's clients ranged from reckless drivers all the way to high profile murderers, including the infamous Jack Ruby. To Fred Bruner work was never just work - there were always new people to meet and new people who needed help. Fred still lives in his Highland Park home where, despite diminishing health, he wakes up each morning armed with the two things that have served him best in his life-a sunny disposition and his preacher's son's ability to tell a great story. Contributor Bio:  Martin, Scott Scott Martin lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Ellen, and their five children, Nadia, Danny, Andy, Lauren, and Kalista. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh and went on to teach in West Bend, Wisconsin before coaching at the collegiate level. Martin holds an advanced national coaching diploma, and has spent over 20 years coaching and directing various soccer programs at the select youth, high school, and college levels. He has worked with prominent national coaches both here and abroad. He captained four teams at UW-Oshkosh and played 15 seasons at the First Division level. Coryanne Hicks is a freelancer with a passion for creative writing. Her love of literature began during her childhood in Northern California where she indulged in books whenever she wasn't riding horses or writing her own stories. An animal lover at heart with an adventurous spirit, Hicks has followed her dreams to over ten countries including South Africa where she spent three blissful weeks caring for lions, small and large. She resides in San Diego where she graduated from the University of California at San Diego.