His first book, Gone at 3:17: The Untold Story of the Worst School Disaster in American History, was described by historian David Welky as the “definitive study” of the 1937 New London, Texas, school explosion. A resident of Pittsburgh, he is at work on a World War II biography of Charles E. “Commando” Kelly, a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Silver Star, and numerous other commendations for excellence and heroism. David is a native Mississippian and former resident of East Texas.