From Fear to Love: My Journey Beyond Christianity, the posthumous "philosophical memoir" of my mentor Harry Willson won in the Philosophy category, and Feeling the Unthinkable: Essays on Social Justice by Donald Gutierrez won for best Political book.

It was a beautiful, bittersweet evening for me when the trophies were awarded last Friday night. Harry had left me holding the bag a few years ago - I took over the press and assumed my duties as his literary executor when he became ill and then quickly succumbed to cancer in March 2010 at age 77. But I was looking forward to Don joining me at the awards banquet and hopefully winning and being able to accept the honors for his remarkable collection on his own behalf. Sadly, he had been in declining health all summer and didn't make it - Don died on October 29 at age 81.

"Those damn old men keep breaking my heart." In a short time, Don had also come to be a mentor, role model and friend.

I have been twice honored in having Harry and then Don, such distinguished scholars and activists, hand over their work to me with absolute trust and confidence in my ability to groom and present the texts to the public in the most appropriate and appealing form. To have actually done it, produced those books, and have them recognized for their excellence, is the icing on the cake. I can't help but brag a little. Sadly.

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