By Rudy Taylor
Sedan Times-Star
Sedan has a new author in its midst.

Joe Curran, agriculture education teacher at Sedan High School, just received his first copies of “One More Clean Shirt,” a compilation of bedtime stories he has shared with his five children.
Curran calls the book a “tale” and says it is based on actual accounts of a young farm boy in rural Kansas during the 1970s.

Known in his family as “Little Joe,” Curran writes about everything from corncob fights to horse trading.

Curran is a teacher, rancher, husband and father. He and his wife, Kim, have three daughters, Kassie 16, Keelie 15 and Kenzie 13, along with two sons, Kord 11 and Kreed 7.

Kim teaches junior high social studies at Sedan Jr.-Sr. High School.

Eight years ago, the Sedan schools were dismissed for three consecutive days and Joe spent that time at the keyboard of his computer, pounding out stories he didn’t want his kids to forget.

“I’ve already started forgetting some of the stories I heard when I grew up,” Curran said. “I just wanted to write down some of them so my kids can read them to their own children some day.”

“One More Clean Shirt” was published by PublishAmerica and Joe did his own illustrations.
The Curran family plans to move, after this school session, to Girard where he will teach ag education at Girard High School and Kim will teach junior high social studies at nearby Arma.
They both grew up in that vicinity and they want to be closer to family members who still reside there.

“We’ll miss Sedan,” he said. “We have so many friends here, and it’s the only home our kids have known.”

He said the “One More Clean Shirt” was intended to put a smile on the face of those who read the book. “My highest hope is that you will chuckle often, and maybe even experience a few gut laughs,” he said. “There’s nothing bad in the book — just good stuff.”

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