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THE NEVADA DAILY MAIL
WICHITA FALLS TIMES RECORD NEWS
DODGE CITY DAILY GLOBE
HUTCHINSON NEWS
ANDOVER - What if the human race split into two distinct societies?
WICHITA EAGLE
ANDOVER JOURNAL-ADVOCATE
READER'S DIGEST
ROTOR & WING INTERNATIONAL
ARIZONA REPUBLIC
MESA TRIBUNE
SEATTLE - A Soviet pilot suffering a precancerous condition because of his heroic flights to staunch radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear plant underwent a transplant of bone marrow rushed from a French donor on Friday with the help of a Mesa man.
Friday, October 17, 1997
Kansas man has novel published
By Nancy Malcom
Staff Writer
THE NEVADA DAILY MAIL
Cap Parlier, of Andover, Kan., was at Hastings Book Store in Joplin Saturday, autographing and selling his first novel, 'The Phoenix
Seduction.'
Parlier is the Chief Information Officer of Raytheon Aircraft in Wichita. He has been writing 30 years, but mostly technical articles related to his work. 'The Phoenix Seduction' is his first attempt at science fiction. The story grew from philosophy discussions with friends in the 70s.
"The 70's had us all questioning our humanity," Parlier said. "There was lots of racial tension. I was in the military and all of my peers were wondering where we, as a human race, were headed."
Anod, pronounced 'an odd', the main character of the novel, is a futuristic human who is forced to stay with a less technological race for a period of time. While there, she questions her own humanity and how technology has changed her view of herself and life. The book chronicles her self-discovery and reflects our own generation's same quest.
"Some who have read it say I should put more technical stuff in," Parlier said with a grin, "but the story is more about philosophy than science." He disclaims the book as being a social commentary on our times, and explains that it is more a reflection of our individual search for a life's philosophy. "Basically, Anod is looking for answers to the same questions we all have, like 'what does it mean to be human?'"
'The Phoenix Seduction' is published by Commonwealth Publications. Its sequel, 'Anod's Redemption' will be his next work. He has also co-authored a non-fictional account called 'TWA Flight 800' with Kevin E. Ready. It will be out in Jan. 1998. He has written two historical fiction novels that are finished and waiting for publication.
"I write because I enjoy it," Parlier explained. "It's very therapeutic for me. When I write, I inject myself deeply into the story and can get out of the 'race' of my job. I also enjoy working with words, finding ways to evoke emotional reactions from others." He finds non-fiction more mechanical and direct, and it doesn't have a story -- a reflection on reality. "Novels," he continued, "are just more fun."
Like lots of writers before him, he found a time in the creation of his novel when Anod took over the situation. "The characters drive the story. Sometimes things you think will happen won't happen. Anod learns that being human has many dimensions, good and bad, and to keep her humanity, she has to grow as a human being." Parlier credits his wife with his success. "She is always supportive, and keeps me writing," he said with a smile. As fans waited to talk with him, and get his autograph, his wife approached with their grandchild. He passed her the child's supplies she needed and then settled back to work. Obviously this science and science fiction author has no trouble keeping in touch with humanity.
Saturday & Sunday, October 18 & 19, 1997
Newcomer takes shot at sci-fi
THE PHOENIX SEDUCTION by Cap Parlier (Commonwealth Publications, $4.99)
By Sharon Galligar Chance
Special Writer
Times Record News
In his debut novel, "The Phoenix Seduction," former Marine aviator Cap Parlier recaptures the flavor and spirit of the golden age of science fiction.
Parlier will be at Hastings Books, Music & Video from 1-3 p.m. Sunday to sign copies of the book.
Exotic hardware, unearthly names names and attitudes, mysterious socal societies and religions all helped create classic SF genre. Parlier uses these elements and more in this tale of interstallar intrigue. Running to 500-plus pages, "Seduction" should satisfy those Fans (who will understand my use of a capitol F) who prefer stories with plenty of room for the imagination to run loose.
The futuristic novel tells of two humanoid cultures: One is highly advanced while the other has retained their technology abhorring roots. The heroine, a sophisticated female warrior, finds herself exploring the differences between these two worlds where humans have taken two completely opposite approaches to life.
While lacking the classic timelessness of a typical Robert Heinlein novel or the fluid prose of L. Ron Hubbard's later SF works, Parlier's 'The Phoenix Seduction' is nevertheless a respectable introduction to the genre for this talented newcomer.
Monday, September 22, 1997
Andover author makes stop in Dodge City
By Christopher R. Negelein
Globe Reporter
While Cap Parlier's novel is about the future, it's based on influences in his past.
The author was in Dodge City signing copies of his first published novel, "The Phoenix Seduction," Sunday afternoon at Hastings Books Music & Video.
Some parts of the novel from the Andover resident were inspired from sights and talks Parlier had while he was an experimental test pilot in 1977 for the Marines.
"It was a time when things were falling apart, there was no discipline," Parlier said. "A Marine officer could not walk down the street with out being harassed...women would run up to him and call him a bady killer, or throw a jar of blood on him. There were discussions that this may be the last days of Rome for America.
Those discussions stayed with Parlier as he continued his aviation career through the Marines to 1981 and then he continued on with McDonald Douglas until 1989. Parlier eventually became the Chief Information Officer for Raytheon Aircraft Co. in the 1990s.
Then 20-year-old memories became part of "The Phoenix Seduction." But the book does not focus on the 1970's. Parlier examines the issues of the past with a futuristic setting.
"The book is about bringing two societies together," Parlier said. "There is one society that is high-tech and it's the five persent that supports the rest of the population. But there's a price to be paid. They can't develop personal relationships. The other society has emotion but is agrarian."
While Parlier chose a futuristic setting to examine the culture clash, his favorite reading is historical and current event fiction.
So why did he choose a different setting?
"It was a risk. The old advice for writers is to write what you know. If you read romance then you write romance.
"But it's was a rare pleasure, I got to through the experience the main character goes through 300 years in the future," he said. "I'd be lying if I didn't say there was a connection."
Parlier's character is a military astronaut who has been forced to survive on another planet.
Some of Parlier's friends are also astronauts, he said. To see our planet from space changed them.
"I have some friends in the astronaut core," he said. "I have seen high-strung jet jocks come back changed. They come back humbled and talk in almost religious tones about the vastness of space and the one blue dot that is our home."
The exploration of space may have more in common with Dodge City's past that most people may think, Parlier said.
"The exploration of space is no different that when when our ancestors faced the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains," he said. "It's getting to the point that we have to keep exploring."
Friday, August 22, 1997
Andover man pens science fiction novels
By Karen Gangwere
Hutchinson News
If the theme sounds familiar, there is a reason. Writers of fiction have explored the notion of intraspecies conflict for well over a century.
In 1895, H.G. Wells wrote 'The Time Machine,' the story of a 19th century man who travels into the future to discover the human race has separated into two groups - the above-ground Eloi and below-ground Morlocks.
Andover writer Cap Parlier echoes Wells' theme in his own futuristic novel, "The Phoenix Seduction," which hit the bookstands in May. But Parlier takes the question a bit further: What if; after centuries of separation, the two branches of Homo Sapiens rediscover each other on a distant planet?
Parlier's novel centers on Lt. Arnod, a female warrior who, after surviving an interstellar battle, finds herself on a remote planet inhabited by distant outcasts from Earth. The Betons have retained their agrarian roots but eschew the technology of The Society from whence Arnod came.
Arnod, a human clone, must eventually chose between the two lines of her human ancestry.
"The story line is a clash between human characters," Parlier said. "Arnod is enormously sophisticated as a human being, but yet is relatively naive and immature. She comes from a society that is technically highly advanced. She was raised in an androgynous, asexual society where sex is prohibited."
When Arnod is exposed to the Betons, she learns another dimension to her heritage.
"Curiosity becomes more dominant than concern about the rules," Parlier said. "She is seduced by what it means to be human."
Just as Wells' novel can be called a reaction to the industrial revolution, Parlier's novel can be called a reaction to a troubled 20th century. The novel had its roots in a philosophical discussion of societal problems of the 1970s. Citing the Vietnam War and Watergate as symbols of the time, Parlier looked at society and saw it falling apart at the seams. For him, the overriding question became, "What's going to
happen to us as human beings?"
Parlier, 49, is a former Marine reconnaissance platoon commander and experimental test pilot. A Naval Academy alumnus and aviator, he is married with four grown children. He is chief information officer for Raytheon Aircraft Company, Wichita.
Although fiction writing is a relatively recent pursuit, writing itself is nothing new for Parlier. With a bachelor's degree in marine engineering and a master's degree in aerospace engineering, Parlier has written articles for the Marine Corps Gazette and numerous technical papers and magazine articles.
"It took quite a few years to get a publisher lined up," Parlier said. "I finished writing the book in 1992, it was published in November 1996 and came out in the bookstores in May."
Another Parlier book, written with California attorney Kevin E. Ready, is scheduled to be published by January. "Flight 800" explores the causes of the tragic crash of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island July 17, 1996. Fueled by Pierre Salinger's "abhorrent hypothesis" of friendly fire, Parlier and Ready conducted an examination of facts and eyewitness accounts to postulate their own hypothesis - the plane was downed by a shoulder-fired missile from an Iranian submarine.
Parlier is also working on two books of historical fiction. "To So Few" takes its title from Winston Churchill's famous line, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." The novel tells the story of a young Kansas boy who grows up to fly a Spitfire for the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain. The book covers a period of time from September 1938 to May 1940. The second book, "To So Few, The Trial," covers the Battle of Britain, from May 1940 to October 1940.
Copies of "The. Phoenix Seduction" are available at Crossroads Bookstore and Hastings Books Video & Tapes in Hutchinson. Parlier signed copies of "The Phoenix Seduction" at both stores Aug. 2 and will likely do the same for "Flight 800" when it comes out.
Wednesday, May 28, 1997
Raytheon executive publishes sci-fi novel
What if humans split into two separate societies? Cap Parlier explores his answer.
By Michele Chan Santos
Wichita Eagle
Cap Parlier is a busy man. The Andover resident is chief information officer with Raytheon Aircraft Co., the father of four children and a member of the board of directors for the National Marrow Donor Program and the Marrow Foundation.
But recently, he also became a published science-fiction author, an event he couldn't be happier about.
"It's exciting to know that you have something out there that you've created," said Parlier, 48, a former experimental test pilot. "It's kind of neat that people are talking about something that came from your mind."
Parlier's novel, "The Phoenix Seduction," is a 537-page mass-market paperback published by a Canadian company, Commonwealth Pubilcations. The futuristic novel tells the story of Anod, a female warrior and genetically engineered clone.
Anod grew up on Earth as a member of the "Society." In the future as Parlier has imagined it, reproduction is totally controlled by the "Society" and humans are raised by android companions.
Anod is a space pilot. Through a misadventure, she ends up on the planet Beta, where humans who fled Earth have set up an agrarian, peaceful society utterly at odds with the way Earth is now run. She explores the diffbrences between these two worlds, where humankind has taken two completely opposite proaches to life.
Parlier developed the storyline, which contrasts anti-technology and pro-technology societies, as a result of philosophical debates he had with friends many years ago, he said.
He wrote two or three chapters in the late 1970s and then abandoned the book until a few years ago, when his wife, Jeanne, a business teacher at Butler County Community College urged him to finish the story.
Now that it's published, he flips through the book and sees parts he would like changed. But that's normal for any author whose writing improves with every book, he said.
Since completing "Ihe Phoenix Seduction," Parlier has written a two-volume book about the Battle of Britain and begun work on a historical novel about helicopter pilots at Chernobyl called "Sacrifice." Parlier was close friends with the late Anatoly Grishchenko, a helicopter pilot who helped contain the Chernobyl disaster by flying over the flaming plant dousing it with sand and cement. The novel will help show the heroism of the Chernobyl pilots, Parlier said.
The Parliers have four children: Jacy, 20, Courtney, 20, Tyson, 18, and Taylor, 17. They also have a grand-daughter, Aspen, who is 3 months old.
Their children, Jeanne Parlier says, still see their father's writing as "a hobby," but he sees it as something more.
Although he enjoys his job at Raytheon, Parlier finds writing fiction more exciting, he said.
"As a writer, I've flown in space, been to a new planet," he said. "That's what is so attractive about it."
Thursday, May 22, 1997
Parlier launches career as science fiction author
By Tim Pouncey
Journal Advocate Staff
After a career that includes Marine reconnaissance during the Vietnam War and work as an experimental pilot for Hughes Helicopter, Cap Parlier said he has begun the scariest venture of his life - writing a science fiction novel.
"It's always scary to write something and open yourself up for criticism," said Parlier, an Andover resident who is currently Chief Information Officer of the Raytheon Aircraft Company. "But I've always encouraged criticism and asked for people to give me feedback. When you do that, you must be prepared for honest responses.
Parlier, born Charles Allen Parlier and acquiring the nickname "Cap" from his initials, began writing while he was still in the Marine Corp. His first article was on the use of camouflage. After that, Parlier published several articles in The Marine Corps Gazette, and numerous technical papers.
In 1979 I began what would eventually become my first science fiction novel, The Phoenix Seduction," he said. The story grew out of philosophical discussions arising from the Vietnam War, the resignation of President Nixon and the turmoil of those times. In those days there were a number of questions about where we were headed and what our future would be."
Years later Parlier returned to the novel and completed it.
"I wanted to write about the kind of issues facing society, but I didn't have the background to just sit down and attempt a philosophy book," he said. "So I incorporated elements of philosophy into The Phoenix Seduction."
Although Parlier is a confessed Star Trek fan, he said he is not a broad science fiction reader.
"I use science fiction as a vehicle," he said. 'There aren't a lot of the traditional science fiction elements in my novel. The story takes place on another world but it's not about alien characters; its about two bands of humans that come back together again."
The novel follows the adventures of a woman who is betrayed and left barely alive in space. She is rescued, but soon her betrayer is on her trail.
"I didn't know if I could write a story convincingly from a female perspective, but I've received some complements," Parlier said. "The character had to be a woman because at one point she gives birth and its a transition point for the story. I sought the advice of my wife, Jeanne, who really gave me a lot of help and support."
It took seven years from the time Parlier began writing The Phoenix Seduction again until its publication this month.
"Whether this will be lucrative remains to be seen," he said, "but I didn't do it for the money. It's a treat for me to write fiction and it's really an enjoyable release for me. A novel is something that really takes on a life of its own."
Parlier will be signing copies of The Phoenix Seduction from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., May 31, at Boarders Books and Music 1715 N. Rock Road; from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., June 14, at B. Dalton, Towne East, and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., June 21, at Waldenbooks, Towne East, and from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., June 28, at Barnes & Noble, 8021 E. Kellogg.
May 1991
The Man Who Flew Into Hell.
By John Pekkanen
John Pekkanen's exceptional story tells the world about the efforts of the Chernobyl helicopter pilots as well as Anatoly Grishchenko's equally dramatic struggle for life against radiation induced leukemia. John's article is too long to be practically included here. Cap strongly recommends anyone interested in Anatoly Grishchenko and the other Chernobyl pilots should find a copy of John's article at their local library. Reproductions can be obtained from Reader's Digest.
May 1990
Soviet pilot to get life-saving surgery in U.S.
Several men, who from their earliest piloting days have been trained to fight against each other, put their cultural and political differences aside recently to find medical help for a deathly ill comrade. The story is one of friendship, compassion, and hope.
Soviet helicopter pilot Anatoly Grishchenko is battling the effects of radiation-induced illness contracted as a result of heroic flying feats following the Chernobyl nuclear-powerplant disaster in April 1986. Flying a Mil Mi-26, Grishchenko, a Soviet helicopter experimental test pilot, and others flew multiple missions over Chernobyl in support of the cleanup and entombment of the burnt reactor.
The entombment process required the pilots to move enormous loads of sand and wet concrete on 700-foot (213-m) longlines over the reactor Grishchenko spent many weeks in Chernobyl immediately following the disaster. He returned to the area again in August 1986, once more flying many missions over the now-buried powerplant.
In addition to the difficult flying tasks, the pilots were exposed to intense ionizing radiation. All suffered radiation poisoning following their Chernobyl experience. But, while all the other pilots eventually recovered, Grishchenko's illness has worsened.
Diagnosed with a form of leukemia, he reportedly exhausted the medical resources in his own country Grishchenko was in need of a bone-marrow transplant, a procedure that is available only in the West. Such a transplant removes the patient's own diseased marrow and replaces it with healthy marrow from a matched donor The Soviet pilot requested - and was granted permission to seek treatment abroad.
The intense international effort on Grishchenko's behalf began at Helitech '89 (September 1989 in Redhill, Surrey, England) when his friend and chief designer at the Mil Design Bureau, Alexei Ivanov approached McDonnell Douglas experimental test pilot and section manager Cap Parlier. Medical expertise only available in the West was needed to save Grishchenko's life, Ivanov explained. Could Parlier help make that
expertise available to Grishchenko?
A bit overwhelmed by the request, Parlier said he would try to help. He wasted no time in getting approval for Grishchenko to enter the United States on an emergency-entry visa. Seattle's world-renowned Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Hospital was contacted, payment plans spelled out, and the search for a bone-marrow donor begun.
Hope was rising on both sides of the world. Parlier was in communication with Ivanov and another Mil designer Mark Vineberg, as well as Grishchenko's long-time friend and fellow pilot, Gurgen Karapetyan, himself a recovered radiation-poisoning victim. Thanks to the efforts of many, the U.S State Department issued an emergency-entry visa for Grishchenko.
However, the search for a bone-marrow donor proved more difficult: None of Grishchenko's blood relatives turned up a good match International donor registries were reviewed, and after several months a lone match (the donor's identity has not been revealed) was found. Thankfully the prospective donor consented to the procedure, and, in late March, plans were underway to transport Grishchenko to Seattle.
The bone-marrow transplant was scheduled for April 27. It is a risky procedure for Grishchenko (but not for the donor), and there are no guarantees. But the potential benefits outweigh the risks for Grishchenko.
A 100- to 120-day recuperation period follows the surgery During that time, Grishchenko will remain in the Seattle hospital. Get well wishes may be sent to Anatoly Grishchenko, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Hospital, 1124 Columbia, Seattle, Wash. 98104.
Bone-marrow donors are needed for other desperately ill patients. Readers who wish to be considered for the procedure should contact the Life Savers Foundation of America, National Marrow Donor Program, 529 S. 2nd Ave., Covina, Calif. 91723. Phone: (800) 950-1050.
Saturday, April 28, 1990
Heroic pilot is given transplant
Valley man helped arrange surgery for Soviet sickened by radiation.
Associated Press/Arizona Republic
A Soviet pilot suffering a precancerous condition because of his heroic flights to stanch radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear plant underwent a bone-marrow transplant Friday arranged by a Valley man.
Four years and a day after the Chernobyl disaster, marrow donated by a 42-year-old Frenchwoman was flown to Seattle for tansplanting into Anatoly Grishchenko.
"He is ready," Susan Edmonds of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center said before the operation.
She added that the procedure would take two to 10 hours.
The bone-marrow transplant was arranged by Cap Parlier, light-helicopter testing and evaluation director for McDonnell Douglas Corp. in Mesa.
Grishchenko, 53, was one of several Soviet pilots honored for making flights over Chernobyl in the four days after an explosion and fire at the reactor on April 26, 1986.
They repeatedly flew through hot, intensely radioactive gases spewing from the plant to survey the damage and to dump tons of sand and cement onto the wreckage.
According to official figures, 31 people were killed. Unofficial reports say at least 250 died.
The blast scattered radioactive cesium, strontium and plutonium isotopes across much of the Ukraine, Byelorussia and Russia and sent a cloud of radioactive gas around the world.
In September 1988, Grishchenko was found to have a pre-leukemia condition, typified by low counts of blood platelets needed for clotting and of white blood cells to fight infection and disease.
Parlier said he met several of the helicopter pilots involved in the Chernobyl surveys at the 1989 Paris Air Show. Later that year, at an air show in England, one of the Soviet pilots said Grishchenko needed specialized treatment available only in the United States.
"He asked if I could help," Parlier said Friday night.
Parlier, a former test pilot, said he could not turn his back on the Soviet aviator and urged medical, political and corporate officials in the United States and the Soviet Union to bring Grishchenko to Seattle for treatment.
He said he spoke with Grishchenko by telephone a few hours before the operation.
"I think he's handling it just as any experienced helicopter test pilot would," Parlier said.
"He knows the risks, he's assessed the risk, and he's ready."
Saturday, April 28, 1990
Mesa man helps Soviet get bone marrow transplant
Russian pilot honored for heroics at Chernobyl.
Associated Press
Four years and a day after the Chernobyl disaster, marrow donated by a 42-year-old woman was flown to Seattle Friday for transfusion into Anatoly Grishchenko.
The marrow arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on a British Airways night originating in Paris at 6 p.m. Arizona time. The operation began at 7:53 p.m., said Susan Edmonds of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
"He is ready, she said adding that starting the procedure was as simple as hanging the bag of about one quart of marrow, and linking it to a device already hooked up to Grishchenko's body.
The marrow arrived one day after the fourth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Ukraine. The transplant procedure was
expected to take from two to 10 hours.
In September 1988, Grishchenko was found to have a pre-leukemia condition, typified by low counts of blood platelets needed for clotting and of white blood cells to fight infection and disease.
Grishchenko, 53, is the first Chernobyl victim to receive medical care in the United States. He has up to a 75 percent chance of survival without a recurrence of the condition for five years, said Susan Edmonds of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
"He's a patient man," Edmonds said. "His general feeling is, I believe, that he's anxious to get on with it."
The transplant was arranged by Cap Parlier, light helicopter testing and evaluation director for McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co. in Mesa, who said he spoke with Grishchenko by telephone a few hours before the transfusion was set to begin.
"He's actually sounding kind of tired but he did sound robust," Parlier said from his office in Mesa. "He feels it's from the chemotherapy and the radiation therapy he's been undergoing."
The Soviet civilian helicopter test pilot, who arrived at Hutchinson on April 11, underwent a final round of radiation therapy Friday afternoon, Parlier said.
"Let's face it anyone in his position would be a little apprehensive, but his whole training and background has been in understanding risk"' he said.
"I think he's handling it just as any experienced helicopter test pilot would. He knows the risks, he's assessed the risk and he's ready," Parlier said.
Grishchenko was honored as a Soviet hero for making five flights over Chernobyl in the four days following an explosion and fire at the reactor on April 26, 1986.
He flew repeatedly through the hot, intensely radioactive gases spewing from the plant to survey the damage and to dump tons of sand and wet concrete onto the wreckage.
According to official figures, 31 people were killed. Unofficial reports said at least 250 died.