Dr. Mike Nelson, a 1996 graduate of Presbyterian College, recently published his book, “A Barber’s Guide to Life, Medicine, and Faith.” The book was edited by Dr. H. Dean Thompson, the Mary Edmunds and de Saussure Davis Professor of English at the college.

“When I initially started writing, I really had no idea I was starting to write a book,” Nelson said. “I was just reminiscing about a barber who was a friend of mine. When I finished writing, I essentially wrote the first chapter.”

Nelson’s book takes nine life lessons he learned from Mike Read, a barber he apprenticed under in Lilburn, Ga. while attending high school and college. Nelson then takes these lessons and translates them to how they have affected his life, medical practice, and spirituality.

“I would put the kids to bed and write in the evenings,” Nelson said. “The next morning, I would read what I wrote to my wife and three sons. As I wrote the first chapter, I thought, ‘Gosh, there were other things that he taught me,’ and I kept on writing as I thought about it.”

When writing his initial drafts, Nelson explained, he felt a calling in his heart to discuss his faith in the book, as well.

“It was not preplanned, it just happened,” Nelson said. “When God puts things in your heart, He can make anything happen.”

Thompson added he has had long-standing friendships with Nelson and his two brothers, both alumni of the college, having attended their weddings and Mike Nelson’s graduation from medical school.

“The four of us have sat in the nosebleeds at Turner Field and cheered our Braves while wolfing down hot dogs and Dippin’ Dots,” Thompson said. “My favorite memory may be from this past December: I taught Mike’s oldest son how to tie a bowtie, and he in turned passed along that labyrinthine maneuver to his younger brothers.”

Thompson downplayed his role in the book’s creation: “Give Mike all the credit, for he’s the one who made a dream come true. I didn’t do anything except send a few commas and semicolons scampering to their accustomed places and tell a few sentences to stand up straight and say howdy-do.”

Presbyterian College is located on a striking 240-acre campus in Clinton, between Columbia and Greenville, S.C. Offering challenging academics and a culture of honor, ethics, and service that prepares students to be leaders in communities, PC offers its students the benefit of engaging with an exceptional faculty who take individual interest in their students’ well-being, both personally and in the classroom. The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy opened in 2010, and is dedicated to the ideals of leadership, honor to the profession, and service to the community. For more information about Presbyterian College, visit www.presby.edu.