Daniel N. Walters did his undergraduate work at Glassboro State College, now Rowan University, and earned his master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He spent over forty years in education as a teacher and supervisor and was the recipient of numerous citations recognizing his achievements. An avid lover of the arts, he himself is a poet and a musician. He has dedicated his memoir to several people, among them Hilda S. Frame, a teacher in the two-room grammar school he attended in Southern New Jersey. For him, she was his most inspirational teacher. Growing up as a foster child and ward of the state, he has written a memoir recounting hardships and successes in the face of adversity and abandonment. A Dickens of A Life is told, in part, through a collection of personal writings deftly woven into an inspiring narrative as the author wrestles with the question of how a mother could abandon her children. Dr. Dan, as he was known by his colleagues, retired from the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District in 2005 as a supervisor of five departments at Absegami High School in Galloway Township, New Jersey. Honored for his years of service, an honorary wall in the Absegami building was dedicated to him. He resides in Margate, New Jersey with his wife, Maria.