Dave Morse-final-2-1-23.jpg
Dave Morse-final-2-1-23.jpg

The Morse Code: Legacy of a Vermont Sportswriter

$19.99

Brendan Buckley
July 18, 2023

“A gem of a story about a Vermont institution.”
–Leonard Shapiro, Washington Post

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Brendan Buckley
July 18, 2023

“A gem of a story about a Vermont institution.”
–Leonard Shapiro, Washington Post

Brendan Buckley
July 18, 2023

“A gem of a story about a Vermont institution.”
–Leonard Shapiro, Washington Post

Release Date: July 18, 2023
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-57869-134-0
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-57869-135-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023901306
eBook: 978-1-57869-136-4 (Purchase the eBook Here)
Booksellers and Libraries: Order Info Here or at Ingram.

Synopsis

Triumph over hardship. Pay it forward. The power of community. These were the moral codes of Dave Morse (1937-2015), a beloved Vermont Sports Hall of Fame journalist who spent 20 years at the Hardwick Gazette writing “The Morse Code,” an all-sports, all-ages column. 

This biography, with full-color photos and a foreword by Ross Connelly, editor and co-publisher of Hardwick Gazette (1986 to 2017), chronicles the life of veteran sports editor Dave Morse, whose contributions to the youth of a small community echo across the Green Mountains today. Dave was a widely respected reporter, and an ever-willing conversationalist, yet few readers know the obstacles he faced. Dave overcame trauma and heartbreak to be admired for his empathy, kindness, and generosity to all who knew him. Dave’s lasting legacy as the heart of Vermont sports lives on in The Morse Code: Legacy of a Vermont Sportswriter.

Praise

“Brendan Buckley has found a gem of a story about a Vermont institution, sportswriter Dave Morse. It’s impeccably researched and beautifully written, the fascinating tale of a complicated, generous and incredibly talented man who entertained his readers for decades and surely would have greatly appreciated the author’s skillful writing and relentless reporting.”

–Leonard Shapiro, Washington Post sportswriter and the author of seven books

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“Dave Morse made his living by finding and telling other people’s stories. It turns out Dave had a story of his own, and Brendan Buckley takes us along on his quest to uncover and share it. His book isn’t only about a legendary Vermont sportswriter—it’s also an evocation of a lost age of newspapering, an uplifting account of the people who stitched a community together, and a love note to Hardwick, the town that saved Dave.”

–Alex Wolff, Sports Illustrated writer and author of Endpapers

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“Dave Morse’s story deserves to be told. It’s deeply reported and tenderly written about one of the most fascinating and interesting personalities ever in Vermont sports journalism. His life had equal moments of achievement and heartbreak and he overcame the odds to go down as one of the most caring and empathetic writers ever. Dave loved Vermont and its athletes. From high school sports to the Olympics his beat was large, Dave never big-timed anyone, and he loved skiing. His work advanced cross-country skiing greatly in my era, with his regular features of the greats of the day, and I will never forget him. His works will forever be linked to excellence and compassion in the history of Vermont sports.”

–Peter Graves, ABC Sports, 1980 Olympic Games Announcer

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“This is a love story between a man and a town. It is about a journalist who came to love the town of Hardwick and surrounding towns and their athletes. The love was returned many times. Dave Morse’s life lives on in proud family scrapbooks and in the basketball tournament named for him that is played each year at Hazen Union High School. Poignant scenes unfold, page after page. I thought I knew Dave well. I know him even better now. And Brendan Buckley, a retired family doctor living in East Hardwick, has woven Dave’s story in a readable style that makes The Morse Code a page turner.”

–Tom Haley, Rutland Herald

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“For several decades Dave Morse always seemed to be able to find a compelling story to write about athletes, coaches and others – both in winning and losing. One of his faithful readers at the Hardwick Gazette, Dr.  Brendan Buckley, has done an incredible job in researching the private life of the much beloved journalist. Buckley pulls together many of the strands in Dave’s complicated life for this book.  It is a must read for those that knew Dave and his newspaper career – or those that just love Vermont sports. Dave Morse was a special person and this book captures so much about him.”  

–Mike Donoghue, retired Burlington Free Press writer and former two-term president of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association

MEET THE AUTHOR

 
Author Photo by Vanessa Fournier

Brendan Buckley, photo by Vanessa Fournier.

Brendan Buckley fell in love with Vermont while attending Middlebury College. After graduation, he taught sixth grade for two years, but then decided to pursue a career in medicine. He did his internship and residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and then moved to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, where he practiced primary care medicine at the Hardwick Area Health Center for thirty four years, until his retirement in 2019. He continues to live in East Hardwick with his wife Helen, a retired school psychologist. Their children, Matthew and Emma, live in California and Utah. The Morse Code: Legacy of a Vermont Sportswriter is his first book.